מְגִנָּה
𐤌𐤂𐤍𐤄
mᵉginnâh
H4044 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A condition or state of blindness, specifically referring to spiritual or mental dullness, stubbornness, or the inability to perceive or understand; sometimes associated with a hardening of the heart or obduracy. The term is used figuratively for an imposed insensibility, most frequently in contexts describing a divinely given inability to recognize or respond to truth or instruction.
Semantic Range
blindness (especially spiritual or mental), obduracy, dullness of perception, judicial insensibility, inability to understand
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root מגן (m-g-n), which fundamentally conveys the sense of 'to cover, to protect' as in the noun מָגֵן (māgēn, 'shield'). In this abstract noun form, the protection or covering is used ironically or negatively to indicate a covering that blocks perception rather than providing safety: thus, 'a covering (of perception),' i.e., blindness or insensibility. The transfer from physical to metaphorical meaning is typical within Hebrew lexical development: what once signified physical shielding becomes, in abstract, a barrier to spiritual or intellectual sight.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, מְגִנָּה occurs in contexts emphasizing the consequences of persistent obstinacy toward YHWH's instruction, particularly in Deuteronomistic and Prophetic literature. The word often denotes not only the passive state of not seeing, but an active (if divinely permitted or imposed) inability to comprehend truth, especially in situations where correction or enlightenment has been persistently rejected. The term overlaps conceptually with חֵרֶשׁ (heresh, 'deafness') and עִוָּרוֹן ('ivaron, 'blindness'), but מְגִנָּה especially carries the sense of a covering or hardening that is difficult to overcome or is judicial in nature. While English translations may vary (e.g., 'slumber,' 'obduracy,' or 'spirit of blindness'), these often understate the intensity and moral significance in biblical usage. In post-biblical Hebrew, related forms continue to express figurative insensibility.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from מָגַן; a covering (in a bad sense), i.e. blindness or obduracy; sorrow. See also מָגֵן.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מגן (m-g-n) — to cover, protect, shield
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4042 | מָגַן | I will shield you |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4044-01 |
מְגִנַּת | meginat | HNcfsc |
veiled | covering-blindness of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4044-01 |
Lamentations 3:65 | מְגִנַּת | meginat | HNcfsc |
veiled | covering-blindness of |