מָעוֹג
𐤌𐤏𐤅𐤂
mâʻôwg
H4580 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A round cake or loaf, typically of bread, characterized by a circular or ring shape; sometimes carrying connotations of being a food for ritual, hospitality, or festivity. Secondarily, in later Hebrew, the word also comes to indicate a parasite or hanger-on at a banquet (i.e. one who attends a feast for personal gain, often in a buffoonish or flattering capacity).
Semantic Range
round cake, circular loaf of bread, ring-shaped bread; by extension in later Hebrew, table parasite, banquet buffoon
Root / Etymology
Formed from the root עוּג, which means 'to encircle, make round.' The noun form derives its basic meaning from this sense of circularity or roundness. Later associations with social conduct (parasite, table-buffoon) arise through wordplay or folk etymology but are largely post-biblical developments.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, מָעוֹג is poorly attested as a specific term for a food item, but parallel terms are used in related Semitic languages for ring-shaped cakes or loaves. The association with a 'buffoon' or 'parasite' is attested mainly in post-biblical Hebrew (e.g., the Mishnah and Talmud), where it reflects Greco-Roman banquet culture and the presence of social 'hangers-on.' Earlier biblical usage is focused more on the literal bread or cake, especially in contexts of hospitality or ritual. English translations may narrowly render it as 'cake,' but this can obscure the ancient practice of shaping such bread in circular form and the later metaphorical expansion of the term. Unlike other Hebrew words for bread (לֶחֶם, עֻגוֹת), מָעוֹג specifically highlights shape rather than composition or ritual context. The appearance of the sense 'table-buffoon' is a secondary development not present in the biblical period.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from עוּג; also with לָעֵג a table-buffoon, i.e.; a cake of bread; parasite; cake, feast.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עוג (ʿ-w-g) — to encircle, to make round
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5692 | עֻגָּה | round bread-cake |
| H5746 | עוּג | you shall bake her as a round cake |
| H5747 | עוֹג | Og |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4580-01 |
מָע֔וֹג | maog | HNcmsa |
a cake | round bread-loaf | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4580-01 |
1 Kings 17:12 | מָע֔וֹג | maog | HNcmsa |
a cake | round bread-loaf | |
H4580-01 |
Psalms 35:16 | מָע֑וֹג | maog | HNcmsa |
at feasts | round bread-loaf |