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מַעֲצֵבָה

𐤌𐤏𐤑𐤁𐤄

maʻătsêbâh

H4620 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עצב to shape, to form, to grieve, to cause pain

Definition

A carved image, idol, or statue—typically one associated with illicit worship or foreign cultic practice. The term denotes a solid object shaped or fashioned for religious veneration, most frequently an image of a deity forbidden in Israelite religious practice. By extension, it may carry the sense of a physical representation of anguish or grief through the association of idol-making with sin and its resulting sorrow.

Semantic Range

idol, carved image, manufactured idol, object of worship, image associated with grief or sorrow

Root / Etymology

Derived from the Hebrew root עצב (ע-צ-ב), which carries the semantic base 'to shape, form, fashion' and also 'to grieve, cause pain.' מַעֲצֵבָה is a feminine noun formation from this root, referring to something crafted or made as an image or idol.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, מַעֲצֵבָה is regularly employed in contexts condemning the manufacture or presence of physical idols among Israelites or neighboring peoples (e.g., 2 Chr 34:7; Mic 1:7). The word is closely related to מַסֵּכָה (massekah, 'molten image') and פֶּסֶל (pesel, 'carved image'), but מַעֲצֵבָה often implies a hand-crafted image of wood or stone, not necessarily metal. The connection to its root broadens its nuance to include the sense that making such an image is a source of grief or sorrow, likely reflecting later prophetic and Deuteronomistic associations between idolatry, sin, and communal distress. English translations often render the word as 'idol' or 'image,' but this may obscure its craft-oriented derivation and its layered association with grief or sorrow. In Second Temple and later literature, the word's use is rare, with related terms becoming more common.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָצַב; anguish; sorrow.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עצב (ʿ-ṣ-b) — to shape, to form, to grieve, to cause pain

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6087 עָצַב he pained him
H6088 עֲצַב pain-stricken
H6089 עֶצֶב in pain
H6090 עֹצֶב my formed-idol
H6091 עָצָב carved idols of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4620-01 לְ/מַעֲצֵבָ֖ה lemaatsevah HR/Ncfsa in torment to a carved idol 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4620-01 Isaiah 50:11 לְ/מַעֲצֵבָ֖ה lemaatsevah HR/Ncfsa in torment to a carved idol
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