za.nav denotes an animal’s rear appendage and, when paired with “head,” a figurative position of subordination.

The term most often denotes the physical rear appendage of an animal or of firebrands described by that image. In several singular absolute uses paired with “head,” it marks the lower side of a contrast concerning status or what is cut off.

1. Physical rear appendage · dominant

   The noun identifies what Moses is told to grasp in Exodus 4:4 and what is swayed in Job 40:17. In Judges 15:4 the APB renders the arrangement as “tail to tail,” while Isaiah 7:4 speaks of “two smoldering tails of firebrands.”

   Exodus 4:4Isaiah 7:4Job 40:17Judges 15:4
2. Lower side in a head-and-tail contrast · common

   In Deuteronomy 28:13 and Deuteronomy 28:44, the singular absolute noun is set against “head” in statements about being above or beneath and about lending. Isaiah 19:15 and Isaiah 9:14 likewise pair it with “head”; the APB renders Isaiah 9:14 as the cutting off of “head and tail.” Isaiah 9:13 contains the same singular absolute form, but the supplied APB wording does not make its contribution identifiable.

   Deuteronomy 28:13Deuteronomy 28:44Isaiah 19:15Isaiah 9:13Isaiah 9:14

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB commonly uses “tail,” including “tail to tail,” “tails of firebrands,” and the contrast “head and tail.” In Isaiah 9:13, however, the supplied translation does not visibly reflect the term; Its wording does not by itself fix the noun’s contribution there.