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מִסְחָר

𐤌𐤎𐤇𐤓

miçchâr

H4536 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סחר to go about, to trade, to traffic, to engage in commerce

Definition

An activity or occupation involving buying, selling, or exchanging goods—commerce or trade; in specific contexts, denotes a commercial venture, market activity, or the goods and merchandise exchanged in such transactions. May also refer to the group or community engaged in trade.

Semantic Range

trade, commerce, traffic, commercial activity, merchandise, business, conducted exchange

Root / Etymology

A noun formed from the root סחר (s-ch-r), which primarily means 'to go about,' especially in the sense of going around as a trader or merchant. מִסְחָר is derived with the מ prefix, denominative, signifying the action or sphere of trading or commerce rather than the agent (who would be סוֹחֵר).

Historical & Contextual Notes

מִסְחָר is a relatively late biblical Hebrew term, attested primarily in texts such as Ezekiel (notably in oracle passages against Tyre: Ezek 27:9, 27, 33). In these contexts, it refers both to the institution or system of international trade, especially maritime commerce, and to the physical goods being traded. The term reflects the sophistication of commercial activity in the late monarchic and exilic periods, particularly in reference to major trading hubs. Earlier biblical Hebrew tends to use related verbs (סחר) more often than this abstract noun. English translations like 'merchandise' or 'trade' capture the core sense but may not convey the term's broad scope, which includes both the activity and its products or participants. The term has little or no cultic or theological significance in its biblical usage, focusing on socio-economic life. The corresponding term in post-biblical Hebrew (esp. rabbinic/medieval) continues this sense of commerce or marketplace exchange. Not to be confused with סֹחֵר (merchant, trader), which denotes the individual, or תְּגוּמָה (exchange, barter), which focuses on the mode rather than the system.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָחַר; trade; traffic.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סחר (s-ḥ-r) — to go about, to trade, to traffic, to engage in commerce

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5503 סָחַר the trading-one
H5504 סַחַר her trade-gain
H5505 סָחַר trade-of
H5506 סְחֹרָה merchandise of
H5507 סֹחֵרָה encircling shield

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4536-01 וּ/מִסְחַ֖ר umisechar HC/Ncmsc and from the merchandise and trade-of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4536-01 1 Kings 10:15 וּ/מִסְחַ֖ר umisechar HC/Ncmsc and from the merchandise and trade-of
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