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Zephaniah 1:5 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוְאֶת־ הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥ים עַל־ הַגַּגּ֖וֹת לִצְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְאֶת־ הַמִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ הַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣ים לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖ים בְּמַלְכָּֽם׃

BSAthose who bowshâchâh [worship, prostrate themselves] onʻal the rooftopsgâg [housetops, upper rooms] {to worship} the hosttsâbâʼ [pay homage, reverence, army, celestial bodies] of heavenshâmayim [the sky] those who bow downshâchâh [prostrate themselves, humble themselves] and swearshâbaʻ [make an oath, vow] by the LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, the supreme God] but also swearshâbaʻ [take an oath, pledge]

Word
Listen & take awayZephaniah 1
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 5 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (be.mal.Kam) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Zephaniah 1:5quick helps
In a sentenceZephaniah condemns those who worship both the Lord and false gods.
Who is speakingThe prophet Zephaniah, delivering a message from God.
Where we areIn a warning against idolatry, specifically in Jerusalem.
The hard wordמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים
Take awayWorship is directed both to God and to idols, which is condemned.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Zephaniah 1:5

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Judgment Against Idolatrygenerated

4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests—
5those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,
6and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”
7Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.

Zephaniah 1:5 highlights the dual worship practices of the people in Jerusalem, where they bow down to the heavenly host while also swearing allegiance to the Lord and to Milcom, an Ammonite deity. This verse is part of a broader admonition against idolatry, emphasizing the seriousness of worshiping false gods alongside the true God, as seen in the surrounding verses that call for repentance and silence before the Lord.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
12 Kings 23:12He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
2Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like that place, Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”
3Jeremiah 32:29And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come in, set it on fire, and burn it, along with the houses of those who provoked Me to anger by burning incense to Baal on their rooftops and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.
41 Kings 18:21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.
52 Kings 17:33–41They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 16 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

swear byJoshua 23:7
MilcomAmos 5:26

The Key Word מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים, mishtaḥavimgenerated

The word מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים (mishtaḥavim) is a participle form of the verb חוה (ḥavah), meaning 'to bow down' or 'to prostrate oneself.' This term indicates an active, ongoing action of bowing, often in the context of worship or submission.

In this verse, it describes those who are actively engaging in worship practices that are directed towards both the true God and false idols. The participial form emphasizes the continuous nature of their actions, reflecting a lifestyle of divided devotion.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main action is governed by the finite verb מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים, those who bow, which serves as the subject of the sentence. This action is elaborated upon by two phrases: a prepositional phrase indicating where they bow and a second clause that describes who else they swear by.

The structure emphasizes the duality of worship practices, with the phrase לִצְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם indicating worship of the heavenly host, while the subsequent clause introduces the contrasting worship of Milcom.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the term for מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים is rendered as προσκυνοῦντας (proskynountas), which conveys the act of worship or reverence. This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, focusing on the act of bowing in worship.

The translation choice indicates a consistent understanding of the act of worship, whether directed towards God or idols, emphasizing the seriousness of the prophet's condemnation.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Zephaniah 1:5 warns against the practice of worshiping both the Lord and false gods like Milcom. The verse describes people who bow down on rooftops to worship the heavenly host, showing how they mix their devotion to God with idolatry, which is condemned.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to bow on the rooftops?

Bowing on rooftops refers to the practice of worshiping in elevated places, which was common in ancient times, often associated with idolatrous practices.

Who is Milcom?

Milcom is an Ammonite idol, often associated with child sacrifice and condemned in the Hebrew Bible as a false god.

Why is swearing by the LORD and by Milcom significant?

Swearing by both the LORD and Milcom indicates a divided loyalty, which is a central theme of Zephaniah's message against idolatry.

What does this verse reveal about the people of Judah?

This verse reveals that the people of Judah were engaging in syncretism, blending their worship of the true God with practices of idolatry, which was a serious offense in the eyes of God.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I see divided loyalties in my own life regarding faith and values?
  2. How can I ensure that my worship is directed solely to God and not mixed with other influences?
  3. What does this passage teach about the seriousness of idolatry?
  4. How can I encourage others to remain faithful in their worship of God?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Zephaniah 1:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And upon them that worship the host of heaven upon the house tops,.... The sun, moon, and stars, which some worshipped upon their house tops; the roofs of their houses being flat, as the roofs of the

Read John Gill on Zephaniah 1 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; And them that worship the host of heaven - Saba: whence, in

Read Robert Jamieson on Zephaniah 1 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And them that worship; those among the people that adhered to this idolatry. The host of heaven; the sun, moon, and stars, frequently in the Scripture called the host of heaven. Upon the house-tops; openly, as the manner of those idolaters was, either because they thought those deities they imagined to dwell in the body of those stars better saw them, or were better pleased thus, or because these places were nearer heaven. On the flat roofs of their houses they were used to have their altars and worship. That swear by the Lord, or, to the Lord, (as the Hebrew bears,) and by Malcham; persons that mix idol worship and the worship of the true God; that devote themselves to God and Baal, or…

Read Matthew Poole on Zephaniah 1 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Zephaniah 1:5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship [and] that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;Ver. 5. And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops] Called elsewhere the Queen of heaven, the constellations and heavenly bodies: whom they thought to worship so much the more acceptably, if in an open place and on high, in the very sight of the stars. Observent ista qui hodie Astrologiam iudiciariam profitentur, saith Gualther, Let those among us observe this who profess judiciary astrology; for these worship the stars no less than did the heathens of old, and do openly bring in heathenism again; while (first) they call…

Read John Trapp on Zephaniah 1 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) The worship “on the housetops” is mentioned elsewhere as the cult of a certain class of apostates (see Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 32:29) who ascended roots and other high places to adore the hosts of heaven. We find it mentioned as part of Josiah’s reformatory procedure that he removed “the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz” (2 Kings 23:12). The last half of the verse should be rendered, And the worshippers who swear to Jehovah, and who swear (also) by Malcham—i.e., those who divide their allegiance between the true God and the false. In the title given to the latter we may perhaps see a combination of “their king” (Hebrew, malcâm) and the name Moloch, or Molech.…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Zephaniah 1 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 5. The host of heaven] Sun, moon, planets, and stars. This worship was one of the most ancient and the most common of all species of idolatry; and it had a greater semblance of reason to recommend it. See 2Kg 23:5; 2Kg 23:12; Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 32:29. That swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham] Associating the name of an idol with that of the Most High. For Malcham, see on Hosea 4:15, and Amos 5:26.

Read AdamClarke on Zephaniah 1 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. Besides the priests who lead the false worship, the various classes of worshippers shall be swept away: (1) those that worship the host of heaven on the house-tops; (2) those who unite Jehovah and other gods in their worship; and (3) those who have renounced the service of Jehovah, or who do not concern themselves about Him (Zephaniah 1:6)—those wholly indifferent, “settled on their lees” (Zephaniah 1:12). the host of heaven] The “host of heaven” appears to be an expression including the heavenly bodies in general, sun, moon and stars. Of course only particular stars, such as the more brilliant fixed stars and the planets, with the constellations of the zodiac (2 Kings 23:5), would be…

Read Cambridge on Zephaniah 1 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And them that worship the best of heaven upon the - (flat) housetops This was fulfilled by Josiah who destroyed “the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz” 2 Kings 23:12.

Read Albert Barnes on Zephaniah 1 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

NETBNew English Translation2006

I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, those who swear allegiance to the Lord while taking oaths in the name of their ‘king,’

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam;

RVARevised Version, American1894

and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, which swear to the LORD and swear by Malcam;

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And them that worship the host of heaven upon the house-tops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And them that worship the hoste of heauen vpon the house tops, and them that worship and sweare by the Lord, and sweare by Malcham,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

and them that bow down to the host of the heavens upon the housetops; and them that bow down to Jehovah, that swear by [him], and swear by Malcham;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And those bowing themselves On the roofs to the host of the heavens, And those bowing themselves, Swearing to Jehovah, and swearing by Malcham,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And those bowing themselves || On the roofs to the host of the heavens, || And those bowing themselves, || Swearing to YHWH, and swearing by Malcham,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And those that bow themselves down on the roofs of houses to the host of heaven; and those that bow themselves down that are sworn [to be true] to the Lord and still swear by Malkom;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

the people who on the housetops worship the heavenly bodies, and the people who worship and swear to Yahweh but who also swear by their king.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And them that worship the host of heaven upon the tops of houses, and them that adore, and swear by the Lord, and swear by Melchom.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I will destroy those who go up to the rooftops to bow down before the sun, moon, and stars. They also bow down and swear allegiance to the Lord, but then they do the same to Milcom.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And the worshippers of the army of heaven on the house-tops, and the Lord's worshippers who take oaths by Milcom,

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וְandclausenoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseהַ[thosenoun phraseclauseverbמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥יםwho].bow.downprepositional phrase · prepositionalעַלonnoun phraseהַtheגַּגּ֖וֹתroofsprepositional phrase · prepositionalלִtonoun phraseצְבָ֣אthe.hostnoun phraseהַofשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe.heavensוְandclausenoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phrasenoun phraseהַ[thoseמִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙who].bow.downnoun phraseהַ[thosenoun phraseclauseverbנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣יםwho].swear.an.oathprepositional phrase · prepositionalלַֽtoיהוָ֔הYahwehוְandnoun phraseהַ[thosenoun phraseclauseverbנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖יםwho].swear.an.oathprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּbynoun phraseמַלְכָּֽkingםtheir

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in content, with 10 of the 12 words matched between them. The Septuagint's rendering shows a similar focus on the act of bowing down, though its word order differs from the Hebrew.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וְאֶת־ הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥ים עַל־ הַגַּגּ֖וֹת לִצְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְאֶת־ הַמִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ הַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣ים לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖ים בְּמַלְכָּֽם׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וְאֶת־καὶהַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥יםπροσκυνοῦνταςעַל־ἐπὶהַגַּגּ֖וֹתδώματαלִצְבָ֣אστρατιᾷהַשָּׁמָ֑יִםοὐρανοῦוְאֶת־καὶהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣יםὀμνύονταςוְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖יםὀμνύονταςבְּמַלְכָּֽם׃βασιλέως

10 of the 12 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Zephaniah 1:5אֵתand the objand the object אֵתשָׁחָהthose [who]those [who] bowשָׁחָהעַלononעַלגָּגthe roofsthe roofsגָּגצָבָאto [the] hoto [the] host oצָבָאשָׁמַיthe heavensthe heavensשָׁמַיאֵתand the objand the object אֵתשָׁחָהthose [who]those [who] bowשָׁחָהשָׁבַעthose [who]those [who] sweשָׁבַעיהוהto Yahwehto Yahwehיהוהשָׁבַעand those [and those [who]שָׁבַעמֶ֫לֶךְby Milcomby Milcomמֶ֫לֶךְאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתשֶׁ֫בַעsevensevenשֶׁ֫בַעגָּאָהto rise upto rise upגָּאָהצָבָאto serveto serveצָבָאהָיָהto beto beהָיָהמָלַךְto reignto reignמָלַךְעַלheightheightעַלמִגְרָשׁpasturepastureמִגְרָשׁקָדַדto bowto bowקָדַדאַחֵרanotheranotherאַחֵרנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםשְׁבוּעָהoathoathשְׁבוּעָהאַבְרָםAbrahamAbrahamאַבְרָםכִּפֶּרto atoneto atoneכִּפֶּרכִּסֵּאthronethroneכִּסֵּאחָצִירgrassgrassחָצִירקָטַרto offer: to offer: burnקָטַרכֹּהthusthusכֹּה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Zephaniah 1:5

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
וְאֶת־ve.'Et and the object marker H853 Conjunction · particle
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/To — Conjunction · particle
HC/To
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥יםha.mish.ta.cha.Vim those [who] bow down H7812 Particle · verb hithpael participle (active) masculine plural
172× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to bow down, often as a sign of respect or worship. It is used in Genesis 24:52 to describe Abraham's servant bowing down to God. The word is about showing humility and respect to someone or something.
Amplified meaning
worship, prostrate themselves
Tyndale gloss
to bow
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁחָה (*shachah*) is a primitive root meaning to bow down or prostrate oneself, particularly in homage to a superior or in worship before God. It can also imply a figurative sense of being depressed by anxiety. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, including worship of both God and false gods.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁחָה] 172 vb. bow down

Qal bow down

Hiph. fig., anxiety depresses it

Hithpa‛lēl

bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.

before God, in worship

before other gods

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7812 שָׁחָה bow down .bow down

. fig., anxiety depresses it

.. bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.

. before God, in worship

. before other gods

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7812 shachah shaw-khaw'

a primitive root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially

reflexive, in homage to royalty or God):--bow (self) down,

crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance,

do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁחָה (sha.chah) — to bow.

1) to bow down

1a) (Qal) to bow down

1b)(Hiphil) to depress (fig)

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to bow down, prostrate oneself

1c1a) before superior in homage

1c1b) before God in worship

1c1c) before false gods

1c1d) before angel

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-v — Particle · verb hithpael participle (active) masculine plural
HTd/Vtrmpa
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
עַל־'al- on H5921 Preposition
5,774× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means on or above something, like a physical object or a situation. It can also imply a sense of responsibility or accountability, as in being on behalf of someone.
Tyndale gloss
upon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

עַל, עָ֑ל

subst. height

As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

of clothing, etc., which any one wears

With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears

. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5921 `al al

properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the

singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a

particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always

in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great

variety of applications (as follow):--above, according

to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because

of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both

and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in

(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,

through(-out), to, touching, X with.

see HEBREW for 05920

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַל (al) — upon.

prep

1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards

1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)

1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)

1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)

1e) over (of suspension or extension)

1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)

1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)

1h) to (as a dative)

[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.

conj

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
HR
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

On

Light; the sun, (Gen. 41:45, 50), the great seat of sun-worship, called also Bethshemesh (Jer. 43:13) and Aven (Ezek. 30:17), stood on the east bank of the Nile, a few miles north of Memphis, and near Cairo, in the north-east. The Vulgate and the LXX. Versions have “Heliopolis” (“city of the sun”) instead of On in Genesis and of Aven in Ezekiel. The “city of destruction” Isaiah speaks of (19:18, marg. “of Heres;” Heb. ‘Ir-ha-heres, which some MSS. read Ir-ha-heres, i.e., “city of the sun”) may be the name given to On, the prophecy being that the time will come when that city which was known as the “city of the sun-god” shall become the “city of destruction” of the sun-god, i.e., when idolatry shall cease, and the worship…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(abode or city of the sun), a town of lower Egypt, called BETH-SHEMESH in (Jeremiah 43:13) On is better known under its Greek name Heliopolis. It was situated on the east side of the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, just below the point of the Delta, and about twenty miles northeast of Memphis. The chief object of worship at Heliopolis was the sun, whose temple, described by Strabo, is now only represented by the single beautiful obelisk, of red granite so feet 2 inches high above the pedestal which has stood for more than 4000 years, having been erected by Usirtesen, the second king of the twelfth dynasty. Heliopolis was anciently famous for its learning, and Eudoxus and Plato studied under its priests. The first mention of this place in the Bible is in the history of Joseph, to whom we read Pharaoh gave "to wife Asenath the daughter…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

See HELIOPOLIS.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

pain; force; iniquity

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
הַגַּגּ֖וֹתha.ga.Got the roofs H1406 Particle · noun common feminine plural absolute
30× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for roof, or the top of an altar, like the one in the temple in Jerusalem.
Amplified meaning
housetops, upper rooms
Tyndale gloss
roof
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גָּג (gag) means 'roof' or 'top,' often referring specifically to the roof of a house or the top of an altar. It is derived from a root that suggests a form of reduplication. The term is used in contexts related to buildings and altars, indicating both physical structures and their elevated parts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גָּג n.m. roof, top

roof

top of altar of incense, in tabern.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1406 גָּג roof, top

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1406 gag gawg

probably by reduplication from 1342; a roof; by analogy, the

top of an altar:--roof (of the house), (house) top (of the

house).

see HEBREW for 01342

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גָּג (gag) — roof.

1) roof, top, housetop

1a) roof (of house)

1b) top (of altar of incense)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-mp — Particle · noun common feminine plural absolute
HTd/Ncfpa
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
לִצְבָ֣אlitz.Va' to [the] host of H6635 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
485× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means a large group of people or things, often referring to an army or a campaign, and is also used to describe the Lord's hosts. It appears in the Bible as a name for God, emphasizing His power and authority. In the KJV, it's translated as 'host' or 'army'.
Amplified meaning
pay homage, reverence, army, celestial bodies
Tyndale gloss
army
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word צָבָא (*tsaba'*) primarily means 'army' or 'warfare,' encompassing organized groups for battle, divine hosts, and even celestial bodies. It can also refer to service or duty in a military context. The term appears in various forms, including צְבָאוֹת (*tsaba'ot*), which denotes the 'hosts' of the Lord, particularly in relation to God's role in warfare.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

צָבָא 485 n.m. army, war, warfare

army, host

war, warfare, service

service

צְבָאוֹת, in name of י׳ as God of war, prob. first in time of warlike David (some connect with sacred ark, but ark older)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6635a צָבָא army, war, warfare . army, host

. war, warfare, service

. service

H6635b צְבָאוֹת army, war, warfare . army, host

. war, warfare, service

. service

. צְבָאוֹת, in name of י׳ as God of war, prob. first in time of warlike David (some connect with sacred ark, but ark older)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6635 tsaba' tsaw-baw'

or (feminine) tsbadah {tseb-aw-aw'}; from 6633; a mass of

persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized

for war (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or

figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship):--appointed

time, (+) army, (+) battle, company, host, service, soldiers,

waiting upon, war(-fare).

see HEBREW for 06633

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

צָבָא (tsa.va) — army.

: army

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

1a) army, host

1a1) host (of organised army)

1a2) host (of angels)

1a3) of sun, moon, and stars

1a4) of whole creation

1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

1c) service

צָבָא (tsa.va) — Hosts.

The Hosts (of the Lord)

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

צָבָא (tsa.va) — army: war.

: war

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

1a) army, host

1a1) host (of organised army)

1a2) host (of angels)

1a3) of sun, moon, and stars

1a4) of whole creation

1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

1c) service

צָבָא (tsa.va) — army: duty.

: duty

1) that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host

1a) army, host

1a1) host (of organised army)

1a2) host (of angels)

1a3) of sun, moon, and stars

1a4) of whole creation

1b) war, warfare, service, go out to war

1c) service

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-cs — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםha.sha.Ma.yim the heavens H8064 Particle · noun common masculine plural absolute
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for heaven or sky, it refers to the visible universe and the abode of God. It is often used in the Bible to describe the dwelling place of celestial bodies.
Amplified meaning
the sky
Tyndale gloss
heaven
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (*shamayim*) is a dual noun meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' It refers to the visible heavens where celestial bodies are found, as well as the abode of God. The dual form may suggest both the arch of the sky and the higher ether. It is noted in contexts such as Elijah's ascent in a whirlwind.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

phrases

as abode of God

Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8064 שָׁמַי only pl. שָׁמַיִם heavens, sky . . visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

. phrases

. . as abode of God

. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim

dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused

root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well

as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies

revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) — heaven.

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-mp — Particle · noun common masculine plural absolute
HTd/Ncmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hev'-'nz (shamayim; ouranoi): On the physical heavens see ASTRONOMY; WORLD. Above these, in popular conception, were the celestial heavens, the abode of God and of the hosts of angels (Ps 11:4; 103:19-21; Isa 66:1; Re 4:2; 5:11; compare Da 7:10), though it was recognized that Yahweh's presence was not confined to any region (1Ki 8:27). Later Judaism reckoned seven heavens. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as caught up into "the third heaven," which he evidently identifies with Paradise (2Co 12:2).

See HEAVENLY.

and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
וְאֶת־ve.'Et and the object marker H853 Conjunction · particle
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/To — Conjunction · particle
HC/To
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
הַמִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ha.mish.ta.cha.Vim those [who] bow down H7812 Particle · verb hithpael participle (active) masculine plural
172× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to bow down, often as a sign of respect or worship. It is used in Genesis 24:52 to describe Abraham's servant bowing down to God. The word is about showing humility and respect to someone or something.
Amplified meaning
prostrate themselves, humble themselves
Tyndale gloss
to bow
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁחָה (*shachah*) is a primitive root meaning to bow down or prostrate oneself, particularly in homage to a superior or in worship before God. It can also imply a figurative sense of being depressed by anxiety. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, including worship of both God and false gods.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁחָה] 172 vb. bow down

Qal bow down

Hiph. fig., anxiety depresses it

Hithpa‛lēl

bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.

before God, in worship

before other gods

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7812 שָׁחָה bow down .bow down

. fig., anxiety depresses it

.. bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.

. before God, in worship

. before other gods

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7812 shachah shaw-khaw'

a primitive root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially

reflexive, in homage to royalty or God):--bow (self) down,

crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance,

do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁחָה (sha.chah) — to bow.

1) to bow down

1a) (Qal) to bow down

1b)(Hiphil) to depress (fig)

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to bow down, prostrate oneself

1c1a) before superior in homage

1c1b) before God in worship

1c1c) before false gods

1c1d) before angel

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-v — Particle · verb hithpael participle (active) masculine plural
HTd/Vtrmpa
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
הַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣יםha.nish.ba.'Im those [who] swear an oath H7650 Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine plural
186× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to swear an oath, like making a promise or vow. In the Bible, it is used when someone is making a serious promise, often with God as a witness. The KJV translates it as adjure or take an oath.
Amplified meaning
make an oath, vow
Tyndale gloss
to swear
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁבַע (shaba`) primarily means to swear or take an oath, possibly derived from the idea of binding oneself by seven things. It can also mean to adjure or to cause someone to take an oath. The word appears in various forms, including participles and different verb stems, indicating actions related to swearing and oaths.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁבַע] 186 vb. swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things)

Qal Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths

Niph.;—swear, take an oath

Hiph.

cause take an oath, subj. always man

adjure

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7650 שָׁבַע swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things) .Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths

.;—swear, take an oath

. . cause take an oath, subj. always man

. adjure

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7650 shaba` shaw-bah'

a primitive root; propr. to be complete, but used only as a

denominative from 7651; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by

repeating a declaration seven times):--adjure, charge (by an

oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646),

take an oath, X straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.

see HEBREW for 07651

see HEBREW for 07646

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁבַע (sha.va) — to swear.

1) to swear, adjure

1a) (Qal) sworn (participle)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to swear, take an oath

1b2) to swear (of Jehovah by Himself)

1b3) to curse

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to take an oath

1c2) to adjure

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | V-Niphal — Particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine plural
HTd/VNrmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

oth (shebhu`ah, probably from shebha`, "seven," the sacred number, which occurs frequently in the ritual of an oath; horkos; and the stronger word 'alah, by which a curse is actually invoked upon the oath-breaker Septuagint ara)): In Mt 26:70-74 Peter first denies his Lord simply, then with an oath (shebhu`ah), then invokes a curse ('alah), thus passing through every stage of asseveration.

1. Law Regarding Oaths:

The oath is the invoking of a curse upon one's self if one has not spoken the truth (Mt 26:74), or if one fails to keep a promise (1Sa 19:6; 20:17; 2Sa 15:21; 19:23). It played a very important part, not only in lawsuits (

Oath

A solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deut. 6:13; Jer. 4:2), in various forms (Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hos. 4:15; Rom. 1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen. 14:22; 24:2; 2 Chr. 6:22). God is represented as taking an oath (Heb. 6:16-18), so also Christ (Matt. 26:64), and…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The principle on which an oath is held to be binding is incidentally laid down in (Hebrews 6:16) viz. as an ultimate appeal to divine authority to ratify an assertion. On the same principle, that oath has always been held most binding which appealed to the highest authority, as regards both individuals and communities. As a consequence of this principle, appeals to God’s name on the one hand, and to heathen deities on the other, are treated in scripture as tests of allegiance. (Exodus 23:13; 34:6; 29:12) etc. So also the sovereign’s name is sometimes used as a form of obligation. (Genesis 42:15; 2 Samuel 11:11; 14:19) Other forms of oath, serious or frivolous, are…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A solemn affirmation accompanied by an appeal to the Supreme Being. God has prohibited all false oaths, and all useless and customary swearing in ordinary discourse; but when the necessity or importance of a matter requires an oath, he allows men to swear by his name, Ex 22:11 Le 5:1. To swear by a false god was an act of idolatry, Jer 5:7 12:16.

Among the Hebrews an oath was administered by the judge, who stood up, and adjured the party who was to be sworn. In this manner our Lord was adjured by Caiaphas, Mt 26:63. Jesus had remained silent under long examination, when the high priest, rising up, knowing he had a sure mode of obtaining an answer said, "I adjure thee by the…

and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
לַֽיהוָ֔הla.Yah.weh to Yahweh H3068 Preposition · noun proper
6,528× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
Yehovah, the supreme God
Tyndale gloss
The Lord
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

see HEBREW for 01961

see HEBREW for 03050

see HEBREW for 03069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.

Jehovah = "the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.

Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper
HR/Npt
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
וְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖יםve.ha.nish.ba.'Im and those [who] swear an oath H7650 Conjunction · particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine plural
186× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to swear an oath, like making a promise or vow. In the Bible, it is used when someone is making a serious promise, often with God as a witness. The KJV translates it as adjure or take an oath.
Amplified meaning
take an oath, pledge
Tyndale gloss
to swear
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁבַע (shaba`) primarily means to swear or take an oath, possibly derived from the idea of binding oneself by seven things. It can also mean to adjure or to cause someone to take an oath. The word appears in various forms, including participles and different verb stems, indicating actions related to swearing and oaths.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁבַע] 186 vb. swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things)

Qal Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths

Niph.;—swear, take an oath

Hiph.

cause take an oath, subj. always man

adjure

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7650 שָׁבַע swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things) .Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths

.;—swear, take an oath

. . cause take an oath, subj. always man

. adjure

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7650 shaba` shaw-bah'

a primitive root; propr. to be complete, but used only as a

denominative from 7651; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by

repeating a declaration seven times):--adjure, charge (by an

oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646),

take an oath, X straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.

see HEBREW for 07651

see HEBREW for 07646

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁבַע (sha.va) — to swear.

1) to swear, adjure

1a) (Qal) sworn (participle)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to swear, take an oath

1b2) to swear (of Jehovah by Himself)

1b3) to curse

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to take an oath

1c2) to adjure

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Art | V-Niphal — Conjunction · particle · verb niphal participle (active) masculine plural
HC/Td/VNrmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

oth (shebhu`ah, probably from shebha`, "seven," the sacred number, which occurs frequently in the ritual of an oath; horkos; and the stronger word 'alah, by which a curse is actually invoked upon the oath-breaker Septuagint ara)): In Mt 26:70-74 Peter first denies his Lord simply, then with an oath (shebhu`ah), then invokes a curse ('alah), thus passing through every stage of asseveration.

1. Law Regarding Oaths:

The oath is the invoking of a curse upon one's self if one has not spoken the truth (Mt 26:74), or if one fails to keep a promise (1Sa 19:6; 20:17; 2Sa 15:21; 19:23). It played a very important part, not only in lawsuits (

Oath

A solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deut. 6:13; Jer. 4:2), in various forms (Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hos. 4:15; Rom. 1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen. 14:22; 24:2; 2 Chr. 6:22). God is represented as taking an oath (Heb. 6:16-18), so also Christ (Matt. 26:64), and…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The principle on which an oath is held to be binding is incidentally laid down in (Hebrews 6:16) viz. as an ultimate appeal to divine authority to ratify an assertion. On the same principle, that oath has always been held most binding which appealed to the highest authority, as regards both individuals and communities. As a consequence of this principle, appeals to God’s name on the one hand, and to heathen deities on the other, are treated in scripture as tests of allegiance. (Exodus 23:13; 34:6; 29:12) etc. So also the sovereign’s name is sometimes used as a form of obligation. (Genesis 42:15; 2 Samuel 11:11; 14:19) Other forms of oath, serious or frivolous, are…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A solemn affirmation accompanied by an appeal to the Supreme Being. God has prohibited all false oaths, and all useless and customary swearing in ordinary discourse; but when the necessity or importance of a matter requires an oath, he allows men to swear by his name, Ex 22:11 Le 5:1. To swear by a false god was an act of idolatry, Jer 5:7 12:16.

Among the Hebrews an oath was administered by the judge, who stood up, and adjured the party who was to be sworn. In this manner our Lord was adjured by Caiaphas, Mt 26:63. Jesus had remained silent under long examination, when the high priest, rising up, knowing he had a sure mode of obtaining an answer said, "I adjure thee by the…

and the object marker those [who] bow down on the roofs to [the] host of the heavens and the object marker those [who] bow down those [who] swear an oath to Yahweh and those [who] swear an oath by Milcom
בְּמַלְכָּֽם׃be.mal.Kam by Milcom H4428 Preposition · noun proper
2,526× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a king or royal person, like King David or King Saul. It can also describe something related to a king, like the King's Valley in Genesis. The Bible often uses this word to talk about the rulers of Israel.
Tyndale gloss
King's
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word מֶ֫לֶךְ (*melek*) means 'king.' It is derived from a root that suggests royalty. The term appears in various contexts, including references to specific kings and locations, such as the 'King's Highway' in Numbers 20:17 and the 'King's Valley' in Genesis 14:17. The lexicons note its Aramaic equivalent and mention its use in the context of individuals like Hammelech in Jeremiah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4428 מֶ֫לֶךְ king

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4428 melek meh'-lek

from 4427; a king:--king, royal.

see HEBREW for 04427

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — king.

1) king

Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

הַמֶּלֶךְ (me.lekh) — `the king`.

'the king' or a name, Hammelech in KJV of Jer.36.26; 38.6- a man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

§ A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;

father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Highway) (Num.20.17)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

Another name of she.lach (שֶׁ֫לַח "Shelah" H7975A)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — Milcom.

Another name of mo.lekh (מֹ֫לֶךְ "Molech" H4432)

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.

King's (Valley) (Gen.14.17)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Npt — Preposition · noun proper
HR/Npt
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mil'-kom, mil'-kom. See MOLECH.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(great king). [MOLECH]

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

See MOLOCH.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

their king

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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