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מַכֹּלֶת

𐤌𐤊𐤋𐤕

makkôleth

H4361 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אכל to eat, consume

Definition

A tool or instrument for eating, specifically a knife used for slaughtering or preparing meat for consumption. While the root is associated with eating, the term itself denotes a physical implement rather than nourishment itself.

Semantic Range

eating tool, implement for consuming, knife (especially for butchering or preparing meat); rarely, by extension, something used in preparing food

Root / Etymology

From the root אכל ('akal'), meaning 'to eat, consume.' The noun is formed using the mem-prefix, which commonly creates an instrument or means noun, thus 'that which is used for eating.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Although Strong's gloss associates מַכֹּלֶת with 'food' or 'nourishment,' its only attested biblical use is in Judges 19:29, where it refers specifically to a knife used for cutting a concubine's body. In later Hebrew, derived nouns from אכל often refer to means or implements related to eating. Standard English translations have sometimes misunderstood or obscured this, rendering it as 'knife' or 'tool,' but not explicitly as 'food.' The term does not refer to dietary substance directly but to an instrument associated with eating, most likely a butcher's or slaughtering knife in biblical context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָכַל; nourishment; food.

Bantu Hebrew

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

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Root Family

אכל (ʾ-k-l) — eat, consume, devour

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H396 אֲכִילָה the edible provision
H3978 מַאֲכָל for food
H3979 מַאֲכֶלֶת the slaughter-knife
H398 אָכַל to eat
H3980 מַאֲכֹלֶת like an eating-implement of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4361-01 מַכֹּ֣לֶת makolet HNcfsa for food eating-knife 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4361-01 1 Kings 5:25 מַכֹּ֣לֶת makolet HNcfsa for food eating-knife
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