Hebrew words starting with mem
957 words in the Bible begin with mem (מ), listed most frequent first. This is page 1 of 5. Every word links to its meaning, its attested forms, and the verses it appears in.
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These pages are cut by how often a word occurs, not by spelling, so each one is shown by its range of occurrence counts.
- melekhמֶלֶךְa king: the single supreme ruler at the head of a people, city, or land
- minמִן־fromnot studied yet
- mutמוּתto die: for a living thing to lose its life and stop living.
+1 more meaning
- to put to death, to kill: to be the cause of someone's death.
- moshehמֹשֶׁהMoses: the prophet who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt and received the law from God at Mount Sinai.
- mahמָהwhat?not studied yet
- mitsrayimמִצְרַיִםEgypt: the country along the Nile southwest of Canaan, together with its people and its kingdom
+1 more meaning
- Mizraim: a son of Ham in the lists of the nations, the ancestor whose name is also the name of Egypt
- me'ahמֵאָהa hundred: the cardinal number 100
- mayimמַיwater: the substance itself and any quantity of it, from a cupful to a river to the sea
- matsaמָצָאto find: to come upon or get hold of something, whether by searching for it or by stumbling onto it.
- miמִיwho?not studied yet
- mishpatמִשְׁפָּטthe rightful exercise of authority that sets and keeps things in order: the act of judging a case, the verdict that settles it, the work of governing justly, the standing laws that flow from it, and the justice all of this is meant to embody.
- mizbe'aḥמִזְבֵּחַaltar: the built structure on which an offering is burned and presented to God or to a god
- maqomמָקוֹםa place: a spot or area where something or someone is located, stays, or belongs.
- malakhמָלַךְto be king: to hold and exercise royal rule, or to come to the throne
+2 more meanings
- to make someone king: to put a person on the throne, to crown
- to take counsel, to consult with oneself before acting
- milḥamahמִלְחָמָהarmed conflict between opposing forces: the condition of being at war, or a specific battle
- mishpaḥahמִשְׁפָּחָהa clan: the group of people who belong together by shared descent, occupying the social tier between the tribe and the individual household
- me'odמְאֹדmuchness pushed to the limit: the quality of being abundant or forceful, used almost always to mean very or exceedingly
- ma'anמַעַןpurpose or ground: what an action is aimed at, or the person or thing it is done for the sake of
- midbarמִדְבָּרwilderness: the open, unsettled, unwatered country beyond the farms and towns, where flocks graze and travelers cross at risk
+1 more meaning
- mouth: the opening one speaks with, named for the act of speech
- mattehמַטֶּהa staff or rod: a length of wood carried in the hand, used as a walking stick, a tool, a weapon, or a sign of authority.
+1 more meaning
- a tribe: one of the major family divisions of Israel descended from a son of Jacob.
- maleמָלֵאto be full; to fill; to reach completeness
- ma'asehמַעֲשֶׂהwhat someone does or makes: a deed, a piece of work, or the thing produced by it
- mo'edמוֹעֵדan appointment fixed in advance: a set time, a sacred festival, the place where God arranged to meet His people, an agreed gathering or signal, or the fixed moment of the end
- maḥanehמַחֲנֶהan encampment: a body of people gathered in one place, whether an army in the field or a traveling community at rest
- male'akhמַלְאָךְa messenger: someone sent by another to carry a message or do an errand on the sender's behalf, whether a human envoy or a heavenly being (an angel).
- minḥahמִנְחָהa gift presented to someone of higher standing to win favor, show respect, or smooth a relationship.
+2 more meanings
- tribute: the payment a weaker nation or subject hands over to a ruler it is forced to serve.
- an offering presented to God; most often the grain offering of flour, oil, and incense given alongside the animal sacrifices.
- mitsvahמִצְוָהa binding charge laid down by someone with the right to require it, above all the covenant charge God gives his people
- mo'avמוֹאָבMoab: the people, land and kingdom east of the Dead Sea, traced in Genesis to a son of Lot, and one of Israel's closest and most quarrelsome neighbors
- melakhahמְלָאכָהcommissioned work: the task one has been sent to do, the skill it demands, the occupation it becomes, and the goods it produces
- mavetמָוֶתdeath: the end of life, whether the event of dying or the state of being dead
+2 more meanings
- Death as a realm and power: the grasping domain of the dead, sometimes pictured almost as a person
- death as penalty or deadly threat: the sentence of death, or being marked out to die
- menashshehמְנַשֶּׁהManasseh: Joseph's firstborn son, and the tribe, the land on both sides of the Jordan, and the northern people that carry his name.
+2 more meanings
- Manasseh: the king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, who reigned longer than any other and whom the histories judge the worst.
- Manasseh: an ordinary man's name carried by other Israelites, in one case by a figure the written text leaves unnamed with certainty.
- ma'alמַעַלabovenot studied yet
- mishkanמִשְׁכָּןa dwelling place: where someone or something resides, most often the LORD's tent-sanctuary in the wilderness
- misparמִסְפָּרa number: the count or total you get when you add up how many of something there are
- migrashמִגְרָשׁthe open belt of land that rings a town: its commons for grazing, kept free of building
- mamlakhahמַמְלָכָהa kingdom: either the concrete realm of a king (territory, nation, political domain) or the authority and institution of royal rule itself
- marehמַרְאֶהwhat something looks like: the way a person or thing presents itself to the eye, and by extension a sight seen or a vision
- me'atמְעַטa small quantity: a little of something, a few in number, or a short while.
- malatמָלַטto get safely out of danger, or to get someone else safely out: to escape, or to rescue
+1 more meaning
- to bring forth young, to give birth: to let a child or egg slip out into the world
- malkhutמַלְכוּתkingship: the power, period, and realm of a king, and the things that belong to him as king
- mashalמָשַׁלto rule: to hold and actively exercise authority over someone or something
- makharמָכַרto transfer a person or thing to another's possession or control, whether through commercial exchange or as an act of judicial power
- mishmeretמִשְׁמֶרֶתa charge: a duty or responsibility entrusted to someone to keep faithfully
+2 more meanings
- a watch: the post or duty of standing guard, and those who keep it
- something kept in reserve: an object set aside and preserved for a later purpose
- ma'asמָאַסto reject: to refuse someone or something as worthless and push it away
+1 more meaning
- to flow away or run: to dissolve and drain off like water or a sore
- miqnehמִקְנֶהlivestock: the herds and flocks a person owns, counted as movable wealth
- miqdashמִקְדָּשׁa sanctuary: a place set apart as holy, where a deity is approached and worshiped
- mizraḥמִזְרָחeast: the direction of the sunrise, and the eastern side or region it names
- maddu'aמַדּוּעַwhy?not studied yet
- mitsriמִצְרִיEgyptiannot studied yet
- mashaḥמָשַׁחto set someone or something apart for God's service by pouring or smearing oil on them
+1 more meaning
- to smear or rub a liquid (oil, paint, or ointment) onto a surface, with no sacred meaning
- maharמָהַרto hurry: to act quickly, without delay, or to be quick and rash by nature.
- massaמַשָּׂאa burden: a load that is lifted and carried, whether goods on an animal's back or a weight laid on a person.
+2 more meanings
- an oracle: a weighty pronouncement from God delivered through a prophet, most often a sentence of doom against a nation.
- the carrying of song: a term for the performance of music in worship, used of the Levite who directed it.
- maleמָלֵאfull: holding or charged with as much as it can take, or amounting to the complete measure
- magenמָגֵןa shield: the hand-held piece of armor a soldier holds up to block blows, and by extension anyone or anything that protects
- mordekhayמׇרְדֳּכַיMordecainot studied yet
- midyanמִדְיָןMidian: a son of Abraham by Keturah, the desert people traced back to him, and the dry country east of the Gulf of Aqaba where they ranged
- mizmorמִזְמוֹרa psalm: a song composed to be sung with instrumental music
- maḥashavahמַחֲשָׁבָהa thought or plan: what the mind works out, whether an inner intention or a deliberate scheme
+1 more meaning
- skilled design: an inventive work thought up and executed by a craftsman, including a clever device
- middahמִדָּהa measure: the measured size of something, or the standard by which size is measured.
+1 more meaning
- tribute: a payment or tax owed to a ruler.
- maromמָרוֹםheight: a high place, the heights, on high; most often heaven as the high place where God dwells.
- medinahמְדִינָהprovince: an administrative region of an empire, governed for a distant king
+1 more meaning
- district: a region or jurisdiction within a single kingdom, not an imperial province
- matstsahמַצָּהunleavened bread: flat bread baked without yeast, so it does not rise
- maḥarמָחָרtomorrow: the day after today, and by extension the time still to come
- madadמָדַדto measure: to find or mark out the size, length, area, or amount of something against a standard.
- musarמוּסָרdiscipline: the corrective training, by teaching or by hardship, that shapes a person toward wisdom and right living
+1 more meaning
- a bond or fetter: a physical restraint, in the few places where the word is read from a separate root meaning to bind
- mishqalמִשְׁקָלweight: how heavy something is, the amount measured out on a scale
- migdalמִגְדָּלtower: a tall, strong structure built up above its surroundings for defense, lookout, or sheer height
- makkahמַכָּהa blow and what it leaves behind: a strike, the wound it makes, a crushing defeat in battle, or an affliction sent by God
- ma'alahמַעֲלָהa step or a going-up: a stair, an ascent, or a graded mark that something moves up by
- motenמׇתְנַיִםthe loins: the lower back and hips, the body's center of physical strength
- mishkavמִשְׁכָּבa bed or couch: the place where a person lies down to sleep, rest, or recover
+1 more meaning
- a polite way of naming sexual relations: going to bed with someone
- mishtehמִשְׁתֶּהa feast: a celebration centered on food and especially drinking, held to mark a joyful occasion
+1 more meaning
- drink: a beverage, or one's allotted portion of something to drink
- marahמָרָהto rebel: to defiantly refuse to obey a rightful authority, above all God himself.
- moshavמוֹשָׁבa place where someone sits or lives: a seat, a settlement, or the act of dwelling there
- merkavahמֶרְכָּבָהa chariot: a horse-drawn, wheeled vehicle, most often the two-wheeled war car of the ancient world
- matayמָתַיhownot studied yet
- maḥaloqetמַחֲלֹקֶתa division: a distinct section marked off from a larger organized body
- menorahמְנוֹרָהa lampstand: an upright stand made to hold oil lamps and lift their light off the ground
- ma'enמָאֵןto refuse: to set oneself against doing what is asked, commanded, or offered, and decline to do it
- ma'alalמַעֲלָלdeeds, practices: the things someone does, taken together as a course of conduct that reveals who they are and that they are answered for
- mitspahמִצְפָּהMizpahnot studied yet
- me'arahמְעָרָהa cave: a natural hollow in rock large enough for a person to enter
- mirmahמִרְמָהdeceit: deliberate falsehood used to betray or cheat someone who trusts you
- mashi'aḥמָשִׁיחַthe anointed one: a person God has set apart for high office by pouring oil on him, above all the reigning king
+1 more meaning
- anointed, rubbed with oil: the plain description of something smeared with oil
- mashalמָשָׁלa saying that teaches by comparison: a proverb, parable, taunt, or oracle that holds one thing up against another to make its point
- motמוֹטto give way, to totter or slip out of a firm, fixed place; and so, of a person, to be shaken or brought down.
- matarמָטַרrain: water falling from the sky, the general Hebrew word for rainfall of any kind
- meloמְלֹאthat which fills something: its full contents, the amount it holds, or its whole extent
- millahמִלָּהwords or speech: what a person says, whether a single utterance or a whole line of argument
- mivtsarמִבְצָרa fortified place: a walled town, or the defensive stronghold that guards it, built to hold out against attack
- mulמוּלto circumcise: to cut away the foreskin as the bodily sign of belonging to God's covenant
+1 more meaning
- to cut off, beat back, or waste away: a separate poetic word for destroying or fending off, unrelated to the covenant rite
- marמַרbitter: sharp and unpleasant to the taste, and by extension anything that brings grief or hardship
- mulמוּלthe front of something, and so the place facing or across from it: in front of, opposite, over against
- mophetמוֹפֵתa God-given sign or wonder: a striking act, event, or person meant to point beyond itself and demand attention
- maḥahמָחָהto wipe a surface clean, and from that, to blot out: to erase a record, a name, or a person until nothing is left.
+2 more meanings
- to strike against, and so to reach or touch: said of a boundary line that runs up against a landmark.
- to be full of marrow, said of rich, fatty food.
- ma'ozמָעוֹזa place or source of safety and strength: a fortress to shelter behind, or the protection a person leans on for security
- ma'alמָעַלto break faith: to betray a trust one is bound to keep, acting treacherously against the party owed loyalty
- merariמְרָרִיMerarinot studied yet
- mashakhמָשַׁךְto draw: to pull something along by steady force, whether a body, a bowstring, a sound, or a stretch of time
- malkahמַלְכָּהqueen: a woman of the highest royal rank
- mishnehמִשְׁנֶהdouble: twice as much of something, a doubled amount
+3 more meanings
- a copy: a written duplicate of a document
- second: the one ranking next after the first, in position, birth, office, or grade
- the Second Quarter: a district of Jerusalem
- mikhahמִיכָהMicahnot studied yet
- me'umahמְאוּמָהanything: an unspecified single thing, which in the negative sentences where it usually appears means nothing at all
- mizraqמִזְרָקa large, wide bowl, the vessel used to fling or pour out liquid
- moḥoratמׇחֳרָתthe next day: the day immediately following a stated point in time
- me'ehמֵעֶהthe soft inner organs of the body (the guts, belly, and womb), and by extension the innermost self, felt as the place where deep emotion churns
- ma'aserמַעֲשֵׂרa tithe: a tenth of one's crops or livestock set apart for God, and given to support the priests and the temple.
+1 more meaning
- a tenth part: one tenth as a fraction of a quantity or measure.
- matstsevahמַצֵּבָהa standing stone: an upright stone deliberately set up to mark something that matters.
- minמִיןa kind: one of the recognizable groups into which living things fall
- ma'akhalמַאֲכָלfood: anything eaten, whatever serves as something to eat
- mittahמִטָּהa bed or couch: the framed piece of furniture a body is stretched out on, whether to sleep, recline at a meal, lie ill, be carried, or be laid out in death
- manaמָנַעto keep something or someone back: to withhold, deny, or restrain
- melaḥמֶלַחsalt: the everyday mineral used to season and preserve food, and a byword for both lasting loyalty and utter ruin
- manahמָנָהto count or number, and by extension to weigh out, allot, and appoint
- massekhahמַסֵּכָהa cast-metal idol: a god-image made by pouring or overlaying metal
+1 more meaning
- a covering: a woven cloth or veil spread over something
- me'ilמְעִילa robe: the long outer garment pulled on over other clothing as a mark of rank or dignity
- ma'alמַעַלa treacherous breach of faith: a betrayal of a bond one was trusted to keep, toward God or toward another person
- motsaמוֹצָאa going out: the act of going forth, what issues forth, or the place it issues from
- moqeshמוֹקֵשׁa snare: a baited trap that catches its prey, and so anything that lures a person or a people into sin, defeat, or death
- mesillahמְסִלָּהa highway: a built-up, raised public road for travel
- maggephahמַגֵּפָהa deadly blow: a striking that brings sudden mass death, whether by disease or by the sword
- mishḥahמִשְׁחָהanointing: the sacred rite of pouring or smearing consecrating oil to set a person or object apart for God, and the holy oil used to perform it
+1 more meaning
- consecrated portion: the share of the offerings assigned to the priests by right of their anointing
- masakhמָסָךְa screen or covering: a woven cloth hung across an entrance, or a cover spread over something to shield or conceal it
- matsorמָצוֹרan enclosing barrier around a city: the siege that shuts it in, or the fortification that walls it off for defense.
- maradמָרַדto rebel: to renounce allegiance to a rightful authority and rise up against it
- meshullamמְשֻׁלָּםMeshullamnot studied yet
- mekhonahמְכוֹנָהa base or stand: the fixed support an object is set on to hold it in place
- melukhahמְלוּכָהkingship: the royal office and the authority to reign as king
- mishorמִישׁוֹרa plain: level, open ground as opposed to hills, and especially the high tableland east of the Jordan
+1 more meaning
- levelness as a way of life: a straight and safe course, and upright, even-handed dealing
- masמַסforced labor: the compulsory, unpaid work a ruling power conscripts from a subject population, and the work gangs that carry it out.
- mayanמַעְיָןa spring: a place where fresh water rises up out of the ground
- ma'akhahמַעֲכָהMaacahnot studied yet
- ma'aseyahמַעֲשֵׂיָהוּMaaseiahnot studied yet
- miqraמִקְרָאa sacred convocation: an appointed day on which God summons his people to gather and rest, especially a festival
+1 more meaning
- a reading: the public reading aloud of a sacred text
- meriמְרִיrebellion: a stubborn refusal to listen to and obey the authority you are bound to, above all God
- mavoמָבוֹאan entrance or way in: the point of access into a city, building, or enclosed space, and the act of coming in itself
+1 more meaning
- the going-down of the sun, and so the west: sunset as an event, and the direction where the sun sets
- moledetמוֹלֶדֶתthe whole setting of a person's birth: their native land, their kindred, or their offspring, depending on what the context has in view
- maḥtahמַחְתָּהa metal pan for handling fire: one used to carry glowing coals, to scoop ash off an altar, or to catch the burnt trimmings of a lamp.
- makhirמָכִירMachirnot studied yet
- menuḥahמְנוּחָהrest as a place reached: the settled safety and permanence at the end of a search, from a physical resting place to God's own dwelling
- ma'atמָעַטto be few, or to make few: to shrink in number or amount, or to reduce something and hand out only a little
- mishmarמִשְׁמָרa keeping: guarding given concrete shape, whether as custody, a watch, or an observed charge
- matמַתmen, people: an old poetic word for a group of men or people, found almost only in the plural and mostly in set phrases
- mumמוּםa blemish: a physical defect or moral fault that mars someone or something otherwise whole.
- megillahמְגִלָּהa scroll: a rolled length of leather or papyrus written on in columns and unrolled to be read
- mikhayehuמִיכָיְהוּMicaiahnot studied yet
- masasמָסַסto melt away: to lose firm shape and dissolve, whether wax before fire, courage before terror, or a life dwindling to nothing
- matsudahמְצוּדָהa stronghold: a fortified or, more often, a rugged natural height that keeps its occupant safe from attack.
+1 more meaning
- a hunter's net or snare: a trap that closes on prey, and so on a person who cannot escape.
- meherahמְהֵרָהhaste: the shortness of the time a thing takes or the time before it comes; used as an adverb, quickly or soon
- mushמוּשׁto depart or remove: to move away from a place or position, or to make something move away
- maḥasehמַחְסֶּהrefuge: a place you run to for cover and safety, whether a rock in a storm or God himself
- miqlatמִקְלָטa place of asylum: a city set apart to take in and shelter someone who has killed another person by accident
- ma'orמָאוֹרa light-source: the thing that gives off light, such as a luminary in the sky or a lamp
- mezuzahמְזוּזָהdoorpost: the upright side-post of a doorway or gate
- mezimmahמְזִמָּהa deliberate, calculated design formed in the mind: a settled plan that reads as shrewd prudence, wicked scheming, or God's fixed purpose, depending on who makes it and to what end
- mattahמַטָּהbeneathnot studied yet
- mesharמֵישָׁרuprightness: the quality of being straight and even, shown as fair dealing, honest speech, or a smooth, unobstructed course
- ma'arakhahמַעֲרָכָהan ordered rank or row of things set in place, above all an army drawn up in battle line
- mashqehמַשְׁקֶהa cupbearer: the royal official who served the king's wine, and the office he held.
+2 more meanings
- a drink: liquid meant to be drunk, a beverage.
- well-watered land: ground richly supplied with water, land under irrigation.
- mikhalמִיכַלMichalnot studied yet
- mano'aḥמָנוֹחַManoahnot studied yet
- ma'onמָעוֹןa dwelling place or abode: the settled home where someone or something lives
- ma'alehמַעֲלֶהa place of going up: a slope, mountain pass, or flight of steps by which one climbs
- mephivoshetמְפִיבֹשֶׁתMephiboshethnot studied yet
- maqorמָקוֹרa spring: the living source from which water flows, and by extension the source or origin from which anything (life, blood, tears, cleansing) pours out.
- maqqelמַקֵּלa stick of wood: a rod, staff, or fresh-cut branch carried or used in the hand
- merḥaqמֶרְחָקa far-off place: a distant land or region, and by extension the remoteness that separates it from here
- mugמוּגto melt or dissolve: to lose all firmness and give way, whether solid ground turning to liquid or a person's courage draining away
- matarמָטַרto cause to rain: to send rain, or make fire, hail, or food fall from the sky, with God as the one who does it
- makhonמָכוֹןa fixed, established place: the settled spot where something firmly rests or dwells
- memshalahמֶמְשָׁלָהrule or dominion: the authority to govern, and the realm over which it is exercised
- misgeretמִסְגֶּרֶתa bordering frame: the rim, molding, or set-in side panels running around a piece of furniture or equipment
+1 more meaning
- a fortified enclosed place: a stronghold or fastness people are shut inside and forced to come out of
- misgavמִשְׂגָּבa place set so high it cannot be reached, and so a place of perfect safety
- masvosמָשׂוֹשׂjoy: glad rejoicing, and by extension the person or place that is someone's delight
- mattanahמַתָּנָהa gift or present: something handed over freely, whether a personal present, an offering to God, or a bribe.
- madayמָדַיMedianot studied yet
- mo'aviמוֹאָבִיMoabitenot studied yet
- maḥatsitמַחֲצִיתhalf: one of the two parts something splits into when it is divided down the middle, or a portion measured as one half of a whole
- mattarahמַטָּרָהa target: the mark something is aimed at and shot at
+1 more meaning
- the guard: the palace watch station, which gave its name both to the courtyard where prisoners were kept and to a city gate
- makhovמַכְאוֹבpain or suffering, whether felt in the body or in the heart
- mikhsehמִכְסֶהa covering: an outer layer laid over something to protect or enclose it
- malkiyyahמַלְכִּיָּהוּMalchiahnot studied yet
- mispedמִסְפֵּדloud, public wailing: the formal outcry of grief, with beating of the breast, that mourns a death or a disaster
- magalמַעְגָּלa circular army camp: the defensive ring drawn around encamped troops
+1 more meaning
- a well-worn track, and so the settled course a person's life takes
- marpeמַרְפֵּאhealing: recovery to soundness of body or nation, and the health that results
+1 more meaning
- calmness: a gentle, composed temper of heart, speech, or bearing
- mararמָרַרto be bitter, or to make bitter: the sharp taste of gall stretched to cover grief, hardship, and fierce anger
- mashalמָשַׁלto be like something, or to set two things side by side as alike: to resemble or to compare
+1 more meaning
- to utter a figurative saying: to quote a proverb, or to compose a parable or taunt
- mattanyahמַתַּנְיָהוּMattaniahnot studied yet
- mozenמֹאזֵןa pair of scales; the balance used to weigh something
- mivtaḥמִבְטָחreliance placed in someone or something, and by extension the thing relied on and the safety it brings
- meḥirמְחִירwhat something costs: the payment given in exchange for it, and so also the sum that measures its worth
- milluמִלֻּאthe installing of a priest: the sacrifice offered when a man was put into priestly office, and the ceremony itself
+1 more meaning
- a setting: the metal mounting that a precious stone is fitted into
- miqnahמִקְנָהa purchase: what is gained by paying money for it, whether the buying itself, the price handed over, or the property so acquired.
- miryamמִרְיָםMiriamnot studied yet
- masetמַשְׂאֵתsomething lifted up or borne: a raised signal, a portion or gift carried to someone, or a payment rendered to an authority
- maherמַהֵרquickly: at high speed or after only a little time; speedily, soon, in haste
- murמוּרto exchange one thing for another: to swap, substitute, or change something out
- maḥatsמָחַץto strike a shattering blow: to smash or grievously wound with a forceful, targeted stroke
- mikhsholמִכְשׁוֹלa stumbling block: anything that trips a person up, whether a literal obstacle in the path, the cause or occasion that makes someone fall, or the fall itself
- manמָןmanna, the bread-like food God supplied for Israel to eat in the wilderness
+1 more meaning
- what? (a rare interrogative pronoun, found in the Bible only in the story explaining the name manna)