Word Study for H4864 (מַשְׂאֵת)

masʼêth /mas-ayth'/ Ask about this word

Meaningproperly, (abstractly) a raising (as of the hands in prayer), or rising (of flame); figuratively, an utterance; concretely, a beacon (as raised); a present (as taken), mess, or tribute; figuratively, a reproach (as a burden)

KJV usageburden, collection, sign of fire, (great) flame, gift, lifting up, mess, oblation, reward.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of masʼêth — 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 masʼêth, represented by H4864, is a multifaceted term derived from a root meaning "to raise" or "to take." It appears 15 times across 14 unique verses. Its meaning is diverse, encompassing concrete objects like a mess of food, a gift, a sign of fire, or a collection, as well as abstract concepts such as the lifting up of hands in prayer, a figurative burden, or a reproach.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H4864 is used in a variety of contexts reflecting its wide range of meanings. It can signify a portion of food or a gift, as when Joseph sent messes to his brothers from his own table Genesis 43:34 or when King Ahasuerus gave gifts during Esther's feast Esther 2:18. It is also used to denote a signal, such as the sign of fire set up in Bethhaccerem Jeremiah 6:1 or the rising flame from a city in battle Judges 20:38. Figuratively, it can represent a negative weight, like the unjust burdens of wheat taken from the poor Amos 5:11 or the burden of reproach Zephaniah 3:18. In a religious context, it refers to a sacred collection for the tabernacle 2 Chronicles 24:9 and the oblations God requires of Israel Ezekiel 20:40.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help illuminate the various facets of H4864:

H8641 tᵉrûwmâh (oblation): This term for a present offered up as a sacrifice or tribute appears alongside H4864 in Ezekiel 20:40, where God requires Israel's offerings H8641 and oblations H4864, highlighting its use in the context of sacred giving.
H737 ʼăruchâh (victuals): This word for a ration of food or allowance is used in tandem with H4864 in Jeremiah 40:5, where Jeremiah receives both victuals H737 and a reward H4864, connecting H4864 to the idea of a provision or gift.
H4960 mishteh (feast): In Esther 2:18, the king makes a great feast H4960 and gives gifts H4864, linking the word to acts of royal celebration and generosity.

Theological Significance

The theological and figurative applications of H4864 are significant:

An Act of Worship: The term is used to describe a physical act of devotion in prayer. The lifting up H4864 of hands is presented as being like the evening sacrifice, elevating a simple gesture to a form of oblation Psalms 141:2.
Sacred Contribution: It establishes a principle of required giving. The collection H4864 instituted by Moses H4872 for the tabernacle was a mandatory contribution from the congregation of Israel (2 Chronicles 24:6, 2 Chronicles 24:9).
Figurative Burden: The word's root meaning of "lifting" or "carrying" is applied negatively to represent the weight of sin and shame. False prophets see deceitful burdens Lamentations 2:14, and for the faithful, public reproach is a burden Zephaniah 3:18.

Summary

In summary, H4864 is a word whose meaning shifts based on context, yet it consistently relates to something being "lifted," "raised," or "taken." It can be a tangible portion of food Genesis 43:34, a signal fire Jeremiah 6:1, or a financial collection 2 Chronicles 24:9. At the same time, it captures profound spiritual realities, from the reverent lifting up of hands in prayer Psalms 141:2 to the heavy burden of injustice and reproach Amos 5:11.

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 16 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.

מַשְׂאַת
מַשְׂאֵת
מַּשְׂאֹת
מַשְׂאֹת

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 14 verses across 11 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Judges, 2 Chronicles, and Jeremiah (2 verses each); never once in the other 28.

Genesis

Judges

2 Samuel

2 Chronicles

Esther

Psalms

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Amos

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.