מַחֲבַת
𐤌𐤇𐤁𐤕
machăbath
H4227 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A shallow, flat pan or griddle used in the preparation of offerings, particularly grain offerings, by baking or frying on a heated surface. The term refers specifically to a cooking implement rather than a household or cooking vessel in general. In biblical contexts, it typically designates the type of pan used to cook unleavened cakes offered at the altar.
Semantic Range
shallow pan, flat griddle, ritual baking pan, implement for cooking grain offerings
Root / Etymology
From the root חבת (ḥ-b-t), likely conveying the sense of being 'depressed,' 'hollow,' or 'sunken,' reflecting the shallow nature of the pan. The word is a noun formation built off this root to specify a particular kind of cooking implement.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Throughout the Pentateuch, especially in Leviticus (e.g., Leviticus 2:5; 6:21; 7:9), מַחֲבַת refers specifically to the flat, shallow pan used in priestly rituals for preparing grain offerings. Context indicates it was a metal implement (possibly bronze or iron), distinct from frying pans used in later periods or other types of cooking pots (cf. סִיר, קְדֵרָה). English translations render it variously as 'griddle,' 'baking pan,' or 'flat pan,' but these terms may not fully capture its ritual significance or precise design. The term disappears after the early biblical period, and is not attested in post-exilic or later rabbinic Hebrew, where other terms come into use. The association of the מַחֲבַת with sacrificial and priestly practices underlines its specific cultic, rather than generic, domestic function. In some translations and post-biblical writings, it is sometimes confused or conflated with the מַרְחֶשֶׁת (deep pan or pot), but biblical contexts distinguish these implements: מַחֲבַת is always shallow and flat, while מַרְחֶשֶׁת is deeper.
Translation Consistency
‘Pan’ is the most natural, common English noun that covers a shallow, flat cooking implement and easily subsumes both ‘griddle’ and ‘shallow pan.’ It fits the typical biblical usage (a baking/frying implement for grain offerings) and will read consistently and clearly across all occurrences.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as חָבֵת; a pan for baking in; pan.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
חבת (machăbath) — to be hollow, depressed, concave
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4227-02 |
מַחֲבַ֣ת | machavat | HNcfsc |
griddle | shallow ritual griddle | a shallow ritual pan | 3 |
H4227-01 |
הַֽ/מַּחֲבַ֖ת | hamachavat | HTd/Ncfsa |
the pan | the shallow ritual griddle | the shallow ritual griddle | 1 |
H4227-03 |
וְ/לַֽ/מַּחֲבַ֖ת | velamachavat | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and-for-the-pan | and to the hollow griddle | and for the pan | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4227-01 |
Leviticus 2:5 | הַֽ/מַּחֲבַ֖ת | hamachavat | HTd/Ncfsa |
the pan | the shallow ritual griddle | the shallow ritual griddle |
H4227-02 |
Leviticus 6:14 | מַחֲבַ֗ת | machavat | HNcfsa |
griddle | shallow ritual griddle | a shallow ritual pan |
H4227-02 |
Leviticus 7:9 | מַחֲבַ֑ת | machavat | HNcfsa |
a griddle | shallow ritual griddle | a shallow ritual pan |
H4227-02 |
Ezekiel 4:3 | מַחֲבַ֣ת | machavat | HNcfsc |
griddle | shallow ritual griddle | a shallow ritual pan |
H4227-03 |
1 Chronicles 23:29 | וְ/לַֽ/מַּחֲבַ֖ת | velamachavat | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and-for-the-pan | and to the hollow griddle | and for the pan |