SINEW (גִּיד, H1630). According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word “sinew” means tendon or nerve. A tendon is a tough fibrous band connecting muscle to bone, and this meaning fits most of the Biblical references well. Sinews are depicted as holding the bones of the body together (Job 10:11; 40:17; Ezek 37:6, 8). In the latter case the sinews were the first covering for the dry bones.

Jacob’s experience at Penuel (Gen 32) may have involved a mighty contraction of the muscle and tendon (“the sinew that shrank” [KJV] or contracted) that tore muscle fibers and left Jacob limping at dawn. “Out of joint” would refer to any injury of the hip region. Taken literally, it would imply a dislocation of the hip, a major injury making walking impossible.