מַזְלֵג
𐤌𐤆𐤋𐤂
mazlêg
H4207 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A two- or three-pronged implement used especially for handling meat in the sanctuary context, often as a fleshhook or fork for drawing out portions from the sacrificial cauldron; more broadly, any forked utensil used for grasping or drawing up pieces of meat or other items, particularly in cultic or ritual practices.
Semantic Range
pronged fork for meat, fleshhook, ritual utensil for drawing meat from the cauldron, sanctuary implement
Root / Etymology
The root is uncertain; Strong's suggests an unused root meaning 'to draw up', but there is no attested Hebrew verbal root MZLQ. The noun is likely denominative, formed to describe a particular tool characterized by prongs for lifting or drawing up meat. The feminine form (mizlagah) follows the common Hebrew noun pattern, whereas the masculine (mazlêg) reflects a variant formation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The word appears in contexts describing tabernacle or sanctuary service, specifically for the process of handling sacrifices by priests (e.g., 1 Samuel 2:13–14 refers to the 'three-pronged fork' used by the priestly family). It is associated with the utensils used in sanctuary ritual, distinct from ordinary domestic forks. In later periods, similar tools are attested archaeologically and in extra-biblical texts, but the biblical usage is principally cultic. English translations often use 'fleshhook' or 'fork', but these terms may not fully reflect the object's ritual specificity. The term does not carry the modern culinary sense of 'fork' as a general eating utensil, which did not exist in the ancient Near East. The later rabbinic and translation tradition sometimes identifies the tool with later 'fork'-like implements in the Second Temple or Roman periods, but the biblical reference remains primarily ritual and priestly.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or (feminine) מִזְלָגָה; from an unused root meaning to draw up; a fork; fleshhook.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מזלק (m-z-l-q) — to lift, to draw up
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4207-02 |
הַ/מִּזְלָגֹ֖ת | hamizelagot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the forks | the pronged fleshhooks | 3 |
H4207-01 |
הַ/מַּזְלֵ֔ג | hamazeleg | HTd/Ncmsa |
the fork | the meat-drawing fork | 1 |
H4207-03 |
וּ/מִזְלְגֹתָ֖י/ו | umizelegotayv | HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms |
and its forks | and his pronged meat-forks | 1 |
H4207-05 |
וְ/הַ/מִּזְלָג֧וֹת | vehamizelagot | HC/Td/Ncfpa |
and the forks | and the pronged meat-forks | 1 |
H4207-04 |
וְ/הַ/מַּזְלֵ֛ג | vehamazeleg | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and-the-fork | the pronged meat-fork | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4207-03 |
Exodus 27:3 | וּ/מִזְלְגֹתָ֖י/ו | umizelegotayv | HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms |
and its forks | and his pronged meat-forks |
H4207-02 |
Exodus 38:3 | הַ/מִּזְלָגֹ֖ת | hamizelagot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the forks | the pronged fleshhooks |
H4207-02 |
Numbers 4:14 | הַ/מִּזְלָגֹת֙ | hamizelagot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the forks | the pronged fleshhooks |
H4207-04 |
1 Samuel 2:13 | וְ/הַ/מַּזְלֵ֛ג | vehamazeleg | HC/Td/Ncmsa |
and-the-fork | the pronged meat-fork |
H4207-01 |
1 Samuel 2:14 | הַ/מַּזְלֵ֔ג | hamazeleg | HTd/Ncmsa |
the fork | the meat-drawing fork |
H4207-05 |
1 Chronicles 28:17 | וְ/הַ/מִּזְלָג֧וֹת | vehamizelagot | HC/Td/Ncfpa |
and the forks | and the pronged meat-forks |
H4207-02 |
2 Chronicles 4:16 | הַ/מִּזְלָגוֹת֙ | hamizelagot | HTd/Ncfpa |
fleshhooks | the pronged fleshhooks |