תַּן (tan)
tan
jackal; Dragon; serpent: snake; serpent: monster
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 25 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun tan refers to a jackal, a wild canine known for scavenging and haunting desolate places. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears twenty-five times, mostly in prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as in the Psalms. The word evokes images of ruined cities and barren lands where human life has ceased, leaving room for these solitary animals to roam.
While its primary meaning is jackal, the term carries a broader range that includes serpents, dragons, or sea monsters. This semantic flexibility allows it to describe both terrestrial scavengers and mythical creatures of chaos. Translators often render it as "jackal" when describing literal ruins, but switch to "dragon" or "serpent" in poetic or apocalyptic contexts where the imagery shifts toward cosmic disorder.
A key point of interest is its use as a symbol of desolation. When prophets describe cities falling into ruin, they often say jackals will dwell there instead of people. This usage highlights the contrast between human civilization and wild abandonment. The word does not merely name an animal; it paints a picture of judgment and emptiness, showing how nature reclaims spaces once held by order.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word tan appears in Scripture as both a jackal and a sea monster, painting vivid pictures of desolation or divine power. When prophets use it for ruins, they show how judgment strips away human pride, leaving only wild emptiness. This imagery reminds us that earthly kingdoms are temporary, but God’s sovereignty remains constant over all creation.
Yet the word also points to God’s ultimate victory. In passages like Isaiah 27:1, He defeats the chaotic serpent, showing that no force of disorder can stand against Him. For believers, this offers deep comfort: even when life feels chaotic or broken, God is actively working to restore order and bring peace.
We can trust in His power to turn desolation into blessing. Just as He tamed the sea monsters of old, He cares for our daily struggles. This word invites us to rest in the certainty that God’s purposes will prevail, bringing hope where there seems to be only ruin.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 25 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- jackals7×
- like <the>/ jackals2×
- [the] sea monster2×
- <into>/ a serpent2×
- the/ sea monsters1×
- the/ sea monster1×
- serpents1×
- sea monsters1×
- of/ jackals1×
- like <the>/ sea monster1×
- for/ jackals of1×
- and/ jackals1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תַּנִּ֛ים2×
- לְ/תַנִּֽין\׃2×
- תַּנִּינִ֖ם1×
- תַּנִּים֙1×
- תַּנִּֽין\׃1×
- תַּנִּֽים\׃\ \ס1×
- תַּנִּ֖ים1×
- תַּנִּ֑ין1×
- תַּ֝נִּינִ֗ים1×
- תַנִּים֙1×
- תַנִּ֔ים1×
- תַ֝נִּינִ֗ים1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 27:1
In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan, the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
This verse uses the term for a sea monster to describe God's decisive defeat of chaos, highlighting His supreme authority over all destructive forces.
-
Isaiah 13:22
Hyenas will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.
Here the jackal symbolizes the complete desolation of Babylon, showing how human pride leads to abandonment and wildness when God's judgment falls.
-
Jeremiah 51:34
“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me. He has crushed me. He has made me an empty vessel. He has, like a monster, swallowed me up. He has filled his mouth with my delicacies. He has cast me out.
Nebuchadnezzar is compared to a monster that swallows Israel, illustrating the overwhelming power of empire while implicitly calling for God's eventual justice.
-
Job 7:12
Am I a sea, or a sea monster, that you put a guard over me?
Job addresses God as if speaking to a sea monster, expressing his feeling of being hunted and guarded without mercy in his suffering.