Word Study for H4465 (מִמְכָּר)

mimkâr /mim-kawr'/ Ask about this word

Meaningmerchandise; abstractly, a selling

KJV usage(that which cometh of) sale, that which...sold, ware.

Idioms & phrasesidiom ought

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of mimkâr — 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 mimkâr, represented by H4465, is derived from the verb "to sell" and refers to merchandise, the act of selling, or that which has been sold. It appears 10 times across 10 unique verses in the Bible. The term is primarily used in legal and commercial contexts, defining the object or the nature of a transaction, from goods and wares to property and even people sold into servitude.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical law, H4465 is central to the regulations surrounding property and redemption, particularly in the book of Leviticus. It describes "that which is sold" and is subject to specific rules, such as its mandatory return to the original owner during the year of Jubilee Leviticus 25:28. The word can denote the transaction itself, as when calculating the "price of his sale" Leviticus 25:50, or refer to physical goods, such as the "ware" sold by merchants outside Jerusalem Nehemiah 13:20. Its usage underscores a system where commerce was deeply integrated with laws of social stability and justice.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand upon the concept of commercial exchange and redemption:

H4376 mâkar (to sell): As the primitive root from which mimkâr is derived, this verb signifies the action of selling. It is used in direct parallel with H4465 in laws governing transactions between neighbors Leviticus 25:14.
H7069 qânâh (to buy, purchase, possess): This is the direct counterpart to selling. It appears alongside H4465 to describe both sides of a transaction, such as when one buys what a neighbor sells Leviticus 25:14.
H1350 gâʼal (to redeem): This term introduces the critical concept of redemption by a kinsman. Property that was part of a sale (mimkâr) could be bought back by a relative, ensuring land remained within the family Leviticus 25:25.
H3701 keçeph (silver, money, price): This word represents the medium of exchange. It is explicitly linked to H4465 when determining the price of a sale based on the number of years until the Jubilee Leviticus 25:50.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H4465 is found in the legal framework that surrounds it, revealing God's concern for justice and order.

Economic Justice: The laws governing sales are explicitly tied to ethical behavior. Instructions regarding a sale (mimkâr) are immediately followed by the command, "ye shall not oppress one another," linking commerce directly to moral responsibility Leviticus 25:14.
Right of Restoration: A sale (mimkâr) in ancient Israel was not always final. The concept is limited by the law of Jubilee, which ensured "that which is sold" would be returned to its original owner, preventing permanent loss of land and status Leviticus 25:28.
Stewardship over Ownership: The principles governing the sale and redemption of land highlight that God is the ultimate owner. The temporary nature of a sale (mimkâr) served as a constant reminder that the Israelites were merely stewards of the land He had provided.

Summary

In summary, H4465 is more than a simple term for merchandise or a transaction. It is a cornerstone of biblical economic law, embedding principles of justice, redemption, and divine sovereignty into everyday commerce. From the marketplace wares in Nehemiah to the ancestral lands in Leviticus, the concept of mimkâr illustrates how financial dealings were to be conducted with an awareness of God's overarching desire for equity and restoration among His people.

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 10 occurrences, inflected in 3 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.

מִמְכָּר
מִמְכָּר
מִמְכָּרָי

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 10 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Leviticus (7 verses); never once in the other 35.

Leviticus

Deuteronomy

Nehemiah

Ezekiel

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.