### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **sered**, represented by `{{H8279}}`, refers to a (carpenter's) scribing-awl or **line** used for pricking or scratching measurements. It appears only **1 time** in **1 unique verse**, making its single appearance highly specific in its meaning and context.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole use of `{{H8279}}` is in [[Isaiah 44:13]], within a detailed description of an idol's creation. The passage describes how a craftsman, a **carpenter** `{{H2796}}`, works with wood. He "stretcheth out his rule" and "marketh it out with a **line** [sered]" as part of the process of shaping the wood into a human figure. The **line** is one of several tools, including **planes** `{{H4741}}` and a **compass** `{{H4230}}`, used to meticulously craft an object that will ultimately be placed in a **house** `{{H1004}}` for veneration.
### Related Words & Concepts
The context of `{{H8279}}` connects it to several other words related to craftsmanship and measurement:
* `{{H2796}}` **chârâsh** (craftsman, workman): This is the individual who uses the scribing line. This term often appears in contexts describing the futility of idol making, as the idol is merely "the work of the hands of the **craftsman**" [[Deuteronomy 27:15]].
* `{{H8388}}` **tâʼar** (to delineate, mark out): This is the action for which the `{{H8279}}` line is used. The verb describes how the carpenter "marketh it out" [[Isaiah 44:13]] and how borders are "drawn" [[Joshua 15:9]].
* `{{H6957}}` **qav** (line, rule): A similar measuring tool mentioned in the same verse. This word is also used figuratively for a standard of divine judgment, as God lays "judgment also... to the **line**" [[Isaiah 28:17]].
* `{{H6213}}` **ʻâsâh** (to do or make): This verb describes the carpenter's action of "fitteth" and "maketh" the idol [[Isaiah 44:13]]. It contrasts the human act of making an idol with God's power to **make** the heavens and the earth [[Jeremiah 32:17]].
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of `{{H8279}}` is derived entirely from its role in the critique of idolatry:
* **The Folly of Idolatry:** The use of a simple tool like a scribing **line** serves to demystify the idol. It shows that the revered object is not divine but is the product of human labor and common tools. The process begins with cutting a **tree** `{{H6086}}`, the work of a **workman** `{{H2796}}`, which is described as a vain custom [[Jeremiah 10:3]].
* **Human Creation vs. Divine Power:** The passage contrasts the carpenter who makes an idol in the "figure of a **man**" `{{H376}}` with the Lord who **made** `{{H6213}}` humanity [[Isaiah 44:2]] and the entire cosmos [[Jeremiah 32:17]]. The `sered` is a symbol of the limited, physical craft of man.
* **The Idol as a Human Likeness:** The idol is fashioned "according to the beauty of a **man**" `{{H120}}`, a stark contrast to the divine command not to make a graven image in the "similitude of any figure" [[Deuteronomy 4:16]]. The use of the **line** is the first step in creating this forbidden, man-made representation.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H8279}}` **sered** is a technical term for a carpenter's scribing **line**. Its single, potent appearance in Scripture is not merely descriptive but serves a deep theological purpose. By being included in the detailed process of idol construction [[Isaiah 44:13]], it helps expose the foolishness of worshiping an object that is merely the product of human hands and tools. It illustrates the vast and unbridgeable gap between the created idol and the uncreated God.
TRV