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מַעֲנָה

𐤌𐤏𐤍𐤄

maʻănâh

H4618 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ענה to afflict, to press down, to make an imprint

Definition

A trench, groove, or furrow cut into the ground by a plow; refers specifically to the mark or impression left by plowing. The term is used in the context of agricultural activity, denoting a worked row in a field prepared for sowing or planting. In nominal usage, it often functions as a unit or measure of arable land defined by the extent of ground that can be plowed in a given manner.

Semantic Range

furrow, groove, trench in the ground; mark made by plowing; unit of plowed land; metaphorically, something impressed or depressed into the ground

Root / Etymology

Root e2e04d (עָנָה), meaning 'to answer, respond'; however, in agricultural contexts, the root can also mean 'to afflict, depress, or humble' (as in pressing the ground). The noun מַעֲנָה ('furrow') derives from a denominative extension, reflecting the action of pressing or making an indentation in the soil with a plow.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical usage, מַעֲנָה appears in contexts related to farming and cultivation, particularly in Deuteronomy 19:14 and Hosea 10:10. It denotes the furrow cut by a plow-share rather than the whole field. The concept of a 'furrow' was fundamental to ancient Israelite agrarian society, representing the organized, repetitive aspect of agricultural preparation. English translations sometimes use 'furrow' or the less precise 'acre,' though the latter is a measurement term not native to ancient Israel. The term reflects the technological and social realities of Iron Age agriculture, and its use is limited to descriptions of land in legal or metaphorical frameworks. Unlike broader terms for field (שָׂדֶה) or plot (חֶלְקָה), מַעֲנָה specifically refers to the plowed groove or row cut into the soil. In post-biblical Hebrew, similar-sounding words may refer to portion or share, but in the biblical context, the meaning is tightly bound to physical furrows. Later interpretations (including some English renderings as 'acre') risk anachronism, as the division of land into standardized acreage is not borne out by biblical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָנָה, in the sense of depression or tilling; a furrow; [phrase] acre, furrow.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ענה (ʿ-n-h) — to press down, to afflict, to make an imprint

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1042 בֵּית עֲנוֹת answering of
H1195 בַּעֲנָא Son of Affliction
H1196 בַּעֲנָה In Affliction
H2057 וַנְיָה Yah Answers
H3283 יָעֵן ostriches

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4618-02 ל/מענות/ם lmnvtm HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp their furrows to their furrows 1
H4618-03 מַעֲנָ֖ה maanah HNcfsa a plowed area plow-pressed furrow 1
H4618-01 לְ/מַעֲנִיתָֽ/ם lemaanitam HR/Ncfsc/Sp3mp their furrow to their furrow 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4618-03 1 Samuel 14:14 מַעֲנָ֖ה maanah HNcfsa a plowed area plow-pressed furrow
H4618-02 Psalms 129:3 ל/מענות/ם lmnvtm HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp their furrows to their furrows
H4618-01 Psalms 129:3 לְ/מַעֲנִיתָֽ/ם lemaanitam HR/Ncfsc/Sp3mp their furrow to their furrow
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