Word Study for H4794 (מְרוּצָה)

mᵉrûwtsâh /mer-oo-tsaw'/ Ask about this word

Rootor מְרֻצָה · feminine of מֵרוֹץ

Meaninga race (the act), whether the manner or the progress

KJV usagecourse, running. Compare מְרֻצָה.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of mᵉrûwtsâh — 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 mᵉrûwtsâh, represented by H4794, signifies a race, course, or running. The definition includes the act itself, as well as its manner or progress. It is a specific term, appearing 4 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H4794 is used both literally and metaphorically. The literal sense is found in 2 Samuel, where a watchman identifies a messenger by his distinct style of running 2 Samuel 18:27. The metaphorical use appears in Jeremiah, where the word describes the moral direction of a person's life. This course is condemned as evil Jeremiah 23:10, with people turning to their wicked ways without repentance, like a horse that rusheth into battle Jeremiah 8:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help to illuminate the meaning of mᵉrûwtsâh in its biblical contexts:

H7451 raʻ (bad or (as noun) evil): This word directly describes the moral quality of the people's course in Jeremiah 23:10, defining their path as one of evil.
H1369 gᵉbûwrâh (force... valor, victory): Used alongside course in Jeremiah 23:10, it is stated that the people's force is "not right," emphasizing that their strength and their life's direction are both corrupt.
H5483 çûwç (a horse): This provides a powerful simile in Jeremiah 8:6, where a person turning to their sinful course is compared to a horse rushing headlong into battle, signifying an unthinking and destructive momentum.
H1309 bᵉsôwrâh (glad tidings): The literal running of Ahimaaz is directly tied to its purpose: bringing good tidings to the king 2 Samuel 18:27, connecting the action to its intended outcome.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H4794 is centered on the concept of life as a path or race with moral consequences.

A Chosen Path: The word course implies a chosen direction. In Jeremiah, it is used to condemn the people for actively turning to an evil path Jeremiah 8:6 that has caused the land to mourn Jeremiah 23:10.
The Momentum of Sin: The image of a horse rushing into battle illustrates how a sinful course can have an unthinking and powerful momentum, pursued without reflection or repentance Jeremiah 8:6.
Purposeful Action: In contrast, the literal running of Ahimaaz is presented as a purposeful action. The king's conclusion that a good man brings good tidings links the character of the runner to the nature of their course 2 Samuel 18:27.

Summary

In summary, mᵉrûwtsâh H4794 is a term for a course or running that carries both literal and significant metaphorical weight. While it can describe a physical race, its primary theological application in scripture is to illustrate the direction of one's life. It powerfully contrasts a purposeful run intended for good with a destructive, evil course followed blindly, highlighting the critical importance of the path one chooses.

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 4 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.

מְרוּצָתָ
מְּרוּצָה

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 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (2 verses); never once in the other 37.

2 Samuel

Jeremiah

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.