מַשָּׂא
massâʼ · H4853 · Hebrew · 66 occurrences
Meanings
-
heart's desire
Literally: lifting up (one's) self; hence: action by which humans turn to (other) humans with the confidence that they will find joy and comfort there
ExamplesEzekiel 24:25 ‘As for you, son of man, will it not be on the day when I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their splendor, that which is precious in their eyes and their heart’s longing, their sons and their daughters,
-
carrying, bearing
Literally: lifting up; hence: state in which humans are bearing a load while moving from one place to another
Examples2 Chronicles 20:25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.
-
burden, responsibility
Literally: burden; hence: a heavy responsibility that a person bears as if it were a physical load
ExamplesNumbers 11:11 So Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me?
Numbers 11:17 “Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself.
Deuteronomy 1:12 ‘How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife?
-
burden, load
An object or collection of objects to be carried; may be of a relatively heavy weight
ExamplesExodus 23:5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave it helpless for its owner; you must arrange the load with him.
Isaiah 22:25 “On that day,” declares the LORD of armies, “the peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the load that is hanging on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 46:1 Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary animal.
-
An amount of goods according to what a certain animal was considered able to carry (load (as a quantity))
Examples2 Kings 5:17 Then Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.
2 Kings 8:9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”
2 Chronicles 17:11 Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.
-
suffering, oppression
Literally: burden; hence: process by which humans suffer violence from (other) humans, which is perceived as a heavy load
ExamplesHosea 8:10 Even though they pay for allies among the nations, I will gather them up now; And they will begin to diminish Because of the burden of the king of officials.
-
music, song, singing
Meaning unsure; literally: lifting up (one's voice); hence, possibly: action by which one utters words with a set or improvised tune, whether accompanied by musical instruments and dancing or not
Examples1 Chronicles 15:22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skillful.
1 Chronicles 15:27 Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. David also wore an ephod of linen.
-
pronouncement, instruction
A message from someone in authority, such as a deity or sage, intended to serve as instruction, guidance, or comfort
Examples2 Kings 9:25 And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together after his father Ahab, that the LORD brought this pronouncement against him:
2 Chronicles 24:27 As to his sons and the many pronouncements against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.
Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
35 occurrences in 23 groups
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 6
- הֶםtheir 4
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 3
- הוּhis 3
- Other words · 19 groups that occur once or twice (20) 20
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
8 occurrences in 5 groups
- זֶהthis 3
- חָזָהto see, to look at 2
- יָסַרto discipline 1
- כָּבֵדheavy 1
- הָher 1
Named alongside itApposition
5 occurrences in 6 groups
- בֵּןson 1
- אֲדָמָהground 1
- בַּתdaughter 1
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 1
- טוּבgoodness, good things 1
- רָבָהto increase 1
What it doesIt is the subject
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- כָּרַתto cut off, to make (a covenant) 1
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 1
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 1
What is done to itIt is the object
17 occurrences in 12 groups
- נָשָׂאto lift up, to carry, to bear 4
- אָמַרto say 3
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 1
What it is said to bePredicate
5 occurrences in 3 groups
- אַיִןthere is no, not 2
- מָהwhat?, why? 2
- נָשִׂיאchief 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֵלֶּהthese 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
13 occurrences in 7 groups
- לto/for 8
- בin/on/with 4
- מִןfrom 2
- תַּחַתunder, below, instead of 2
- כlike/as 2
- אֵלto, toward 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- מִשְׁמֶרֶתcharge, duty, guard 2
- עֲבֹדָהwork 1
- שַׂרcommander, chief, official 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- טֹרַח ṭôrach · H2960 · burden, load
- One term ("cumbrance, trouble") and the other ("burden") both refer to something carried or imposing weight or difficulty. The second term is also broader and polysemous, additionally meaning "prophecy," "song," and "tribute," so only its burden sense overlaps with the first.
In the other Testament 1 word
- φορτίον phortíon · G5413 · load, burden, cargo (as of a ship)
- מַשָּׂא (massâʼ, H4853) encompasses a broader semantic range including prophetic utterance/oracle and tribute alongside literal burden, while φορτίον (phortíon, G5413) focuses specifically on carried burden or imposed task/service, representing the concrete load-bearing sense that forms the core overlap between the two terms in LXX translation contexts.
Semantic domains 9 entries
- Confident002001002003
- This domain is not directly shown by the sampled citations, which describe a physical load or burden rather than any settled assurance.
- Hold002003001009
- מַשָּׂא describes something held or carried as a load, illustrated at Numbers 4:15 ("the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them by the poles") and Nehemiah 13:15 ("loading donkeys with... every kind of load").
- Bear002003003003
- מַשָּׂא describes bearing or carrying a burden, illustrated at Exodus 23:5 ("you shall not leave it helpless for its owner; you must arrange the load with him") and 2 Chronicles 20:25 (spoil "more than they could carry").
- Objects001
- מַשָּׂא also names the burden or load itself as a physical object, illustrated at Numbers 4:19 and Numbers 4:24 ("all their loads and all their work").
- Quantity002001001046
- This domain is not directly shown by the sampled citations, which describe a burden of carrying rather than any quantity as such.
- Unsafe002003003022
- The word is also used of a prophetic "burden" or oracle, most often an utterance of coming judgment and disaster pronounced against a nation, though this sense is not directly shown by the sampled citations, which describe only physical burdens.
- Sing002004001009006
- מַשָּׂא also denotes a prophetic oracle, a burden of pronouncement uttered by a prophet, illustrated at Isaiah 13:1 ("the oracle concerning Babylon") and Isaiah 15:1 ("the oracle concerning Moab").
- Know002004002007
- This domain is not directly shown by the sampled citations, which describe physical burdens rather than any act of knowing or revealed knowledge.
- Names of People003001007
- This domain is carried over from the identically-spelled proper name Massa rather than independently attested by this common-noun word's own sampled citations.
Word family 11 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H4853. massa ' II. מַשָּׂא noun masculinePsa 38:5 load, burden, lifting, bearing,…
' II. מַשָּׂא noun masculinePsa 38:5 load, burden, lifting, bearing, tribute; — ׳מ absolute Neh 13:19 +; construct 2Ki 5:17 +; suffix מַשָּׂאוֺ Exo 23:5 Exo 23:2t.; מַשַּׂאֲכֶם Deu 1:12; מַשָּׂאָם Num 4:27 Num 4:2t.; —
1 load, burden of ass Exo 23:5 (E), mules 2Ki 5:17, camels 2Ki 8:9, compare Isa 46:1-2, hanging on a peg Isa 22:25 (figurative); forbidden on Sabbath Jer 17:21-22, Jer 17:24, Jer 17:27; Neh 13:15, Neh 13:19; figurative of people as burden Num 11:11, Num 11:17 (JE), Deu 1:12, compare לְמ ׳הָיָה עַלֿ 2Sa 15:33; 2Sa 19:36 (אֶלֿ), also לְמַשָּׂא עָלַי וָאֶהְיֶה Job 7:20; of iniquities Psa 38:5. — Hos 8:10 read מְשֹׁחַ, so ᵐ5 We Now GASm.
2 verbal noun, lifting, uplifting, only ׳מ נַפְשָׁם Eze 24:25 the uplifting of their soul, i.e. that to which they lift up their soul, their heart's desire.
3 verbal noun, bearing, carrying, Num 4:24 (+ לַעֲבֹד), 2Ch 20:25; 2Ch 35:3 (בַּכָּתֵף), so probably 1Ch 15:22 (twice in verse); 1Ch 15:27 (compare Be Kau; > singing, uplifting of voice, e.g. Öttli); especially of responsibility and duty of bearing sacred vessels (often || מְּקֻדָּה עֲבֹדָה,) Num 4:15, Num 4:19, Num 4:27 (twice in verse); Num 4:49, מ ׳עֲבֹדַת Num 4:47, מ ׳מִשְׁמֶרֶת Num 4:31; Num 4:32.
4 perhaps what is carried, brought, i.e. tribute מ ׳כֶּסֶף2Ch 17:11 silver as tribute (+ מִנְחָה; compare נשׂא
Qal; others, silver by the load i.e. in great quantity). — I. מַשָּׂא see above.
III. מַשָּׂא noun masculineIsa 14:28 utterance, oracle (compare נשׂא 1b (6); GfJer 23:33); — ׳מ absolute Isa 14:28 +; usually construct Isa 13:1 +; — of prophetic utterance: 2Ki 9:25; Isa 14:28; Eze 12:10; 2Ch 24:27 (with עַל); ׳מ בָבֶל Isa 13:1, ׳מ מוֺאָב Isa 15:1, compare Isa 17:1; Isa 19:1; Isa 21:1, Isa 21:11; Isa 22:1; Isa 23:1; Isa 30:6; Nah 1:1; ׳מ בערב Isa 21:13 is later insert (Di); ׳מ = revelation, ׳הַמּ הַנָּבִיא חֲבַקּוּק חָזָה אֲשֶׁר Hab 1:1; ׳מ ׳י utterance of ׳י Jer 23:33-34, Jer 23:36, Jer 23:38 (3 t. in verse) (compare 2Ki 9:25), see also 2Ki 9:33 b (read הַמַּשָּׂא אַתֶּם), with word-play, — followed by וְנָטַשְׁתִּי 2Ki 9:36 b; ׳מ י ׳דְבַר Zec 9:1 (+ בארץ), Zec 12:1 (+ עַליִֿשְׂרָאֵל), Mal 1:1 (+ ׳אֶליִֿשׂ). — Pro 31:1 see I. מַשָּׂא, p. 601 above; in Pro 30:1 read מִמַּשָּׂא from Massa (Mühlau, De), or הַמַּשָּׂאִי (Wild), which however is perhaps not original, but borrowed from Pro 31:1 (compare Wildon the passage FrankenbSpr. p. 5; corrupt name of Agur's home or tribe, Kau).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 9 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.