בֹּ֫הֶן
bo.hen (H0931)
thumb/big toe
AI Word Study
# Analysis of Hebrew בֹּהֶן (bohen) The Hebrew word *bohen* refers specifically to the thumb or big toe—the largest digit on the human hand or foot. With sixteen occurrences throughout the biblical text, this term designates a particular anatomical part rather than serving as a general word for fingers or toes. The word's specificity suggests that biblical writers distinguished this prominent digit from other fingers and toes when precision mattered for their narrative or legal purposes. The relative rarity of this term (appearing only sixteen times across the entire Hebrew Bible) indicates that references to thumbs and big toes occurred in particular contexts rather than in everyday discourse. This pattern suggests that when the biblical text needed to mention these specific digits, it was usually for a meaningful reason—whether describing a physical detail, marking a ritual act, or establishing a legal distinction. The word's technical anatomical precision points to situations where the identity of this particular body part carried significance for the passage's meaning.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and sprinkle the blood around on the altar.
He killed it; and Moses took some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot.
He brought Aaron’s sons; and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar.
The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
The priest shall put some of the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering.
He shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering. The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
Then the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering.
But Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.