Bible Dictionary
FLAKE
Flake may refer to refuse or husks of wheat, or to the thick scales and armored folds of Leviathan’s body in Job 41.
Definition
A flake may mean refuse or husks of wheat, or a thick, firm scale or fold of flesh on a creature’s body. In the description of Leviathan, the word refers to parts of its body that are joined together and cannot be moved.
Biblical Usage
Amos 8:6 uses the word for wheat refuse or husks. Job 41:23 uses it in the description of Leviathan, where the flakes of its flesh are firm and joined together. The passage distinguishes these from the shield-like scales or scutes mentioned elsewhere in the chapter.
Historical Background
The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Suggested explanations include lateral folds of flesh and armored skin or horny epidermic scales, distinguished from the bony dermal scutes of the creature’s back.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>flak (mappal, a word of uncertain meaning):</p><p>It is used in the sense of "refuse (husks) of the wheat" in Am 8:6. With regard to the body we find it used in Job 41:23 in the description of leviathan (the crocodile): "The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm upon him; they cannot be moved." Baethgen in Kautzsch's translation of the Old Testament translates "Wampen," i.e. the collops or lateral folds of flesh and armored skin. A better translation would perhaps be: "the horny epidermic scales" of the body, differentiated from the bony dermal scutes of the back (Hebrew "channels of shields," "courses of scales"), which are mentioned in Job 41:15 margin.</p><p>H. L. E. Luering</p>