Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words

M

Magnify — Multitude

Magnify

A. Verb.

Gâdal (גָּדַל, Strong's #1431), “to become strong, grow up, be great or wealthy, evidence oneself as great (magnified), be powerful, significant, or valuable.” This verb occurs elsewhere only in Ugaritic and Arabic; it is not attested in biblical Aramaic or post-biblical Hebrew. In other Semitic languages the meaning of the word is generally represented by roots with the radicals rbh, and such a root exists in biblical Hebrew as a synonym of gâdal. These two synonyms differ, however, inasmuch as gâdal does not refer to numerical increase (except perhaps in Genesis 48:19). The Bible attests gâdal about 120 times and in every period.

This verb can signify the increasing of size and age as with the maturing process of human life: “And the child grew, and was weaned …” (Genesis 21:8). The word also depicts the “growing up” of animals (2 Samuel 12:3) and plants (Isaiah 44:14) and the maturing of animal horns (Daniel 8:9) and other growing things. In the intensive stem gâdal indicates that this rearing has occurred: “… I have nourished and brought up children …” (Isaiah 1:2). This stem may also imply permission: “… [He] shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow” (Numbers 6:5).

Gâdal can represent the status of “being great or wealthy.” Abraham’s servant reported: “And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great …” (Genesis 24:35)—here the word represents the conclusion of a process. In the intensive stem the verb sets forth a fact, as when God said: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great …” (Genesis 12:2—the first biblical occurrence of the verb).

This word is sometimes used with the meaning “to be great, to evidence oneself as great”: “And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken …” (Numbers 14:17). Moses is praying that God will demonstrate that He is truly great, even as He has said, and do so not by destroying His people. Such an act (destroying Israel) would make onlookers conclude that God was not able to accomplish what He had promised. If, however, He would bring Israel into Palestine, this would exhibit His greatness before the nations. This same sense appears in 2 Samuel 7:22, except with the added overtone of “magnified,” “praised as great”: “Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”

Another emphasis of gâdal is “to be great, powerful, important, or valuable.” This nuance arises when the word is applied to kings. Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater [more powerful and honored] than thou” (Genesis 41:40). The Messiah “shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4); He will be powerful to the ends of the earth. The nuance “to be valuable” appears in 1 Samuel 26:24 when David said to Saul: “And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.” In this statement the second use of the verb is in the intensive stem. Perhaps the force of this could be expressed if one were to translate: “So may my life be very highly valued.…”

In the reflexive stem gâdal may signify “to magnify oneself.” God says: “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations …” (Ezekiel 38:23). The context shows that He will bring judgment. In this way He “magnifies Himself,” or shows Himself to be great and powerful. On the other hand, a false statement of greatness and power is an empty boast. So gâdal can mean “to boast”: “Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it?” (Isaiah 10:15). In the causative stem the verb may signify “to assume great airs”: “If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach …” (Job 19:5). A nuance appears in Job 7:17, where gâdal is in the intensive stem, suggesting an estimation of greatness: “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?” (Psalms 8:4). When man is so insignificant, why then does God esteem him so important?

B. Nouns.

Gedûlâh (גְּדוּלָּה, Strong's #1420), “greatness; great dignity; great things.” This noun occurs 12 times. It means “greatness” in Psalms 71:21: “Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.” Gedûlâh may refer also to “great dignity” (Esther 6:3) and to “great things” (2 Samuel 7:21).

Gôdel (גֹּדֶל, Strong's #1433), “greatness.” This noun appears 13 times. Gôdel means “greatness” in terms of size (Ezekiel 31:7), of divine power (Psalms 79:11), of divine dignity (Deuteronomy 32:3), of divine majesty (Deuteronomy 3:24), of divine mercy (Numbers 14:19), or of the false greatness of one’s heart (insolence; Isaiah 9:9).

Migdâl (מִגְדָּלָה, Strong's #4026), “strong place; wooden podium.” This noun, which occurs 49 times, usually refers to a tower or a “strong place” (Genesis 11:4-5), but it also occurs once to refer to a “wooden podium”: “And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood …” (Nehemiah 8:4).

C. Adjectives.

Gâdôl (גָּדֹל, Strong's #1419), “great.” The adjective gadol is the most frequently appearing word related to the verb gadal (about 525 times). Gâdôl is used of extended dimension (Genesis 1:21), of number (Genesis 12:2), of power (Deuteronomy 4:37), of punishment (Genesis 4:13), and of value or importance (Genesis 39:9).

The verb gadal and the related adjective gâdôl may each be used to make distinctive statements. In Hebrew one may say “he is great” both by using the verb alone and by using the pronoun and the adjective gâdôl. The first sets forth a standing and existing condition—so Malachi 1:5 could be rendered: “The Lord is magnified beyond the borders of Israel.” The second construction announces newly experienced information to the recipient, as in Isaiah 12:6: “… Great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” This information was known previously, but recent divine acts have made it to be experienced anew. The emphasis is on the freshness of the experience.

Another adjective gadel means “becoming great; growing up.” This verbal adjective occurs 4 times, once in Genesis 26:13: “And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great.”

Maiden, Virgin

Bethûlâh (בְּתוּלָה, Strong's #1330), “maiden, virgin.” Cognates of this word appear in Ugaritic and Akkadian. Its 50 biblical occurrences are distributed throughout every period of Old Testament literature.

This word can mean “virgin,” as is clear in Deuteronomy 22:17, where if a man has charged that “I found not thy daughter a maid,” the father is to say, “And yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity [bethulim]. The text continues: “And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.” The husband was to be chastised and fined (which was given to the girl’s father), “because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel” (Deuteronomy 22:19). If she was found not to be a “virgin,” she was to be stoned to death “because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house” (Deuteronomy 22:21).

In several passages this word merely means a grown-up girl or a “maiden”; it identifies her age and marital status. The prophets who denounce Israel for playing the harlot also called her the bethûlâh of Yahweh, or the bethûlâh (daughter) of Israel (Jeremiah 31:4, 21). The other nations are also called bethuloth: Isaiah 23:12— Zidon; Isaiah 47:1— Babylon; Jeremiah 46:11 Egypt. These nations are hardly being commended for their purity! In Ugaritic literature the word is used frequently of the goddess Anat, the sister of Baal and hardly a virgin. What was true of her and figuratively of these nations (including Israel) was that she was a vigorous young woman at the height of her powers and not married. Thus bethûlâh is often used in parallelism with the Hebrew bachur, which signifies a young man, regardless of his virginity, who is at the height of his powers (Deuteronomy 32:25). In such contexts virility and not virginity is in view. Because of this ambiguity Moses described Rebekah as a young girl (na’arah) who was “very fair to look upon, a virgin [bethûlâh], neither had any man known her” (Genesis 24:16—the first occurrence of the word).

Both the masculine and feminine forms appear in Isaiah 23:4: “… I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men (bethulim), nor bring up virgins (bethulot). A similar occurrence is found in Lamentations 1:18: “… Behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity” (cf. Lamentations 2:21; Zechariah 9:17).

The standard edition of William Gesenius’ lexicon by Brown, Driver, and Briggs (BDB) observes that the Assyrian word batultu (masc. batulu) is a cognate of bethûlâh. This Assyrian word means “maiden” or “young man.”

Most scholars agree that bethûlâh and batultu are phonetically related; yet they disagree as to whether they are true cognates. Various Old Testament contexts indicate that bethûlâh should be translated “maiden” more often than “virgin.” If this is true, the BDB etymology is probably correct.

Make (Cut) a Covenant

A. Verb.

Kârath (כָּרַת, Strong's #3772), “to cut off, cut down, fell, cut or make (a covenant or agreement).” This verb also occurs in Akkadian, Moabite, and post-biblical Hebrew. In biblical Hebrew it is attested about 290 times and in all periods.

Basically kârath means “to sever” something from something else by cutting it with a blade. The nuance depends upon the thing being cut off. In the case of a branch, one “cuts it down” (Numbers 13:23), and one "[swings] the axe to cut down the tree” (Deuteronomy 19:5). The word is also used of “chopping down” wooden idols (Exodus 34:13). Kârath can signify “chopping off” a man’s head and feet (1 Samuel 5:4). In Jeremiah 34:18 this verb means “to cut into two pieces.” “Cut off” may also imply cutting off in the sense of circumcision. In Exodus 4:25 Zipporah took a flint knife and “cut off” her son’s foreskin. In a related but different usage this word appears in Numbers 11:33, where it means “to chew” meat.

“To cut off” can mean “to exterminate or destroy.” God told Noah that “all flesh [shall never again] be cut off … by the waters of a flood …” (Genesis 9:11-the first occurrence of the word). Kârath can be used of spiritual and social extermination. A person “cut off” in this manner is not necessarily killed but may be driven out of the family and removed from the blessings of the covenant. God told Abraham that “the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant” (Genesis 17:14).

One of the best known uses of this verb is “to make” a covenant. The process by which God made a covenant with Abraham is called “cutting”: “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram …” (Genesis 15:18). The word “covenant” appears nine times before this in Genesis, but it is not connected with kârath.

A synonym to this verb appears in this immediate context (Genesis 15:10) and is directly related to the process of making the covenant. Furthermore, hereafter in Genesis and throughout the Bible kârath is frequently associated with making a covenant. This verb, therefore, constitutes a rather technical term for making a covenant. In Genesis it often alludes to an act by which animals were cut in two and the party taking the oath passed between the pieces. This act was not created by God especially to deal with Abraham but was a well-known practice at that time among many men.

Later, “cutting” a covenant did not necessarily include this act but seems to be an allusion to the Abrahamic covenantal process (cf. Jeremiah 34:18). In such a covenant the one passing through the pieces pledged his faithfulness to the covenant. If that faithfulness was broken, he called death upon himself, or the same fate which befell the animals. In some cases it is quite clear that no literal cutting took place and that kârath is used in a technical sense of “making an agreement in writing” (Nehemiah 9:38).

B. Nouns.

Kerı̂ythûth (כְּרִיתוּת, Strong's #3748), refers to a “bill of divorcement.” This word implies the cutting off of a marriage by means of a “bill of divorcement”: “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house” (Deuteronomy 24:1). Kerı̂ythûth appears 4 times.

Kerı̂ythûth means “beams.” This noun, which occurs only 3 times, refers to “beams” in the sense of things “cut off” in 1 Kings 6:36: “And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.”

Male

A. Noun.

Zâkâr (זָכָר, Strong's #2145), “male.” Cognates of this word appear in Akkadian, Aramaic, and Arabic. It occurs 82 times and usually in early prose (Genesis through Deuteronomy), only 5 times in the biblical prophets, and never in biblical wisdom or poetical literature.

Zâkâr emphasizes “maleness” as over against “femaleness”; this word focuses on the sex of the one so named. Thus, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). The word can be used not only of an “adult male” but also of a “male child” (Leviticus 12:7). Zâkâr is used collectively in many passages—in singular form, with a plural reference (Judges 21:11).

In some contexts the word represents a “male animal”: “And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female” (Genesis 6:19).

B. Adjective.

Zâkâr (זָכָר, Strong's #2145), “male.” Sometimes zâkâr is used as an adjective: “Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward …” (Numbers 3:40). The word appears in Jeremiah 20:15: “A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.”

Man

A. Nouns.

'âdâm (אָדָם, Strong's #120), “man; mankind; people; someone (indefinite); Adam (the first man).” This noun appears in Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Punic. A word with the same radicals occurs in old South Arabic meaning “serf.” In late Arabic the same radicals mean not only “mankind” but “all creation.” Akkadian 'âdmu signifies “child.” The Hebrew word appears about 562 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew.

This noun is related to the verb 'âdom, “to be red,” and therefore probably relates to the original ruddiness of human skin. The noun connotes “man” as the creature created in God’s image, the crown of all creation. In its first appearance 'âdâm is used for mankind, or generic man: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26). In Genesis 2:7 the word refers to the first “man,” Adam: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Throughout Genesis 2:5-5:5 there is a constant shifting and interrelationship between the generic and the individual uses. “Man” is distinguished from the rest of the creation insofar as he was created by a special and immediate act of God: he alone was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). He consisted of two elements, the material and the nonmaterial (Genesis 2:7). From the outset he occupied an exalted position over the rest of the earthly creation and was promised an even higher position (eternal life) if he obeyed God: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28; cf. 2:16- 17). In Genesis 1 “man” is depicted as the goal and crown of creation, while in Genesis 2 the world is shown to have been created as the scene of human activity. “Man” was in God’s image with reference to his soul and/or spirit. (He is essentially spiritual; he has an invisible and immortal aspect which is simple or indivisible.) Other elements of this image are his mind and will, intellectual and moral integrity (he was created with true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness), his body (this was seen as a fit organ to share immortality with man’s soul and the means by which dominion over the creation was exercised), and dominion over the rest of the creation.

The Fall greatly affected the nature of “man,” but he did not cease to be in God’s image (Genesis 9:6). Fallen “man” occupies a new and lower position before God: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5; cf. 8:21). No longer does “man” have perfect communion with the Creator; he is now under the curse of sin and death. Original knowledge, righteousness, and holiness are destroyed. Restoration to his proper place in the creation and relationship to the Creator comes only through spiritual union with the Christ, the second Adam (Romans 5:12-21). In some later passages of Scripture 'âdâm is difficult to distinguish from ‘ish—man as the counterpart of woman and/or as distinguished in his maleness.

Sometimes 'âdâm identifies a limited and particular “group of men”: “Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land [of the Philistines], and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men [used in the singular] shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl” (Jeremiah 47:2). When used of a particular group of individual “men,” the noun appears in the phrase “sons of men”: “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded” (Genesis 11:5). The phrase “son of man” usually connotes a particular individual: “God is not a man [‘ish], that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent …” (Numbers 23:19; cf. Ezekiel 2:1). The one notable exception is the use of this term in Daniel 7:13-14: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man [‘enos] came with the clouds of heaven.… His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away …” Here the phrase represents a divine being.

'Âdâm is also used in reference to any given man, or to anyone male or female: “When a man [anyone] shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron …” (Leviticus 13:2).

The noun ‘odem means “ruby.” This word occurs 3 times and in Hebrew only. It refers to the red stone, the “ruby” in Exodus 28:17: “… the first row shall be a sardius [‘odem], a topaz, and a carbuncle.…”

Geber (גֶּבֶר, Strong's #1397), “man.” This word occurs 60 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, and its frequency of usage is higher (32 times, nearly half of all the occurrences) in the poetical books. The word occurs first in Exodus 10:11: “Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire.”

The root meaning “to be strong” is no longer obvious in the usage of geber since it is a synonym of ‘ish: “Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man ['ı̂ysh] childless, a man [geber] that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David …” (Jeremiah 22:30). Other synonyms are zakar, “male” (Jeremiah 30:6); ‘enos, “man” (Job 4:17); and ‘adam, “man” (Job 14:10). A geber denotes a “male,” as an antonym of a “woman”; cf. “The woman [ishshah] shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man [geber] put on a woman’s [ishshah] garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 22:5).

In standardized expressions of curse and blessing geber also functions as a synonym for ‘'ı̂ysh, “man.” The expression may begin with “Cursed be the man” (geber; Jeremiah 17:5) or “Blessed is the man” (geber; Psalms 34:8), but these same expressions also occur with 'ı̂ysh (Psalms 1:1; Deuteronomy 27:15).

The Septuagint gives the following translations: aner (“man”); anthropos (“human being; man”); and dunatos (“powerful or strong ones”).

'Îysh (אִישׁ, Strong's #376), “man; husband; mate; human being; human; somebody; each; every.” Cognates of this word appear in Phoenician, Punic, old Aramaic, and old South Arabic. This noun occurs about 2,183 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew. The plural of this noun is usually ‘anashim, but 3 times it is ‘ishim (Psalms 53:3).

Basically, this word signifies “man” in correspondence to woman; a “man” is a person who is distinguished by maleness. This emphasis is in Genesis 2:24 (the first biblical occurrence): “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.…” Sometimes the phrase “man and woman” signifies anyone whatsoever, including children: “If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned …” (Exodus 21:28). This phrase can also connote an inclusive group, including children: “And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword” (Joshua 6:21). This idea is sometimes more explicitly expressed by the word series “men, women, and children”: “Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates …” (Deuteronomy 31:12).

‘Ish is often used in marriage contexts (cf. Genesis 2:24) meaning “husband” or “mate”: “Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters …” (Jeremiah 29:6). A virgin is described as a lass who has not known a “man” (“husband”): “… And she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man” (Judges 11:38-39). The sense “mate” appears in Genesis 7:2, where the word represents male animals: “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female.…”

One special nuance of 'ı̂ysh appears in passages such as Genesis 3:6, where it means “husband,” or one responsible for a wife or woman and revered by her: "[And she] gave also unto her husband with her: and he did eat.” This emphasis is in Hosea 2:16 where it is applied to God (cf. the Hebrew word ba’al).

Sometimes this word connotes that the one so identified is a “man” par excellence. As such he is strong, influential, and knowledgeable in battle: “Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews …” (1 Samuel 4:9).

In a few places ‘ish is used as a synonym of “father”: “We are all sons of one man …” (Genesis 42:11, RSV). In other passages the word is applied to a son (cf. Genesis 2:24). In the plural the word can be applied to groups of men who serve or obey a superior. Pharaoh’s men escorted Abraham: “And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away …” (Genesis 12:20). In a similar but more general sense, the word may identify people who belong to someone or something: “For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled” (Leviticus 18:27).

Infrequently (and in later historical literature) this word is used as a collective noun referring to an entire group: “And his servant said, … Should I set this before a hundred men?” (2 Kings 4:43).

Many passages use 'ı̂ysh in the more general or generic sense of “man” (‘adam), a human being: “He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death” (Exodus 21:12). Even if one strikes a woman or child and he or she dies, the attacker should be put to death. Again, notice Deuteronomy 27:15: “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image.…” This is the sense of the word when it is contrasted with animals: “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast …” (Exodus 11:7). The same nuance appears when man over against God is in view: “God is not a man, that he should lie …” (Numbers 23:19).

Sometimes 'ı̂ysh is indefinite, meaning “somebody” or " someone” (“they”): “And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered” (Genesis 13:16). In other passages the word suggests the meaning “each” (Genesis 40:5). Closely related to the previous nuance is the connotation “every” (Jeremiah 23:35).

The word ‘ishon means “little man.” This diminutive form of the noun, which appears 3 times, has a cognate in Arabic. Although it literally means “little man,” it signifies the pupil of the eye and is so translated (cf. Deuteronomy 32:10, NASB; RSV and KJV, “apple of his eye”).

'Ĕnôsh (אֱנוֹשׁ, Strong's #582), “man.” This common Semitic word is the usual word for “man” (generic) in biblical Aramaic (This meaning is served by Hebrew ‘adam). It occurs 25 times in biblical Aramaic and 42 times in biblical Hebrew. Hebrew uses 'ĕnôsh exclusively in poetical passages. The only apparent exception is 2 Chronicles 14:11, but this is a prayer and, therefore uses poetical words.

'Ĕnôsh never appears with the definite article and at all times except once (Psalms 144:3) sets forth a collective idea, “man.” In most cases where the word occurs in Job and the Psalms it suggests the frailty, vulnerability, and finitude of “man” as contrasted to God: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth” (Psalms 103:15). As such “man” cannot be righteous or holy before God: “Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?” (Job 4:17). In the Psalms this word is used to indicate the enemy: “Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight” (Psalms 9:19). Here the parallelism shows that 'ĕnôsh is synonymous with “nations,” or the enemy. They are, therefore, presented as weak, vulnerable, and finite: “Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men” (Psalms 9:20).

'Ĕnôsh may connote “men” as weak but not necessarily morally weak: “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold of it” (Isaiah 56:2). In this passage the 'ĕnôsh is blessed because he has been morally strong.

In a few places the word bears no moral overtones and represents “man” in a sense parallel to Hebrew ‘adam. He is finite as contrasted to the infinite God: “I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men” (Deuteronomy 32:26—the first biblical occurrence).

Bâchûr (בָּחֻר, Strong's #970), “young man.” The 44 occurrences of this word are scattered throughout every period of biblical Hebrew.

This word signifies the fully developed, vigorous, unmarried man. In its first occurrence bâchûr is contrasted to betulah, “maiden”: “The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs” (Deuteronomy 32:25). The strength of the “young man” is contrasted with the gray hair (crown of honor) of old men (Proverbs 20:29).

The period during which a “young man” is in his prime (could this be the period during which he is eligible for the draft—i.e., age 20- 50?) is represented by the two nouns, bechurim and bechurot, both of which occur only once. Bechurim is found in Numbers 11:28.

B. Verb.

Bâchar (בָּחַר, Strong's #977), “to examine, choose, select, choose out, elect, prefer.” This verb, which occurs 146 times in biblical Hebrew, has cognates in late Aramaic and Coptic. The poetic noun bâchar, “chosen or elect one(s),” is also derived from this verb. Not all scholars agree that these words are related to the noun bachur. They would relate it to the first sense of bhr, whose cognate in Akkadian has to do with fighting men. The word means “choose or select” in Genesis 6:2: “… and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

Marvelous, to Be

A. Verb.

Pâlâ' (פָּלָא, Strong's #6381), “to be marvelous, be extraordinary, be beyond one’s power to do, do wonderful acts.” As can be seen from the suggested meanings, this verb is not easy to define. As a denominative verb, it is based on the noun for “wonder, marvel,” so it expresses the idea of doing or making a wondrous thing. Found in both biblical and modern Hebrew, pâlâ' occurs some 70 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. The verb is found for the first time in Genesis 18:14: “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?”

Pâlâ' is used primarily with God as its subject, expressing actions that are beyond the bounds of human powers or expectations. This idea is well expressed by the psalmist: “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalms 118:23). Deliverance from Egypt was the result of God’s wondrous acts: “And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in [it] …” (Exodus 3:20). Praise is constantly due God for all His wonderful deeds (Psalms 9:1). At the same time, God does not require anything of His people that is too hard for them (Deuteronomy 30:11). Although something may appear impossible to man, it still is within God’s power: “If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 8:6).

B. Noun.

Pele' (פֶּלֶא, Strong's #6382), “wonder; marvel.” This noun frequently expresses the “wonder,” the extraordinary aspects, of God’s dealings with His people (Exodus 15:11; Psalms 77:11; Isaiah 29:14). The messianic title, “marvel of a counselor” (Isaiah 9:6; KJV, RSV, “wonderful counselor”), points toward God’s Anointed continuing the marvelous acts of God.

Measure

A. Verb.

Mâdad (מָדַד, Strong's #4058), “to measure, measure off, extend.” Found in both ancient and modern Hebrew, in modern usage this word has the nuance of “to survey.” The word has cognates in Akkadian, Phoenician, and Arabic. It occurs 53 times in the text of the Hebrew Old Testament. The basic meaning of the verb is illustrated in its first occurrence in the Old Testament: “… they did mete it with an omer …” (Exodus 16:18). Mâdad is used not only of “measuring” volume but also of “measuring” distance (Deuteronomy 21:2) and length (Numbers 35:5).

A rather gruesome use is found in 2 Samuel 8:2, where, after defeating the Moabites, David “measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive.”

The greatness of the creator God is expressed in the question, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand …?” (Isaiah 40:12). Also, God “stood, and measured [NASB, “surveyed”] the earth” (Habakkuk 3:6).

Mâdad can express the idea of extending, stretching: “And he stretched himself upon the child three times …” (1 Kings 17:21).

B. Noun.

Middâh (מִדָּה, Strong's #4060), “measure; measurement; extent; size; stature; section; area.” Of the 53 times this noun appears, 25 appearances are in Ezekiel. The rest of the word’s occurrences are scattered throughout every period of biblical Hebrew.

This noun refers to the act of “measurement”: “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity” (Leviticus 19:35, RSV). In Ezekiel 41:17 this word is used of length “measurement,” and in Job 28:25 of liquid “measurement.”

Second, middâh means the thing measured, or the “size.” Exodus 26:2 (the first occurrence) specifies: “… Every one of the curtains shall have one measure [the same size].” The word can also refer to the duration of one’s life: “Lord, make me to know [realize] mine end, and the measure of my days [how short my life really is] …” (Psalms 39:4). A “man of measure” is one of great “stature or size”: “And he [Benaiah] slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits [about 7 1/2 feet] high …” (1 Chronicles 11:23).

Third, middâh sometimes represents a “measured portion” of a thing: “Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces” (Nehemiah 3:11). In Ezekiel 45:3 the word appears to represent a “measured area.”

Meditate

Hâgâh (הָגָה, Strong's #1897), “to meditate, moan, growl, utter, speak.” This word is common to both ancient and modern Hebrew. Found only 25 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, it seems to be an onomatopoetic term, reflecting the sighing and low sounds one may make while musing, at least as the ancients practiced it. This meaning is seen in its first occurrence in the text: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night …” (Joshua 1:8). Perhaps the most famous reference “to meditating” on the law day and night is Psalms 1:2.

Hâgâh also expresses the “growl” of lions (Isaiah 31:4) and the “mourning” of doves (Isaiah 38:14). When the word is used in the sense of “to mourn,” it apparently emphasizes the sorrowful sounds of mourning, as seen in this parallelism: “Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir-heres” (Jeremiah 48:31). The idea that mental exercise, planning, often is accompanied by low talking seems to be reflected by Proverbs 24:1-2: “Be not thou envious against evil men, … for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.”

Messiah

A. Nouns.

Mâshı̂yach (מָשִׁיחַ, Strong's #4899), “anointed one; Messiah.” Of the 39 occurrences of mâshı̂yach, none occurs in the wisdom literature. They are scattered throughout the rest of biblical literary types and periods.

First, mâshı̂yach refers to one who is anointed with oil, symbolizing the reception of the Holy Spirit, enabling him to do an assigned task. Kings (1 Samuel 24:6), high priests, and some prophets (1 Kings 19:16) were so anointed: “If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people …” (Leviticus 4:3—the first biblical appearance). In the case of Cyrus, he was anointed with God’s Spirit only and commissioned an “anointed deliverer” of Israel (Isaiah 45:1). The patriarchs, too, are called “anointed ones”: “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm” (Psalms 105:15).

Second, the word is sometimes transliterated “Messiah.” After the promise to David (2 Samuel 7:13) mâshı̂yach refers immediately to the Davidic dynasty, but ultimately it points to the “Mes-siah,” Jesus the Christ: “The kings of the earth [take their stand], and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed …” (Psalms 2:2). In Daniel 9:25 the word is transliterated: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince.…” The New Testament also attests the word in this latter meaning (John 1:41). Most frequently in the New Testament the word is translated (“Christ”) rather than transliterated (“Messiah”). See also ANOINT.

Mishchâh (מָשְׁחָה, Strong's #4888), “anointment.” This noun occurs 21 times and only in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It always follows the Hebrew word for oil. The first occurrence is Exodus 25:6: “Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense.”

B. Verb.

Mâshach (מָשַׁח, Strong's #4886), “to smear with oil or paint, anoint.” This verb, which appears 69 times in biblical Hebrew, has cognates in Ugaritic, Akkadian, Aramaic, and Arabic. The objects of this verb are people, sacrificial victims, and objects of worship. Aaron and his sons are the objects of this verb in Exodus 30:30: “And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

Midst

Tâvek (תָּוֶךְ, Strong's #8432), “midst; middle.” This word, which also appears in Ugaritic, occurs about 418 times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods.

Tâvek indicates the part of a space, place, number of people, things, or line which is not on the end or outside edge. This emphasis is in Genesis 9:21: “And he [Noah] drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within [literally, “in the midst of”] his tent. In many contexts the word means “among,” not necessarily in the middle: “… And he [Pharaoh] lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among [literally, “in the midst of”] his servants” (Genesis 40:20). Exodus 14:29 uses tâvek as an extension of the word “through”: “But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea.…” The idea “within” can be emphasized with the addition of words like tâvek, “belly, inwards,” or leb, “heart”: “… My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels” (Psalms 22:14). This word also sometimes means simply “in” in the sense of “mixed into something”: “And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue …” (Exodus 39:3).

Tâvek can mean “middle” when applied to an object or person between two others: “And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe …” (Exodus 39:25). The same sense but a different translation is required in Judges 15:4: “And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.” This appears to be the meaning of the word in its first biblical occurrence: “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters” (Genesis 1:6). In Numbers 35:5 the word means “in the center”: “And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst.…” In other passages this word signifies the hypothetical center line dividing something into two equal parts: “And he [Abraham] took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another …” (Genesis 15:10; cf. Ezekiel 15:4).

In a few instances tâvek is used substantively, meaning “the middle or the center part of a thing”: “Sihon king of the Amorites … ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river …” (Joshua 12:2). The word occurs only 7 times without a preceding preposition.

Might

Gebûrâh (גְּבֻרָה, Strong's #1369), “might.” This noun is found 61 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, predominantly in poetic books and in Isaiah and Jeremiah. The first occurrence is in Exodus 32:18: “And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.”

The primary meaning of gebûrâh is “power” or “strength.” Certain animals are known for their “strength,” such as horses (Psalms 147:10) and crocodiles (Job 41:4). Man also demonstrates “might” in heroic acts (Judges 8:21) and in war (Isaiah 3:25). David’s powerful regime is expressed as a “kingship of geburah" (1 Chronicles 29:30; KJV, “his reign and his might”). Since both physical strength and wisdom were necessary for leadership, these two qualities are joined together: “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength” (Proverbs 8:14). Also Micah, being filled with the Holy Spirit, said: “But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin” (Micah 3:8). In messianic expectations the prophets projected the Messiah’s special role as a demonstration of “might” and counsel: “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2).

The Psalms ascribe “might” to God. These characterizations are found either in the context of “praise”: “… which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power” (Psalms 65:6), or in the context of prayer: “Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength” (Psalms 54:1). The Lord’s “might” is a manifestation of His wisdom: “With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13). In the plural geburah denotes God’s mighty deeds of the past: “O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?” (Deuteronomy 3:24).

The Septuagint gives the following translations: dunasteis (“ruler, sovereign; court official”); ischus (“strength; power; might”); and dunamis (“power; strength; might; ability; capability”). The KJV gives these senses: “might; strength; power; mighty acts.”

Minister, Serve

A. Verb.

Shârath (שָׁרַת, Strong's #8334), “to minister, serve, officiate.” This word is a common term in Hebrew usage, ancient and modern, in various verbal and noun forms. It occurs in ancient Phoenician, and some see it in ancient Ugaritic as well. Shârath is found just under 100 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. The first time it is used in the Hebrew Bible is in the story of Joseph as he becomes the slave of Potiphar: “And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served [RSV, “attended”] him …” (Genesis 39:4).

As a term for serving or ministering, shârath is to be distinguished from the term for more menial serving, ‘abad, from which the word meaning “slave” or “servant” is derived. Shârath is characteristically used of “serving” done by royal household workers (2 Samuel 13:17; 1 Kings 10:5). In the manner of the modern “public servant” idea, the word is used in reference to court officials and royal servants (1 Chronicles 27:1; 28:1; Esther 1:10).

Elisha “ministered” to Elijah (1 Kings 19:21). Foreign kings are “to minister” to God’s people (Isaiah 60:10).

This term is used most frequently as the special term for service in worship. The Levitical priests “stand before the Lord to minister unto him” (Deuteronomy 10:8). They also are “to stand before the congregation to minister unto them” (Numbers 16:9). In the post-exilic temple, the Levites who had earlier “ministered” in idolatry will not be allowed “to serve” as priests but rather as maintenance workers in the temple (Ezekiel 44:11-14).

B. Noun.

Shârath (שָׁרַת, Strong's #8334), “minister; servant.” The noun form of the verb appears several times meaning “minister” or “servant.” As Moses’ right-hand man Joshua is referred to as “minister” (KJV), “servant” (RSV, JB, NASB), “assistant” (NEB), or “aide” (NAB) in Exodus 24:13. Angels are God’s “ministers … that do his pleasure” (Psalms 103:21; cf. Psalms 104:4).

Morning

A. Noun.

Bôqer (בֹּקֶר, Strong's #1242), “morning.” This word occurs about 214 times and in every period of biblical Hebrew.

This word means “morning,” though not the period of time before noon. Rather it indicates the point of time at which night is changing to day or that time at the end of night: “And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts” (Exodus 10:13).

Bôqer can represent the time just before the rising of the sun. In Judges 19:25 we read that the men of Gibeah raped and abused the Levite’s concubine “all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go” (cf. Ruth 3:13). In the ancient Near East the night was divided into three watches. The last period of the night was called the morning watch (Exodus 14:24). It lasted from 2:00 A.M. until sunrise, and in such a context the word indicates this period of time.

Bôqer can mean “daybreak” or “dawn.” In Exodus 14:27 it is reported that the water of the Red Sea “returned to his [normal state] when the morning appeared [literally, “at the turning of the morning”].” Bôqer is used as a synonym of “dawn” in Job 38:12: “Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place …?”

Sometimes bôqer appears to mean “early morning,” or shortly after daybreak: “And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them and, behold, they were sad” (Genesis 40:6). Thus, Moses “rose up early in the morning” and went up to Mount Sinai; he arose before daybreak so he could appear before God in the “morning” as God had commanded (Exodus 34:2, 4). In the “morning” Jacob saw that his bride was Leah rather than Rachel (Genesis 29:25; cf. 1 Samuel 29:10).

As the opposite of night the word represents the entire period of daylight. The psalmist prays that it is good “to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night” (Psalms 92:2), in other words, to always be praising God (cf. Amos 5:8).

In Psalms 65:8 bôqer represents a place, specifically, the place where the sun rises: “They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.”

At least once the word appears to represent the resurrection: “Like sheep they [the ungodly] are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning …” (Psalms 49:14).

Bôqer can mean “morrow” or “next day.” This meaning first appears in Exodus 12:10, where God tells Israel not to leave any of the Passover “until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire” (cf. Leviticus 22:30).

B. Verb.

Bâqar (בָּקַר, Strong's #1239), “to attend, bestow care on, seek with pleasure.” Although this verb is found only 7 times in biblical Hebrew, it occurs in early, middle, and late periods and in both prose and poetry. The word has cognates in Arabic and Nabataean. Some scholars relate to this verb the noun bâqar, “herd, cattle, ox.”

In Leviticus 13:36 bâqar means “to attend to”: “… If the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair.…” The word implies “to seek with pleasure or delight” in Psalms 27:4: “… to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”

Mother

'Êm (אֵם, Strong's #517), “mother; grandmother; stepmother.” Cognates of this word appear in nearly all Semitic languages including Ugaritic and Aramaic. Biblical Hebrew attests it 220 times and in all periods.

The basic meaning of the word has to do with the physical relationship of the individual called “mother.” This emphasis of the word is in Genesis 2:24 (the first biblical appearance): “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.…” 'Êm sometimes represents an animal “mother”: “Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with its [mother]; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me” (Exodus 22:30). The phrase “father and mother” is the biblical phrase for parents: “And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother [living]” (Esther 2:7). The “son of one’s mother” is his brother (Genesis 43:29), just as the “daughter of one’s mother” is his sister (Genesis 20:12). These phrases usually emphasize that the persons so represented are whole brothers or sisters, whereas the Hebrew words ’ach, (“brother”) and ‘achot, (“sister”) meaning both whole and half siblings, leave the issue unclear. On the other hand, in Genesis 27:29 this phrase appears to mean peoples more distantly related: “Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”

'Êm can represent blood relatives further removed than one’s mother. In 1 Kings 15:10 the word means “grandmother”: “And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his [grand]mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.” This word can also mean “stepmother.” When Joseph told his dream to his family, “his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy [step]mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” (Genesis 37:10; cf. 35:16ff., where we read that Rachel died). The word can signify a mother-in-law, or the mother of one’s wife: “And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness …” (Leviticus 20:14). The woman through whom a nation originated is called its “mother”; she is the first or tribal “mother,” an ancestress: “Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite” (Ezekiel 16:3). Even further removed physically is Eve, “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20).

'Êm can represent all one’s female forebears: “Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out” (Psalms 109:14).

A group of people, a people, or a city may be personified and called a “mother.” Hosea calls the priests (probably) the “mother” of Israel: “… And the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother” (Hosea 4:5). The people of Israel, the northern kingdom, are the “mother” of Judah: “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away” (Isaiah 50:1; cf. Hosea 2:4, 7).

An important city may be called a “mother” of its citizens: “… Thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel …” (2 Samuel 20:19).

The title “mother in Israel” was a title of respect in Deborah’s day (Judges 5:7). “The mother of a way” is the starting point for roads: “For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination …” (Ezekiel 21:21).

Mountain Range

Har (הַר, Strong's #2022), “mountain range; mountainous region; mount.” This word also appears in Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Punic. Biblical Hebrew attests it about 558 times and in all periods.

In its first biblical appearance har refers to the “mountain range” upon which Noah’s ark came to rest (Genesis 8:4). In the singular form the word can mean a “mountain range” or the “mountains” of a given area: “… And [he] set his face toward the mount [NASB, “hill country”] Gilead” (Genesis 31:21). Jacob was fleeing from Laban toward the “mountains” where he thought to find protection. A further extension of this meaning applies this word to an area which is primarily mountainous; the word focuses on the territory in general rather than on the mountains in particular: “And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it” (Joshua 21:11). The word can be used of particular “mountains”: “… And he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of Godeven to Horeb” (Exodus 3:1). In this particular instance “the mountain of God” refers to Horeb. Elsewhere it is Jerusalem: “Why leap ye, ye high hills? This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever” (Psalms 68:16).

Har signifies inhabitable sites situated on hills and/or mountainsides: “And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakim from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities” (Joshua 11:21). In this regard, compare Deuteronomy 2:37: “Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the Lord our God forbade us.” A comparison of Judges 1:35 and Joshua 19:41 shows that Mount Heres is the same as the city of Heres.

In the poetical literature of the Old Testament, the view of the world held by men of that era finds its reflection. One can speak of the foundations of the mountains as rooted in the underworld (Deuteronomy 32:22), serving to support the earth as the “bars” of the earth (Jonah 2:6). Mountain peaks may be said to reach into the heavens where God dwells (Isaiah 24:21; in Genesis 11:4, the men who built the tower at Babel erroneously thought they were going to reach God’s dwelling place). Although it would be wrong to conclude that God is setting forth this understanding of creation, yet He used it in explaining His word to men just as He used other contemporaneous ideas. Since “mountains” were associated with deity (Isaiah 14:13), God chose to make great revelations on “mountains,” concretely impressing the recipients with the solemnity and authority of the message (Deuteronomy 27; Joshua 8:30-35). At the same time such locations provided for better audibility and visibility (Judges 9:7; 2 Chronicles 13:4). “Mountains” often serve as a symbol of strength (Zechariah 4:7) inasmuch as they carried mythological significance since many people thought of them as sacred areas (Jeremiah 3:22-23), and they were the locations of strong fortresses (Joshua 10:6). Even the “mountains” tremble before the Lord; He is mightier than they are (Job 14:18).

Mourn

'Âbal (אָבַל, Strong's #56), “to mourn, lament.” This word is common to both ancient and modern Hebrew. Found in the Hebrew Old Testament 39 times, 'âbal is used in the simple, active verbal form primarily in poetry, and usually in a figurative sense. When it is used of mourning for the dead in a literal sense, the word is found in prose sections and in the reflexive form, indicating action back on the subject. It first occurs in Genesis 37:34: “And Jacob … mourned for his son many days.”

When used in the figurative sense, 'âbal expresses “mourning” by gates (Isaiah 3:26), by the land (Isaiah 24:4), and by pastures (Amos 1:2). In addition to mourning for the dead, “mourning” may be over Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:10), over sin (Ezra 10:6), or over God’s judgment (Exodus 33:4). One may pretend to be a mourner (2 Samuel 14:2) simply by putting on mourning clothes.

Mouth

Peh (פֶּה, Strong's #6310), “mouth; edge; opening; entrance; collar; utterance; order; command; evidence.” This word has cognates in Ugaritic, Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, and Amorite. It appears about 500 times and in every period of biblical Hebrew.

First, the word means “mouth.” It is often used of a human “mouth”: “And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth …” (Exodus 4:16). In passages such as Numbers 22:28 this word represents an animal’s “mouth”: “And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam.…” When used of a bird’s “mouth” it refers to its beak: “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off …” (Genesis 8:11). This word may be used figuratively of “the mouth of the ground,” referring to the fact that liquid went into the ground—the ground drank it: “And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand” (Genesis 4:11—the first biblical occurrence). A similar use appears in Psalms 141:7: “Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth.…” In this case Sheol is perhaps conceived as a pit and then personified with its “mouth” consuming men once they die.

Second, this word can be used in an impersonal, nonpersonified sense of an “opening”: “And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth” (Genesis 29:2). In Isaiah 19:7 this word represents the “edge” of a river: “The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away.…” Genesis 42:27 uses peh to refer to an orifice, or the area within the edges of a sack’s opening: “… He espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.” A similar use appears in Joshua 10:18, where the word is used of a cave “entrance” or “opening.” Peh can mean not only an opening which is closed in on all sides but a city gate, an opening opened at the top: “… at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors” (Proverbs 8:3). Exodus 28:32 uses this word to mean an “opening” in a tunic around which a collar would be woven: “And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a habergeon, that it be not rent.” Job 30:18 uses the word of the “collar” itself: “By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat” (cf. Psalms 133:2).

In several passages peh represents the edge of a sword, perhaps in the sense of the part that consumes and/or bites: “And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword …” (Genesis 34:26).

Several noteworthy idioms employ peh. In Joshua 9:2 “with one mouth” means “with one accord”: “… That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.” In Numbers 12:8 God described His unique communication as “mouth to mouth” or person to person. A similar construction appears in Jeremiah 32:4 (cf. 34:3, which has the same force): “And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, hut shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes.” The phrase “from mouth to mouth” or “mouth to mouth” can mean “from end to end”: “And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another” (2 Kings 10:21). “With open mouth” is a phrase which emphasizes greedy consumption: “The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth” (Isaiah 9:12). Placing one’s hands on one’s mouth is a gesture of silence (Job 29:9). “To ask someone’s mouth” is to ask him personally: “We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth [NASB, “consult her wishes”]” (Genesis 24:57).

This word can also stand for “utterance” or “order”: “Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled …” (Genesis 41:40). “The mouth of two witnesses” means their testimony: “Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses …” (Numbers 35:30). In Jeremiah 36:4 “from the mouth of Jeremiah” means “by dictation”: “… And Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all words of the Lord … upon a [scroll].”

Peh used with various prepositions has special meanings. (1) Used with peh, it means “according to.” In Leviticus 25:52 this construction has the special nuance “in proportion to”: “And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according unto [in proportion to] his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.” The meaning “according to” appears in passages such as Numbers 7:5: “Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.” The phrase means “as much as” in Exodus 16:21. A different nuance appears in Job 33:6: “Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s stead.…” (2) When the word is preceded by el, its meanings are quite similar to those just discussed. In Leviticus 25:51 it means “in proportion to.” Jeremiah 29:10 uses the word in the sense “according to”: “After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon,” which can be read literally, “according to the fullness of the seventy years of Babylon.” (3) With ‘al the word also means “according to” or “in proportion to” (cf. Leviticus 27:18).

The phrase pi shenayim (literally, “two mouths”) has two different meanings. In Deuteronomy 21:17 it means “double portion” (two parts): “But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the first-born, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath.…” This same phrase, however, also means “two thirds”: “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein” (Zechariah 13:8).

Multiply, Increase

A. Verb.

Râbâh (רָבָה, Strong's #7235), “to multiply, become numerous, become great.” This verb also occurs in Akkadian, Arabic, Amorite, and biblical Aramaic. Biblical Hebrew attests it about 220 times and in all periods. This word should be compared to gadal and rabab.

Basically this word connotes numerical increase. It can refer to the process of increasing numerically: God told the sea and air creatures to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:22—the first occurrence). In Genesis 38:12 the word refers to the end result in the sense that a great many of something existed: “And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died [literally, “and the days became multiplied”].…” When used with “days,” the word may also signify “long life”: “… I shall multiply my days as the sand” (Job 29:18: cf. Proverbs 4:10). Râbâh sometimes refers to increasing in wealth, although in such cases the material is clearly specified (cf. Deuteronomy 8:13: “… and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied”).

This verb can be used of being quantitatively large. In Genesis 7:17 the waters are said to have “increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.” So here the verb means “to increase in quantity.” A similar use occurs in Genesis 15:1, where God tells Abram: “I am … thy exceeding great reward.” The first instance speaks of the process of increasing and the latter of the end product (something that is larger).

In a special nuance this verb signifies the process of growing up: “Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up [in the open field]” (Job 39:4). Râbâh can also be used of the end product: “I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown …” (Ezekiel 16:7). A somewhat different nuance occurs in Ezekiel 19:2, where the verb speaks of a parent’s care for an offspring: “… She nourished her whelps.” Râbâh is sometimes used with another verb to signify its increase in occurrence or frequency. In some passages it signifies that a process is continuing: “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work …” (Exodus 36:5), literally, “the people continue to bring.” It can also signify a great number of times with the sense of “repeatedly.” The sinner is urged to return to God, “for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). This sense appears clearly in Amos 4:4: “Come to Beth-eland transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression.…”

B. Nouns.

'Arbeh (אַרְבֶּה, Strong's #697), “locust.” This noun, which occurs 24 times, refers to a kind of swarming “locust”: “Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land …” (Exodus 10:12).

Several other nouns related to this verb appear infrequently. M'arbeh, which appears once means “abundance” (Isaiah 33:23). Marbit, which is found 5 times, refers to a “greater number” (1 Samuel 2:33) or the “greater half” (2 Chronicles 9:6). Tarbut has a single appearance to mean “increase” (Numbers 32:14). Tarbit, which occurs 6 times, can mean “interest, increment, usury” (Leviticus 25:36).

Multitude

A. Noun.

Hâmôn (הָמֹן, Strong's #1995), “multitude; lively commotion; agitation; tumult; uproar; commotion; turmoil; noise; crowd; abundance.” This noun appears 85 times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods.

The word represents a “lively commotion or agitation”: “Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me?” (Isaiah 63:15).

Hâmôn represents the stirring or agitation of a crowd of people: “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was” (2 Samuel 18:29). In Isaiah 17:12 the word is synonymously parallel to hâmôn, “rumbling”: “Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!”

Sometimes hâmôn represents the noise raised by an agitated crowd of people (a “tumult”): “And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult [raised by the report that the battle was lost]?” (1 Samuel 4:14). In Isaiah 13:4 the word represents the mighty sound of a gathering army rather than the confused outcry of a mourning city: “The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.” A young lion eating his prey is not disturbed by the noise of a band of shepherds trying to scare him off (Isaiah 31:4). There are exceptions to the rule that the word represents the sound of a large number of people. In 1 Kings 18:41 hâmôn signifies the roar of a heavy downpour of rain (cf. Jeremiah 10:13), and in Jeremiah 47:3 it represents the tumult of chariots.

Hâmôn sometimes means a “multitude or crowd” from which a tumult may arise. Frequently the word represents a large army: “And I will draw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude [NASB, “many troops”] …” (Judges 4:7; cf. 1 Samuel 14:16). Elsewhere hâmôn represents a whole people: “And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel …” (2 Samuel 6:19). Finally, any great throng, or a great number of people (Genesis 17:4—the first occurrence) may be represented by this word.

A great number of things can be indicated by hâmôn “O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thine holy name …” (1 Chronicles 29:16).

Abundance of possessions or wealth is indicated by hâmôn, as in: “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked” (Psalms 37:16; cf. Ecclesiastes 5:10— parallel to “silver” [money]; Isaiah 60:5).

Finally, hâmôn refers to a group of people organized around a king, specifically, his courtiers: “Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude [his train or royal retinue]; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?” (Ezekiel 31:2). Thus in Psalms 42:4 the word can represent a festival procession, a kind of train.

B. Verb.

Hâmâh (הָמָה, Strong's #1993), “to make a noise, be tumultuous, roar, groan, bark, sound, moan.” This verb, which occurs 33 times in biblical Hebrew, has cognates in Aramaic and Arabic. Psalms 83:2 contains one appearance: “For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.”