Word Study for H4118 (מַהֵר) | Strong's Concordance

mahêr /mah-hare'/ Ask about this word

Meaningproperly, hurrying; hence (adverbially) in ahurry

KJV usagehasteth, hastily, at once, quickly, soon, speedily, suddenly.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of mahêr — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word mahêr, represented by H4118, describes something that is hurrying or done in a hurry. Adverbially, it is translated as hasteth, hastily, at once, quickly, soon, speedily, or suddenly. It appears 18 times across 17 unique verses, often highlighting the urgency or immediacy of an action, whether divine or human.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H4118 is used to convey a sense of rapid consequence and response. It characterizes the swiftness of divine judgment, as God warns that disobedience will lead to perishing quickly Deuteronomy 28:20 or being destroyed suddenly Deuteronomy 7:4. Conversely, it is used in desperate pleas for God to answer speedily before the petitioner's spirit fails (Psalms 143:7, Psalms 102:2). The term also describes the negative haste of humanity, particularly Israel's tendency to quickly turn aside from God's commands to worship a molten calf (Exodus 32:8, Deuteronomy 9:12).

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the speed and finality associated with mahêr:

H5493 çûwr (to turn off): This word is frequently paired with H4118 to describe Israel's apostasy. They would quickly turn off from the path God commanded them (Judges 2:17, Deuteronomy 9:12).
H8045 shâmad (to desolate; destory(-uction)): This term defines the severe outcome of God's swift judgment. Disobedience would cause the people to be utterly destroyed and perish quickly (Deuteronomy 4:26, Deuteronomy 28:20).
H6923 qâdam (to project (one self), i.e. precede; hence, to anticipate, hasten, meet (usually for help)): In a plea for mercy, the psalmist asks that God's tender mercies speedily prevent them, showing a desire for God to hasten and meet them in their low state Psalms 79:8.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H4118 is significant, often emphasizing the critical nature of timing in God's dealings with humanity.

Immediacy of Divine Judgment: The word underscores that the consequences of sin are not distant but can arrive quickly or suddenly. The LORD's anger can be kindled and destroy thee suddenly Deuteronomy 7:4.
The Swiftness of Apostasy: H4118 highlights the recurring frailty of the people, who are described as having quickly turned aside from the way God commanded them, as with the golden calf Exodus 32:8.
Urgency in Prayer: The term is a key feature in prayers of distress, where the need for God's intervention is immediate. The psalmists cry out for God to answer them speedily, linking divine swiftness to their survival (Psalms 69:17, Psalms 143:7).
The Haste of the Day of the LORD: The nearness of the day of the LORD is described as something that hasteth greatly, connecting its imminent arrival with a sense of speed and urgency Zephaniah 1:14.

Summary

In summary, H4118 does more than denote simple speed; it imparts a sense of critical urgency and consequence. It marks the swift arrival of both divine judgment and divine mercy, while also serving as a stark reminder of how hastily humanity can turn away from righteousness. The word illustrates a dynamic tension, contrasting the need for God's speedy intervention with the danger of human haste in disobedience.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 18 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

מַהֵר
מַהֵר

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 17 verses across 7 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Deuteronomy (7 verses); never once in the other 32.

Exodus

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Psalms

Proverbs

Zephaniah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.