חֲדִי
a breast
Definition
The Hebrew word חֲדִי (chădîy) is an Aramaic noun meaning 'breast' or 'chest.' It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Daniel 2:32, where it describes part of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream: 'This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver...' (KJV). In this context, it refers specifically to the chest area of a human figure, distinct from the arms, belly, and legs mentioned in the vision. As an Aramaic term, it corresponds directly to the Hebrew word חָזֶה (chazeh, H2373), which also means 'breast.'
Biblical Usage
This word is used only in Daniel 2:32, within the Aramaic portions of the book of Daniel. It occurs in the context of describing the metallic statue in the king's dream, specifying the 'breast' as being made of silver. Its usage is purely descriptive and anatomical, with no figurative or symbolic meaning attached in this single occurrence.
Etymology
חֲדִי (chădîy) is an Aramaic word, not a native Hebrew term. It is the direct Aramaic cognate and equivalent of the Hebrew noun חָזֶה (chazeh, H2373), which means 'breast' or 'chest.' Both words likely derive from a common Semitic root meaning 'to see' or 'to appear,' possibly relating to the chest as a prominent or visible part of the body. In biblical usage, the Aramaic חֲדִי simply carries the same concrete, anatomical meaning as its Hebrew counterpart.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near Eastern context, the breast or chest was often associated with strength, vitality, and the seat of emotions or the heart. However, in its single biblical occurrence in Daniel 2:32, the word is used in a straightforward, descriptive manner for a part of a statue, with no explicit cultural symbolism attached. The statue itself represents a sequence of empires, but the term 'breast' here serves a purely anatomical function within the vision's description.
חָזֶה (chazeh, H2373) — The native Hebrew word for 'breast' or 'chest,' used in contexts like the breastpiece of the high priest (Exodus 28:29) or animal sacrifices (Leviticus 7:30).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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