{
  "id": "dict_001987",
  "term": "Flint",
  "slug": "flint",
  "letter": "F",
  "entry_type": "natural_object",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Flint is a very hard stone used in Scripture both literally and figuratively, especially for cutting tools and images of firmness or hardness.",
  "simple_one_line": "Flint is a hard stone that the Bible uses both as a material and as an image of steadfastness or hardness.",
  "tooltip_text": "A very hard stone; in Scripture it can describe cutting tools or symbolize firmness, hardness, or resolute strength.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "stone",
    "rock",
    "knife",
    "circumcision",
    "hardness of heart"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Circumcision",
    "Rock",
    "Stone",
    "Hardened heart"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Flint is a hard stone mentioned in the Bible both as a practical material for cutting and as a vivid image of hardness or resolute determination.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A very hard stone. In biblical usage, flint may refer to cutting implements or symbolize firmness, hardness, or unyielding resolve.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Used literally for sharp cutting tools",
    "appears in imagery of hardness or steadfastness",
    "meaning must be read in context."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Flint is a hard, sharp stone used in the ancient world for cutting implements, and Scripture refers to it in both literal and figurative ways. Some passages mention flint knives or hard rock, while others use flint as an image of firmness, resistance, or resolute strength.",
  "description_academic_full": "Flint is a very hard stone known in the ancient world for its usefulness in cutting tools and other sharp implements. In Scripture it appears in both literal and figurative contexts. Literally, it can describe flint knives or hard stone formations. Figuratively, it may picture hardness, resistance, or steadfast resolve, depending on the passage. Because the term functions mainly as a material object and an image within biblical language rather than as a distinct doctrine, it should be interpreted carefully and in context.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Biblical references to flint include practical use in cutting and circumcision imagery, as well as metaphorical language describing firmness, hardness, or prophetic resolve. The context determines whether the word is literal or figurative.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient Near East, flint was widely used before and alongside metal tools because it could be struck to produce sharp edges. Its durability made it a natural image for hardness and firmness in speech and poetry.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In Israel’s world, flint would have been familiar as a common hard stone for blades and scraping tools. That everyday familiarity helps explain why biblical writers could use it both concretely and metaphorically.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 5:2-3",
    "Exodus 4:25",
    "Isaiah 50:7",
    "Ezekiel 3:9",
    "Psalm 114:8"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Deuteronomy 8:15"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew חַלָּמִישׁ (ḥallāmîš) is commonly rendered “flint” or “hard stone” in several passages; some contexts speak of flint knives without using the noun itself.",
  "theological_significance": "Flint is not a doctrine in itself, but its biblical uses can support themes of covenant obedience, divine power, and steadfast prophetic resolve. Its figurative force depends on the passage, not on any independent theological meaning.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As an image, flint conveys hardness, resistance, and durability. In biblical rhetoric, that concreteness helps sharpen contrasts between softness and hardness, or between human weakness and determined obedience.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not over-spiritualize flint or build doctrine from the material itself. Distinguish literal references to stone tools from figurative uses of hardness or firmness. The meaning is contextual, not symbolic by default.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little interpretive dispute about the term itself. Differences usually concern lexical details and whether a given passage uses flint literally or metaphorically.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Flint should not be treated as a standalone theological category or used for speculative symbolism. Its value lies in careful contextual reading of the passages where it appears.",
  "practical_significance": "This term reminds readers to read Scripture carefully in context and to notice how ordinary materials can carry vivid moral or spiritual imagery. It also illustrates the Bible’s rootedness in real ancient-life objects.",
  "meta_description": "Flint in the Bible refers to a very hard stone used for cutting and, figuratively, for hardness or steadfast resolve.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/flint/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/flint.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}