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מֵישַׁךְ

𐤌𐤉𐤔𐤊

Meyshakhe

H4336 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Meshak (proper noun): The Babylonian or Chaldean court name given to the Israelite Mishael during the period of Babylonian captivity. Functions exclusively as a personal name; its meaning is uncertain due to non-Semitic, likely Akkadian origin.

Semantic Range

Babylonian court name for Mishael; personal name for an Israelite in exile; name applied by foreign authority

Root / Etymology

Of foreign (non-Hebrew, likely Akkadian or West Semitic) origin; etymology uncertain. It was assigned to Mishael together with court names for Hananiah (Shadrach) and Azariah (Abednego), cf. Daniel 1:7. The similarity to מִישָׁאֵל (Mishael) may be purely phonetic as the underlying meaning and root are not Hebrew, nor is a clear Akkadian root securely identified.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מֵישַׁךְ occurs only in Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible (Daniel 1–3), always as a proper court name for an Israelite exilic figure. The name symbolizes assimilation or the imposition of local identity by the Babylonian administration. While English translations render מֵישַׁךְ as "Meshak" or "Meshach," the underlying significance is obscure. The use of this court name marks the character as a subject within the Babylonian court rather than an Israelite, contrasting with his Hebrew name, Mishael. The original meaning, if any, has not been recovered from Babylonian sources, and proposals are conjectural. Later traditions sometimes interpret the name, but it is not a generic term in biblical Hebrew or Aramaic; it refers solely to this individual in the narrative context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) of foreign origin and doubtful significance; name of מִישָׁאֵל; Meshak, the Babylonian; Meshak.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain

Root uncertain uncertain; used only as a personal/court name
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1002 בִּירָה the citadel
H105 אֲגַרְטָל bowls of
H1081 בַּלְאֲדָן Baladan
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4336-01 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe 14

Occurrences in Scripture

14 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4336-01 Daniel 2:49 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:12 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:13 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:14 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:16 מֵישַׁךְ֙ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:19 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:20 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:22 מֵישַׁךְ֙ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:23 מֵישַׁ֖ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:26 מֵישַׁ֧ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:26 מֵישַׁ֛ךְ meyshakhe-2 ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:28 מֵישַׁךְ֙ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:29 מֵישַׁךְ֙ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
H4336-01 Daniel 3:30 מֵישַׁ֛ךְ meyshakhe ANp Meshach Meshak Meyshakhe
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