me.tal.l.ah denotes jaws, depicted as broken, lion-like, or knife-like in acts of biting and devouring.

The term denotes jaws in images of forceful biting: the jaws of an unjust person are broken in Job 29:17, those of a lioness describe an invading nation in Joel 1:6, and knife-like jaws characterize devouring oppression in Proverbs 30:14.

1. Jaws in images of biting force · dominant

   All three occurrences are feminine plural construct nouns within descriptions of mouths and teeth. In Job 29:17 the APB renders the clause "I broke the jaws of the unjust" and follows it with prey falling from his teeth; in Joel 1:6 it renders a lioness's "jaws," while Proverbs 30:14 depicts jaws as "knives" in a generation that devours the poor and needy.

   Job 29:17Joel 1:6Proverbs 30:14

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as "jaws" in each cited verse, though the surrounding images vary between broken jaws, a lioness's jaws, and jaws compared with knives. These renderings confirm the verse-level imagery rather than establish a separate lexical distinction.