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מוּעָדָה

𐤌𐤅𐤏𐤃𐤄

mûwʻâdâh

H4152 noun

SILEX Entry

Root יָעַד to appoint, to designate, to assign, to set apart

Definition

Designated meeting place, set location for gathering or assembly, or a site appointed for a particular purpose, often with cultic or legal significance. Depending on context, it can refer to a physical location (such as a sanctuary, assembly point, or place of refuge) or a ritually appointed space for specific communal functions.

Semantic Range

appointed place, appointed site, designated sanctuary, asylum, place of assembly, gathering spot, ritual meeting location

Root / Etymology

Root: יעד (y-'-d), core meaning 'to appoint, fix, assign, designate'. מוּעָדָה is a feminine noun formation derived from this root, signifying 'place of assignment' or 'appointed place'. The root refers to making an explicit arrangement or setting a purpose, and in the noun form this often implies a formal or ritually agreed-upon site.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מוּעָדָה occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible, appearing in contexts associated with spaces or structures set aside for a predetermined purpose, such as sanctuaries or cities of refuge. The term is distinct from מוֹעֵד (mo‘ed, 'appointed time or meeting'), which denotes a temporal rather than spatial appointment. In priestly and legal texts, מוּעָדָה can describe a place with a specific ritual, legal, or social function, often associated with sanctuary or asylum, but not exclusively so. Its meaning is more nuanced than 'asylum,' points instead to the broader idea of a site established by formal community or divine decree. Later translations occasionally render it as 'synagogue' or 'place of assembly,' reflecting shifts in religious and social institutions well after the biblical period. English translations often narrow the meaning, missing the range that includes both cultic sites and meeting places with judicial or communal functions.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָעַד; an appointed place, i.e. asylum; appointed.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יעד (y-ʿ-d) — to appoint, to designate, to assign, to set apart

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3133 יוֹעֵד Yahweh appoints
H3259 יָעַד the appointed ones
H3260 יֶעְדִּי Yahweh-has-appointed
H4150 מוֹעֵד in the appointed-times
H4151 מוֹעָד in his appointed assemblies

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4152-01 הַ/מּֽוּעָדָ֜ה hamuadah HTd/Ncfsa of the refuge the appointed place 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4152-01 Joshua 20:9 הַ/מּֽוּעָדָ֜ה hamuadah HTd/Ncfsa of the refuge the appointed place
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