חֲסַף (cha.saph)
cha.saph
clay
A:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-M
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word for clay in Daniel’s vision reminds us that human power, no matter how strong, has limits. Iron represents strength and endurance, but when mixed with brittle clay, the structure becomes unstable. This image helps us understand that political systems or personal efforts relying only on their own force will eventually fracture. It is a sobering picture of the fragility of earthly kingdoms.
Yet this imagery does not leave us in despair. The stone cut without hands represents God’s eternal kingdom, which stands firm where human alliances fail. When we place our trust in God rather than in shifting worldly powers, we find a stability that endures. This passage invites us to look beyond the temporary successes and failures of our time to the lasting reality of God’s rule.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- clay3×
- with/ [the] clay of2×
- clay/ the2×
- and/ clay/ the1×
- <the>/ clay1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חַסְפָּֽ/א\׃1×
- חַסְפָּ֨/א1×
- חַסְפָּ/א֙1×
- חֲסַֽף\׃1×
- חֲסַ֤ף1×
- חֲסַ֑ף1×
- וְ/חַסְפָּ֑/א1×
- בַּ/חֲסַ֥ף1×
- בַּ/חֲסַ֣ף1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 2:43
Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
This verse explicitly states that iron does not mix with clay, illustrating the fundamental incompatibility between different types of human power and the resulting division.
-
Daniel 2:34
You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
The stone striking the feet of iron and clay highlights how God’s intervention targets the weakest points of earthly empires to bring about His purposes.
-
Daniel 2:41
Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but there will be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
Here the mixture is described as miry clay, emphasizing the weakness and instability that arises when strength is combined with something brittle and unyielding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the word 'clay' symbolize in Daniel 2?
Why does the text say iron does not mix with clay?
How is this word used in other parts of the Bible?
Every Occurrence (7 verses across 1 books)
Daniel 7 verses
its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay.
Daniel 2:34You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and…
Daniel 2:35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff…
Daniel 2:41Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but there will…
Daniel 2:42As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
Daniel 2:43Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling…
Daniel 2:45Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the…