טִין (tin)
tin
common
A:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-M
Word Overview
The Aramaic noun tin refers to clay, serving as the direct equivalent of the Hebrew word tiyt. It appears only twice in the Bible, both within the book of Daniel. In these instances, the term describes the material from which idols are fashioned, highlighting its role as a common, earthly substance used for crafting images.
Its limited usage underscores a specific theological contrast. By identifying idolatrous objects as mere clay, the text emphasizes their fragility and lack of divine power compared to the living God. The word carries no spiritual weight of its own; it is simply the raw material shaped by human hands, reminding readers that man-made gods are as unstable as mud.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we encounter the word for clay in Daniel, it reminds us of our own fragility. We are shaped from common earth, temporary and easily broken. Yet this truth is not meant to discourage us. Instead, it invites us to rest in the One who holds us together when everything else falls apart.
The text contrasts this fragile material with iron, showing how human efforts often fail to hold fast. But God’s kingdom does not rely on our strength or stability. We can find peace knowing that our worth comes from His hand, not our own durability.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- clay/ the2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- טִינָֽ/א\׃1×
- טִינָ֔/א1×
Key Verses
-
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.
This verse uses the term to describe the feet of the statue, highlighting the weakness in a kingdom that appears strong on the surface.
-
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.
Here the word illustrates why human alliances cannot truly unite, as clay and iron refuse to bond together naturally.