מַסָּע
𐤌𐤎𐤏
maççâʻ
H4551 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A missile or weapon thrown or propelled, such as a spear or arrow; also, a quarried stone as something forcibly extracted and thrown from its place. In later and extended senses, refers to an object that is ejected, cast forth, or projected.
Semantic Range
missile, projectile, dart, spear, arrow, stone ejected from a quarry, extracted object, something thrown or cast forth
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root נָסַע (n-s-ʿ), which primarily means 'to pull up, set out, journey, depart, remove.' The noun form מַסָּע stems from the causative (pi‘el or noun-forming pattern) sense of the root, indicating ‘something removed or shot/expelled,’ which comes to refer to missiles (objects hurled forth), and by metaphorical extension, to stones ejected from a quarry.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term מַסָּע is relatively rare and occurs in specific contexts to describe both a literal missile or projectile (such as a dart, spear, or arrow) and—by metaphorical extension—a quarried stone forcibly extracted (i.e., 'thrown out') from the bedrock. The semantic expansion reflects the underlying action of 'removal with force.' The connection between the meanings—missile and quarried stone—lies in the shared idea of being violently or actively sent forth. In later Hebrew and in post-biblical usage, מַסָּע comes to primarily mean 'journey, march, or stage of travel' (as found, for example, in Numbers 33), but this sense, spelled identically, is rooted more directly in the root concept of movement and departure and is likely a semantic development distinct from the meaning linked to projectiles. The distinction means that context is crucial; in passages referring to weaponry or quarrying, the sense is 'missile' or 'stone ejected.' English translations may conflate the senses or render the word too narrowly (e.g., only as 'dart'), missing the broader semantic potential in ancient usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָסַע in the sense of projecting; a missile (spear or arrow); also a quarry (whence stones are, as it were, ejected); before it was brought, dart.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נסע (n-s-ʿ) — to pull up, to set out, to remove, to journey
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4551-01 |
מַסָּ֖ע | masa | HNcmsa |
missile | projectile of | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4551-01 |
1 Kings 6:7 | מַסָּ֖ע | masa | HNcmsa |
quarried | projectile of |
H4551-01 |
Job 41:18 | מַסָּ֣ע | masa | HNcmsa |
missile | projectile of |