a name for the kidneys, derived from the Latin renes, and in our English Bible employed in those passages of the Old Test. in which the ierm for kidneys (כְּלָיוֹת, kelayoth) is used metaphorically, i.e. except in the Pentateuch and in Isaiah 34:6, where this word is rendered "kidneys." In the ancient system of physiology the kidneys, from the sensitiveness of that part of the person, were believed to be the seat of desire and longing, which accounts for their often being coupled with the heart (Psalms 7:9; Psalms 26:2; Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 17:10,: etc.). (See KIDNEYS).
The word "reins" is once used (Isaiah 11:5) as the equivalent of חֲלָצָיַם, chalatsayim, elsewhere translated "loins" (q.v.).