Word Study for H4600 (מָעַךְ)

mâʻak /maw-ak'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto press, i.e. to pierce, emasculate, handle

KJV usagebruised, stuck, be pressed.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of mâʻak — 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 mâʻak, represented by H4600, is a primitive root meaning to press, i.e. to pierce, emasculate, handle; bruised, stuck, be pressed. It is a rare term, appearing only 3 times in 3 unique verses. Despite its infrequent use, it conveys a range of meanings from physical force and damage to potent spiritual metaphors.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The applications of H4600 vary significantly across its three appearances. In a legal context concerning sacrifices, an animal that is bruised H4600 is considered unacceptable to be offered to the LORD Leviticus 22:24. In a historical narrative, the word takes on a literal meaning, describing King Saul's spear as stuck H4600 in the ground while he slept 1 Samuel 26:7. Finally, it is used figuratively in prophecy, where the breasts of the allegorical sisters representing Israel and Judah were pressed H4600 in their youth as a symbol of their early spiritual unfaithfulness in Egypt Ezekiel 23:3.

Related Words & Concepts

Several words found in proximity to H4600 help clarify its meaning, particularly in the context of physical state and metaphorical action:

H3807 kâthath (to bruise or violently strike): Paired with H4600 in Leviticus 22:24 to describe a crushed animal, reinforcing the idea of damage from force.
H5423 nâthaq (to tear off): Also from Leviticus 22:24, it appears as broken and adds to the list of disqualifying blemishes for an offering.
H3772 kârath (to cut): The verse Leviticus 22:24 also uses this term for cut, completing a set of words that denote physical imperfection.
H2181 zânâh (to commit adultery): The use of H4600 in Ezekiel 23:3 is contextually defined by its link to this word, which appears twice in the verse as "committed whoredoms," framing the physical "pressing" as a metaphor for idolatry.

Theological Significance

The conceptual weight of H4600 is primarily seen in its figurative and legal applications.

Unfit for Offering: Its use in Leviticus 22:24 establishes a clear principle: that which is bruised or damaged is not acceptable for holy use. This highlights a standard of wholeness and perfection in offerings made to the LORD.
Symbol of Defilement: In Ezekiel 23:3, the act of being pressed is part of a graphic metaphor for Israel's idolatry, which the text describes as committing "whoredoms." The physical action symbolizes a corrupting spiritual influence from the nation's youth.
Literal Application: The account in 1 Samuel 26:7, where Saul's spear is stuck in the ground, provides a simple, non-theological baseline for the word's meaning as physical pressure or fixture, against which the metaphorical uses can be understood.

Summary

In summary, H4600 is a specific and impactful word. While it can describe a simple physical state, as with a spear stuck in the ground 1 Samuel 26:7, its more significant uses are theological. It defines a state of being bruised that renders a sacrifice invalid Leviticus 22:24 and serves as a powerful metaphor for the spiritual defilement of idolatry Ezekiel 23:3. Through these few instances, mâʻak illustrates how an act of physical pressure can symbolize concepts of imperfection and sin.

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 and a noun across 4 occurrences, inflected in 4 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.

מַּעֲלוֹת
מֹעֲכוּ
מְעוּכָה
מָעוּךְ

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 3 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Leviticus, 1 Samuel, and Ezekiel (1 verse each); never once in the other 36.

Leviticus

1 Samuel

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.