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fı̄n (adj., from Latin finire, “to finishâ€): Indicates superior quality. Only in a few instances does “fine†represent a separate word: (1) tÌ£oÌ„bh, “good,†qualifies gold (, , “fine goldâ€; compare , “goodâ€); fine gold (, the King James Version “most fine gold,†the Revised Version (British and American) “most pure gold,†literally, “good fine goldâ€), copper (, the Revised Version (British and American) “fine bright brassâ€); tÌ£abh, Aramaic (, “fine goldâ€). (2) paÌ„z, “refined†(, “the most fine goldâ€). (3) hÌ£eÌ„lebh, “fatness,†“the best of any kindâ€; compare ; , etc. (, “the finest of the wheat,†the Revised Version, margin Hebrew “fat of wheatâ€). (4) saÌ„rı̄kÌ£, “fine combed†(, “fine flax,†the Revised Version (British and American) “combed flaxâ€).
In other places it expresses a quality of the substantive: kethem, “fine gold†(; , the Revised Version (British and American) “pure goldâ€); paÌ„z, used as a noun for refined gold (; ; ; ; ); hÌ£aÌ„ruÌ„c, “fine gold†(; compare , “yellow goldâ€); sÌ£oÌ„leth, “flour,†rendered “fine flour,†rolled or crushed small (, , , , etc.); semıÌdalis, “the finest wheaten flour†(); kÌ£emahÌ£ sÌ£oÌ„leth, “fine meal†(); sÌ£aÌ„dhı̄n, “linen garment†(Septuagint σινδον, sindō̇n, the King James Version; ); sheÌ„sh, “white,†“fine linen†(; , etc.); in the King James Version has “silkâ€; sheÌ„shı̄ (, “fine flourâ€); 'eÌ„tÌ£uÌ„n, “what is twisted or spun,†“yarn†( the King James Version, “fine linen of Egypt†the Revised Version (British and American) “yarn of Egyptâ€); buÌ„c, “fine white cloth,†“cotton or linen,†“fine linen†(; , etc.; , King James Version “white,†the Revised Version (British and American) “fineâ€); buÌssos, “byssus,†“linen†from buÌ„c Septuagint for which, ; ), deemed very fine and precious, worn only by the rich (; ); buÌssinos, “byssine†made of fine linen, Septuagint for buÌ„c (1 Ch 5:27) (, “clothed in fine linen,†the Revised Version (British and American) “arrayed,†, ); sindoÌ„n, “fine linen†(Mk 5:46, “He bought fine linen,†the Revised Version (British and American) “a linen clothâ€; compare , ; ; ); it was used for wrapping the body at night, also for wrapping round dead bodies; sindoÌ„n is Septuagint for sÌ£aÌ„dhı̄n (, ; ); chalkolıÌbanon (; , the King James Version “fine brassâ€).
The meaning of this word has been much discussed; chaÌlkos is “brass†in Greek (with many compounds), and libanos is the Septuagint for lebhoÌ„naÌ„h, “frankincense,†which word was probably derived from the root laÌ„bhan, “to burnâ€; this would give glowing brass, “as if they burned in a furnaceâ€; in it is nehoÌ„sheth kÌ£aÌ„laÌ„l, the King James Version “polished brass,†the Revised Version (British and American) “burnished†(kÌ£aÌ„lal is “to glowâ€). Plumptre deemed it a hybrid word composed of the Greek chalkos, “brass,†and the Hebrew laÌ„bhaÌ„n, “white,†a technical word, such as might be familiar to the Ephesians; the Revised Version (British and American) has “burnished brassâ€; Weymouth, “silver-bronze when it is white-hot in a furnaceâ€; the whiteness being expressed by the second half of the Greek word. See Thayer's Lexicon (s.v.).
In Apocrypha we have “fine linen,†bussinos (1 Esdras 3:6), “fine breadâ€; the adjective katharoÌs, separate (Judith 10:5, the Revised Version, margin “pure breadâ€); “fine flour†(Ecclesiasticus 35:2; 38:11); semıÌdalis (Bel and the Dragon verse 3; 2 Macc 1:8, the Revised Version (British and American) “meal offeringâ€).