מֶכֶר
𐤌𐤊𐤓
meker
H4377 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A sale, the act or transaction of selling, or that which is sold. Refers both to the process (commercial or legal transfer of ownership) and to the object or value exchanged in such a transaction. Frequently denotes what is sold (especially land, property, or persons), the exchange itself, or sometimes the price or value assigned to the sold object.
Semantic Range
the act of selling, sale transaction, thing sold, the price or value of a sale, merchandise, wares, payment
Root / Etymology
From the root מָכַר (makar), meaning 'to sell, surrender, hand over, transfer ownership.' The noun form מֶכֶר derives from this root and denotes the act or result of the root action, i.e., the sale or thing sold.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, מֶכֶר is used in a variety of legal and narrative contexts referring to the sale of property, land, or even people (such as the sale of Joseph by his brothers in Genesis). In legal passages (e.g., Leviticus 25), it underlies structures related to land tenure, redemption, and social obligations within Israelite society, especially regarding kinship and land inheritance. The semantic field overlaps with other terms denoting value or goods (e.g., שָׂדֶה for 'field,' קִנְיָן for 'property, acquisition'). Standard English translations such as 'price' or 'merchandise' capture only part of the meaning and may obscure the transactional and legal nuance present in the Hebrew term. Over time, the term does not appear to have shifted greatly in meaning but is more prominently featured in legal-ritual contexts in later biblical literature.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from מָכַר; merchandise; also value; pay, price, ware.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מכר (m-k-r) — to sell, to hand over, to transfer ownership
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4353 | מָכִיר | to Makir |
| H4354 | מָכִירִי | the Makirite clansman |
| H4376 | מָכַר | the one who sells |
| H4380 | מְכֵרָה | their marketplaces |
| H4381 | מִכְרִי | Sold-one |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4377-03 |
מִכְרָ֑/ם | mikheram | HNcmsc/Sp3mp |
its price | their sale | 1 |
H4377-02 |
מִכְרָֽ/הּ | mikherah | HNcmsc/Sp3fs |
her price | her sale-price | 1 |
H4377-01 |
מֶ֑כֶר | mekher | HNcmsa |
merchandise | sale | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4377-03 |
Numbers 20:19 | מִכְרָ֑/ם | mikheram | HNcmsc/Sp3mp |
its price | their sale |
H4377-02 |
Proverbs 31:10 | מִכְרָֽ/הּ | mikherah | HNcmsc/Sp3fs |
her price | her sale-price |
H4377-01 |
Nehemiah 13:16 | מֶ֑כֶר | mekher | HNcmsa |
merchandise | sale |