Word Study for H4384 (מַכְשֵׁלָה)

makshêlâh /mak-shay-law'/ Ask about this word

Meaninga stumbling-block, but only figuratively (fall, enticement (idol))

KJV usageruin, stumbling-block.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of makshêlâh — 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 makshêlâh, represented by H4384, is a figurative term for a stumbling-block or ruin. Though it appears only 2 times in 2 unique verses, it carries significant weight, referring to an enticement, an idol, or the resulting downfall and devastation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The two uses of H4384 in scripture illustrate both the cause and the effect of divine judgment. In Zephaniah, it is used as "stumblingblocks" that God will "consume" from the earth along "with the wicked" Zephaniah 1:3, identifying it as an object of God's wrath. In Isaiah, it is translated as "ruin," describing a state of societal collapse so complete that a man is asked to take leadership over it, highlighting the desperate condition of the people Isaiah 3:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context of judgment and ruin associated with H4384:

H5486 çûwph (to snatch away, i.e. terminate; consume, have an end, perish): This word is used in the same breath as H4384, where the Lord declares He will consume the stumblingblocks Zephaniah 1:3, emphasizing their complete removal.
H7563 râshâʻ (morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person): The stumblingblocks are explicitly linked to the wicked, who are removed together, showing that these obstacles are tied to moral wrongdoing Zephaniah 1:3.
H3772 kârath (to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume): This term appears in the same declaration of judgment, where God promises to cut off man from the land, framing the removal of stumblingblocks as part of a final, destructive act Zephaniah 1:3.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H4384 is centered on the concepts of sin and judgment.

Objects of Divine Judgment: The word identifies things that provoke God's action. The "stumblingblocks" are not passive objects but are actively targeted for destruction alongside the wicked, signifying they are a source of offense Zephaniah 1:3.
The Result of Collapse: It serves as a label for the aftermath of sin. The "ruin" in Isaiah is the tangible result of a society's failure, a state of devastation that is a burden to govern Isaiah 3:6.
Figurative Enticement: As a stumbling-block or enticement, the term points to the spiritual and moral obstacles that cause people to fall, leading directly to the ruin that the word also describes.

Summary

In summary, H4384 is a potent term that connects the cause of a fall with its devastating consequence. It encapsulates both the moral "stumbling-block" that leads people astray and the physical or societal "ruin" that follows as a result of divine judgment. It powerfully illustrates how spiritual corruption is linked to tangible destruction.

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 noun across 2 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.

מַּכְשֵׁלוֹת
מַּכְשֵׁלָה

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 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah and Zephaniah (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Isaiah

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.