Hebrew word · H5466

סָדִין

sadin

linen

A large piece of fine linen worn as a wrap or garment, perhaps next to the body or as a light outer garment. It was a valuable product of skilled weaving.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) linen wrapper

1a) rectangular piece of fine linen worn as outer, or at night, as a sole garment

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Judges 14:12

Range of meaning

A large piece of fine linen worn as a wrap or garment, perhaps next to the body or as a light outer garment. It was a valuable product of skilled weaving.

Against the English

KJV "sheets" makes modern readers think of bedding. NASB-style "linen wraps" and BSB/WEB "linen garments" are closer. YLT "linen shirts" guesses at a specific cut that the word does not settle.

How it drifted

In 1611 "sheet" could still mean a broad piece of cloth in general. Today it almost always means bed linen.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 31:24: the capable wife "makes linen garments [sedinim] and sells them", which shows they were trade goods. Isa 3:23 lists them among the luxury items of Jerusalem's wealthy women. The word is related to Akkadian saddinu (a garment) and Greek sindōn (fine linen). Sindōn is the word for the linen cloth of the young man who fled naked in Mark 14:51–52 and for Jesus' burial cloth (Mark 15:46).

From the study of Proverbs 31:24

Range of meaning

A linen garment or wrap: a large rectangular piece of fine linen that could be worn as an outer wrap or an undergarment, or used as a sheet. It is a finished, valuable textile product, not just raw cloth.

Against the English

KJV "fine linen" makes it sound like fabric sold by the bolt. Most modern versions (BSB, WEB, YLT, ESV, NIV, NASB) say "linen garments," which is closer: the word names a made-up article.

How it drifted

KJV followed the general sense of fine linen; later research on the word and its relatives elsewhere in the ancient Near East showed it names a garment.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only four times in the Hebrew Bible. In Judges 14:12–13 Samson wagers thirty sadinim plus thirty changes of clothes on his riddle, which shows these were costly items worth staking. In Isaiah 3:23 they are listed among the luxury wardrobe of Jerusalem's wealthy women. A related word for a garment appears in Akkadian (saddinu/sudinnu). The Greek sindōn, which the Septuagint uses here, is the same word used for the linen cloth of the young man who fled in Mark 14:51 and for Jesus' burial cloth (Mark 15:46). The two words are probably related, though exactly how is debated.

Where it appears

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 14:12 סְדִינִ֔ים linen garments

    “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.

    Here: Large pieces of fine linen worn as a wrap or garment. They were costly items of trade and luxury (Prov 31:24; Isa 3:23).

  2. Judges 14:13 סְדִינִ֔ים linen garments

    But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 31:24 סָדִ֣ין linen garment[s]

    She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchants.

    Here: A large piece of fine linen made up as a garment or wrap, a valuable trade item rather than plain cloth. It comes first in the verse partly because the poem is an alphabet acrostic and this line must begin with the letter samekh (ס).

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 3:23 וְהַסְּדִינִ֔ים and the linen garments

    and their mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and shawls.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.