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מוּל

𐤌𐤅𐤋

mûwl

H4135 verb

SILEX Entry

Root מול to cut, to remove by cutting

Definition

To remove the foreskin of the penis by cutting, i.e., to circumcise. Primarily refers to the physical act of circumcision, especially as practiced among Israelite males as a covenantal sign. Can be used strictly in a literal, surgical context, and secondarily in some poetic or metaphorical contexts to denote separation or setting apart. The word can also carry the sense of 'cutting off' or removing a part, but in Biblical usage it is overwhelmingly specific to circumcision.

Semantic Range

to circumcise, to cut off the foreskin, (only rarely) to cut, to remove a part by cutting; ritual action marking covenant membership

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root מו"ל (מ-ו-ל), meaning 'to cut off' or 'to remove by cutting.' The root expresses an action of cutting, particularly cutting off a specific part (the foreskin). The derived form מוּל is consistently used for the act of circumcision in the Hebrew Bible, derived from this root action of separating or removing by cutting.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, 'מוּל' is almost exclusively used with reference to the physical rite of circumcision, a distinctive mark of Israelite identity instituted in Genesis 17 as a sign of covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Its usage is widespread in narratives involving the patriarchs, the exodus generation, and especially in legal and ritual instructions in the Torah. While some contexts (such as poetic or prophetic) employ imagery of 'uncircumcised heart' (see related nouns/adjectives), the root verb itself always denotes the physical process. The use of 'destroy' or 'cut down' attributed in some older English translations does not reflect attested biblical usage; such extensions appear in much later post-biblical or idiomatic developments. In post-biblical Hebrew, related forms expand metaphorically, but biblical Hebrew preserves a concrete focus. The term is not etymologically related to general words for destruction or killing, and care should be taken to distinguish מוּל from roots like כרת (to cut off, make a covenant) or חָרָם (to devote, ban, destroy). The English term 'circumcision' is a later borrowing from Latin and Greek; biblical usage focuses on the ethnic and covenantal context of this practice among Israelites, and the rite carried different connotations for non-Israelites. In the post-exilic and later periods, circumcision increasingly became an ethnic and religious boundary marker, a shift discussed in the context of related nouns such as מִילָה (milah).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to cut short, i.e. curtail (specifically the prepuce, i.e. to circumcise); by implication, to blunt; figuratively, to destroy; circumcise(-ing), selves), cut down (in pieces), destroy, [idiom] must needs.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מול (m-w-l) — to cut, to remove by cutting

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4136 מוּל toward, facing
H4139 מוּלָה for the circumcisions

Word Forms

22 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4135-21 יִמּ֥וֹל yimol HVNi3ms shall be circumcised he will be circumcised 4
H4135-18 וַ/יָּ֜מָל vayamal HC/Vqw3ms and circumcised and he circumcised 3
H4135-06 לְ/הִמֹּ֥ל lehimol HR/VNc to be circumcised to be circumcised 3
H4135-04 הִמּ֥וֹל himol HVNa shall be circumcised to be circumcised 3
H4135-01 אֲמִילַֽ/ם amilam HVhi1cs/Sp3mp I will cut them off I will circumcise them 3
H4135-07 מָ֣ל mal HVqp3ms circumcised he circumcised 2
H4135-03 בְּ/הִמֹּל֖/וֹ behimolo HR/VNc/Sp3ms when he was circumcised in his being circumcised 2
H4135-08 מָֽלוּ malu HVqp3cp were circumcised they circumcised 2
H4135-05 הִמֹּ֣לוּ himolu HVNv2mp Circumcise yourselves be circumcised 1
H4135-12 נִמּ֖וֹל nimol HVNp3ms was circumcised was circumcised 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4135-04 Genesis 17:10 הִמּ֥וֹל himol HVNa shall be circumcised to be circumcised
H4135-21 Genesis 17:12 יִמּ֥וֹל yimol HVNi3ms shall be circumcised he will be circumcised
H4135-04 Genesis 17:13 הִמּ֧וֹל himol HVNa shall be circumcised to be circumcised
H4135-21 Genesis 17:13 יִמּ֛וֹל yimol HVNi3ms he shall be circumcised he will be circumcised
H4135-21 Genesis 17:14 יִמּוֹל֙ yimol HVNi3ms is circumcised he will be circumcised
H4135-18 Genesis 17:23 וַ/יָּ֜מָל vayamal HC/Vqw3ms and circumcised and he circumcised
H4135-03 Genesis 17:24 בְּ/הִמֹּל֖/וֹ behimolo HR/VNc/Sp3ms when he was circumcised in his being circumcised
H4135-03 Genesis 17:25 בְּ/הִ֨מֹּל֔/וֹ behimolo HR/VNc/Sp3ms when he was circumcised in his being circumcised
H4135-12 Genesis 17:26 נִמּ֖וֹל nimol HVNp3ms was circumcised was circumcised
H4135-14 Genesis 17:27 נִמֹּ֖לוּ nimolu HVNp3cp were circumcised were circumcised
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