The term "hip" in the context of the Bible is primarily associated with the anatomical part of the human body, specifically the joint that connects the thigh to the pelvis. While the Bible does not frequently mention the hip directly, it is indirectly referenced in several passages, often in relation to strength, movement, and injury.

Jacob's Wrestling with God

One of the most notable biblical references to the hip is found in the account of Jacob wrestling with God, as recorded in Genesis 32:24-32. During this encounter, Jacob wrestles with a divine being until daybreak. In verse 25, the text states, "When the man saw that He could not overpower Jacob, He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him" . This incident is significant as it marks a pivotal moment in Jacob's life, leading to his name being changed to Israel, meaning "he struggles with God." The dislocation of Jacob's hip serves as a physical reminder of his encounter with the divine and symbolizes his perseverance and transformation.

Symbolism and Cultural Context

In biblical times, the hip was often seen as a symbol of strength and stability. The dislocation of Jacob's hip can be interpreted as a humbling experience, demonstrating that human strength is ultimately subordinate to divine power. This event also highlights the importance of reliance on God rather than one's own physical abilities.

Levitical Laws and Sacrifices

The hip is also indirectly mentioned in the context of Levitical laws and sacrificial practices. In Leviticus 3:4, the fat surrounding the internal organs, including the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver, is specified as part of the peace offering. While the hip itself is not directly mentioned, the surrounding areas are considered significant in the sacrificial system, emphasizing the importance of offering the best portions to God.

Metaphorical Usage

In a metaphorical sense, the hip can be associated with readiness and preparedness for action. In Ephesians 6:14, the Apostle Paul instructs believers to "stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist" . While the hip is not explicitly mentioned, the imagery of the belt around the waist suggests a state of readiness and strength, akin to the stability provided by the hips in physical movement.

Conclusion

The hip, while not frequently mentioned in the Bible, plays a significant role in the narrative of Jacob and serves as a symbol of strength, humility, and divine encounter. Its indirect references in sacrificial laws and metaphorical language further underscore its importance in biblical symbolism and teachings.1. (n.) The projecting region of the lateral parts of one side of the pelvis and the hip joint; the haunch; the huckle.

2. (n.) The external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping sides or skirts of a roof, which have their wall plates running in different directions.

3. (n.) In a bridge truss, the place where an inclined end post meets the top chord.

4. (v. t.) To dislocate or sprain the hip of, to fracture or injure the hip bone of (a quadruped) in such a manner as to produce a permanent depression of that side.

5. (v. t.) To throw (one's adversary) over one's hip in wrestling (technically called cross buttock).

6. (v. t.) To make with a hip or hips, as a roof.

7. (n.) The fruit of a rosebush, especially of the English dog-rose (Rosa canina).

8. (interj.) Used to excite attention or as a signal; as, hip, hip, hurra!

9. (n.) Alt. of Hipps

HIP

(shoq, "leg," "limb," "hip," "shoulder"): Samson smote the Philistines "hip and thigh" (Hebrew "leg upon thigh"), which was indicative of "a great slaughter" (Judges 15:8), the bodies being hewed in pieces with such violence that they lay in bloody confusion, their limbs piled up on one another in great heaps.

See also SINEW.

4628. skelos -- the leg (from the hip down)
... the leg (from the hip down). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: skelos
Phonetic Spelling: (skel'-os) Short Definition: the leg Definition: the leg ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4628.htm - 6k

3751. osphus -- the loin
... 3751 -- properly, the hip (reproductive area); used figuratively in 1 Pet 1:13 of
the "reproductive" (creative) capacity of the (cf. Ro 12:1-3). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3751.htm - 7k

2461. hippikos -- cavalry
... 2460, 2461. hippikos. 2462 . cavalry. Transliteration: hippikos Phonetic
Spelling: (hip-pee-kon') Short Definition: horsemen. Word ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2461.htm - 6k

2462. hippos -- a horse
... hippos. 2463 . a horse. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: hippos
Phonetic Spelling: (hip'-pos) Short Definition: a horse Definition: a horse. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2462.htm - 6k

2460. hippeus -- a horseman
... a horseman. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: hippeus Phonetic Spelling:
(hip-yooce') Short Definition: a mounted soldier Definition: a horse ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2460.htm - 6k

4667. miphsaah -- hip or buttock
... 4666, 4667. miphsaah. 4668 . hip or buttock. Transliteration: miphsaah
Phonetic Spelling: (mif-saw-aw') Short Definition: hips. ...
/hebrew/4667.htm - 6k

5384. nasheh -- a vein (or nerve) in the thigh
... 5383, 5384. nasheh. 5385 . a vein (or nerve) in the thigh. Transliteration:
nasheh Phonetic Spelling: (naw-sheh') Short Definition: hip. ...
/hebrew/5384.htm - 6k

7785. shoq -- a leg
... hip, leg, shoulder, thigh. From shuwq; the (lower) leg (as a runner) -- hip, leg,
shoulder, thigh. see HEBREW shuwq. 7784, 7785. shoq. 7786 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/7785.htm - 6k

2783. charats -- loin
... 2782, 2783. charats. 2784 . loin. Transliteration: charats Phonetic Spelling:
(khar-ats') Short Definition: hip. Word Origin (Aramaic ...
/hebrew/2783.htm - 6k

6654. tsad -- a side
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition a side NASB Word Usage arms (1), beside*
(4), hip (1), side (17), side on sides (1), side to the other (1), sides (7 ...
/hebrew/6654.htm - 6k

Meeting a Brother who had Been Wronged
... When he saw that he did not win against Jacob, he struck the socket of his hip,
and the socket of Jacob's hip was strained, as he wrestled with him. ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/meeting a brother who had.htm

How Rebekah Became the Wife of Isaac
... had blessed him in every way, Abraham said to the eldest of his household servants,
who had charge of all his affairs, "Put your hand under my hip, while I ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/how rebekah became the wife.htm

Answers to Prayer
... Addie S. Jordan. In April, 1876, Mrs. Jordan fell and badly fractured
her hip. She was then seventy-seven years old. On account ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/answers to prayer.htm

Lives of Faith and Trust
... She simply told me that some years ago she was run over and her hip badly injured.
I asked her if she could trust the Lord for healing. ... HIP DISEASE CURED. ...
/.../various/the wonders of prayer/lives of faith and trust.htm

The High Woods
... till I picked up a guide"will he let me say a friend?"an Aberdeenshire Scot, who
hurried out fresh from his bath, his trusty cutlass on his hip, and in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter vii the high woods.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... She had a roll of wool fastened at her right hip and she held in her hands two needles
(of bone, I think) with little hooks. One must be half a yard long. ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

Through the Book to God.
... handed. Up and down, left and right, hip and thigh he smote with such terrific
earnestness and drive that the enemy turned and fled. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/through the book to god.htm

Use what You Have.
... into the ground for a good hold, and mutters to himself, "I guess they are about
four hundred short." And he smites, left and right, up and down, hip and thigh ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/use what you have.htm

The Oratorio of victory.
... The smoke of the battle has tanned their faces. They have struggled with the enemy
at close range, hip and thigh, nip and tuck, close parry and hard thrust. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/the oratorio of victory.htm

Chapter xxxii
... the others have crossed, that could hardly be called exposing them to undue danger
inasmuch as the Jabbok is perhaps thirty feet wide and at most about hip-deep ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxii.htm

Hip (8 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The projecting region of the lateral parts of
one side of the pelvis and the hip joint; the haunch; the huckle. ...
/h/hip.htm - 10k

Sinew (2 Occurrences)
... "Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which is upon the
hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's ...
/s/sinew.htm - 8k

Thigh (38 Occurrences)
... Version has "thigh" for shoq in Isaiah 47:2 (the Revised Version (British and American)
"leg")): The portion of the leg from the knee to the hip, against which ...
/t/thigh.htm - 22k

Hollow (35 Occurrences)
... hol'-o (kaph, nabhabh): "Hollow" is the translation of kaph, "hollow" (Genesis
32:25, 32, "the hollow of his thigh," the hip-pan or socket, over the sciatic ...
/h/hollow.htm - 20k

Thigh-vein (1 Occurrence)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which
is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow ...
/t/thigh-vein.htm - 6k

Tendon (1 Occurrence)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which
is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow ...
/t/tendon.htm - 6k

Etam (5 Occurrences)
... (3) The rock of Etam, where Samson took up his dwelling after smiting the Philistines
"hip and thigh with a great slaughter" (Judges 15:8, 11), was in Judah ...
/e/etam.htm - 11k

Attached (31 Occurrences)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which
is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow ...
/a/attached.htm - 15k

Socket (5 Occurrences)
... Genesis 32:32 Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which
is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow ...
/s/socket.htm - 9k

Hippopotamus
... A smaller species (H. Liberiencis) inhabits Western Africa. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. HIPPOPOTAMUS. hip-o-pot'-a-mus (Job 41:1 margin). See BEHEMOTH. ...
/h/hippopotamus.htm - 7k

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