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מָבוֹא

𐤌𐤁𐤅𐤀

mâbôwʼ

H3996 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בוא to come, to enter, to go in

Definition

A place, act, or point of entering; entrance, entryway, or approach. The term can denote a physical doorway, gate, or passage into a specific location, as well as the act of entering. In temporal contexts, especially with the term for 'sun' (שֶׁמֶשׁ), it refers to the setting of the sun—i.e., the west or sunset.

Semantic Range

entrance, entryway, doorway, act of entering, approach, sunset (when paired with 'sun'), the west; in some contexts, adverbial 'towards' or 'at the time of entering'

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root בוא ('to come, enter, go in'). The noun מָבוֹא is a pattern noun (maqtal form) from this root, indicating 'place of coming/entry'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מָבוֹא appears throughout biblical literature to mark notable physical entrances (such as city gates or temple entryways), or in reference to the directional or temporal concept of 'sunset' when paired with 'sun' (בּוֹא שֶׁמֶשׁ or מָבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, lit. 'entrance of the sun'). This usage served as an idiom for 'the west,' since the sun 'enters' (sets) in this direction. The word may appear in legal, cultic, or narrative contexts for both concrete and figurative entry. It sometimes functions adverbially to mean 'towards' a place or time. In later Hebrew, מָבוֹא can develop into the sense of 'west' or 'sunset' as a cardinal direction, though in exilic and post-exilic literature, this use may coexist with persistent references to literal entrances. The term is contrasted with yəṣîʾâ (יְצִיאָה, 'exit, going out'), which forms a frequent binary pair in biblical Hebrew. English translations such as 'entrance' or 'entry' generally reflect the core sense but may not always capture idiomatic uses related to direction or time.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בּוֹא; (with or without שֶׁמֶשׁ); an entrance (the place or the act); specifically sunset or the west; also (adverb with preposition) towards; by which came, as cometh, in coming, as men enter into, entering, entrance into, entry, where goeth, going down, [phrase] westward. Compare מוֹבָא.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בוא (b-w-ʾ) — to come, to enter, to go in

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1159 בָּעוּ they came
H1933 הָוָא he caused to come
H3051 יָהַב to bring in
H3997 מְבוֹאָה entrances of
H4126 מוֹבָא your entrances

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3996-08 מְב֣וֹא mevo HNcmsc the entrance entrance of 10
H3996-09 מְבוֹא֗/וֹ mevoo HNcmsc/Sp3ms its setting his entrance 4
H3996-06 לִ/מְב֣וֹא limevo HR/Ncmsc to the entrance to the entrance-of 2
H3996-05 כִּ/מְבוֹאֵ֖י kimevoey HR/Ncmpc like the entrances like entrances of 1
H3996-07 מָבוֹא֙ mavo HNcmsa entrance entry-place 1
H3996-03 ה/מבוא hmvv HTd/Ncmsa the-entrance the entryway 1
H3996-10 בַ/מָּבוֹא֮ vamavo HRd/Ncmsa through the entry in the entrance 1
H3996-02 הַ/מָּבֽוֹא hamavo HTd/Ncmsa the entrance the entryway 1
H3996-04 כִּ/מְבוֹא kimevo HR/Ncmsc like-coming like entry-of 1
H3996-01 בַּ/מָּב֗וֹא bamavo HRd/Ncmsa at the entrance in the entrance 1

Occurrences in Scripture

23 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3996-08 Deuteronomy 11:30 מְב֣וֹא mevo HNcmsc toward the entrance entrance of
H3996-08 Joshua 1:4 מְב֣וֹא mevo HNcmsc going down entrance of
H3996-08 Joshua 23:4 מְב֥וֹא mevo HNcmsc toward the setting of entrance of
H3996-08 Judges 1:24 מְב֣וֹא mevo HNcmsc the entrance entrance of
H3996-08 Judges 1:25 מְב֣וֹא mevo HNcmsc entrance entrance of
H3996-08 2 Kings 11:16 מְב֥וֹא mevo HNcmsc of the entrance entrance of
H3996-08 2 Kings 16:18 מְב֤וֹא mevo HNcmsc entrance entrance of
H3996-07 Jeremiah 38:14 מָבוֹא֙ mavo HNcmsa entrance entry-place
H3996-05 Ezekiel 26:10 כִּ/מְבוֹאֵ֖י kimevoey HR/Ncmpc like the entrances like entrances of
H3996-04 Ezekiel 33:31 כִּ/מְבוֹא kimevo HR/Ncmsc like-coming like entry-of
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