מִלֵּאת
𐤌𐤋𐤀𐤕
millêʼth
H4402 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A filled or full part; specifically, the 'fullness' or 'socket' (especially of the eye), referring to the fleshy, rounded cavity or part. In some contexts, the term refers to something being fully or fitly placed. Extended idiomatically to convey the notion of appropriateness or fittingness in arrangement or speech (e.g., 'fitly spoken').
Semantic Range
fullness, filled part, socket (of the eye or ornament), fitting placement, appropriateness (metaphorical)
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root מָלֵא (malēʼ), meaning 'to be full' or 'to fill.' The form מִלֵּאת appears as a noun of action or result derived from this root, indicating the state of being filled or the 'fulness' of something. The specific noun usage nuances the sense from the general root meaning.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, מִלֵּאת most notably appears in poetic or wisdom literature, where it signifies the full, rounded part of the eye ('eye socket' or 'fullness of the eye'). In Proverbs 25:11, the phrase דָּבָר עַל־אָפְנָיו מִלֵּאת זָהָב ('a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver') uses מִלֵּאת metaphorically to suggest something 'fitly' or 'appropriately' placed, drawing from the word's concrete meaning of a setting, socket, or full, fitting enclosure for an object. The term thus bridges concrete anatomical or ornamental reference and abstract application to harmonious or appropriate arrangement, especially in speech. Later interpreters sometimes render it as 'fitly' or 'in fitting settings,' but this is an interpretive expansion upon the base sense of 'full, rounded socket' or 'setting.' The English 'fitly' (as in KJV) reflects interpretation rather than direct lexical meaning.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from מָלֵא; fulness, i.e. (concretely) a plump socket (of the eye); [idiom] fitly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מלא (m-l-ʾ) — to be full, fill, fulfill
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3229 | יִמְלָא | He-will-be-full |
| H4390 | מָלֵא | I will fill up |
| H4391 | מְלָא | he filled himself |
| H4392 | מָלֵא | the fullness |
| H4393 | מְלֹא | fullness of |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4402-01 |
מִלֵּֽאת | milet | HNcfsa |
their setting | fullness | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4402-01 |
Song of Songs 5:12 | מִלֵּֽאת | milet | HNcfsa |
their setting | fullness |