בוהן

From the unused root בָּהַן (“shut, cover”), which may be equivalent to בָּהַם. In that case the thumb is named in this manner as it covers the other fingers when forming a fist.

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /buhn/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈboː.hɛn/ [ˈboː.hɛn]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbø.han/ [ˈbøː.hæn], [ˈbeː.hæn]
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.(h)en/

בוהן / בֹּהֶן • (bóhen) m (plural indefinite בְּהוֹנוֹת, singular construct בֹּהֶן־, plural construct בְּהוֹנוֹת־) [pattern: קֹטֶל]

1. (Biblical Hebrew) thumb, big toe
   • Tanach, Judges 1:6, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיָּנָס אֲדֹנִי בֶזֶק וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אַחֲרָיו וַיֹּאחֲזוּ אֹתוֹ וַיְקַצְּצוּ אֶת־בְּהֹנוֹת יָדָיו וְרַגְלָיו׃

     But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

The plural has its origin in the stem בְּהוֹן, which differs from the singular and is otherwise unused. When followed by יָד (yad, “hand”) it refers to the thumb, and likewise when followed by רֶגֶל (régel, “foot”) to the big toe.

• אֲגוּדָל ('agudál)

• H931 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) “בֹּהֶן”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 65b
• “בהן” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

• בוהן on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he