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מַעֲרֶה

𐤌𐤏𐤓𐤄

maʻăreh

H4629 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עָרָה to bare, expose, uncover

Definition

A tract of open land; a meadow or common, typically an uncultivated or unenclosed area used for grazing. The term often designates ground that is bare, exposed, or free of dense vegetation, such as pastureland outside urban or agricultural settlements. In some contexts, it can denote an exposed place in contrast to cultivated fields or wooded areas.

Semantic Range

bare place, open land, meadow, common, uncultivated ground, exposed tract, unenclosed pasture

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ערה (ע־ר־ה), which carries the core meaning 'to bare, uncover, expose.' The nominal form מַעֲרֶה takes the prefix מַ- (denoting a place) and reflects the concept of a place that is bared or exposed, hence an open tract of land. The root meaning 'to bare' leads to the derived sense of a cleared or common land.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מַעֲרֶה occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible, with its most prominent usage in Ezekiel 39:5, where it refers to an open field or cleared area where bodies are left exposed. The association with 'nakedness' is metaphorical, emphasizing the lack of cover or enclosure. Unlike other terms for pasture or field (e.g., שָׂדֶה 'field', מִרְעֶה 'pasture'), מַעֲרֶה connotes openness and exposure rather than agricultural productivity. This term does not always imply cultivated use; rather, it highlights the landscape's physical state. English versions inconsistently render the word as 'field', 'meadow', or 'open place', sometimes missing the sense of bareness and exposure implied in the Hebrew. In later Hebrew and rabbinic usage, the term is rare or absent, and does not develop into a technical term for agricultural land. In contrast to the English 'meadow', which may suggest lushness, מַעֲרֶה refers to any open, bare tract regardless of vegetation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָרָה; a nude place, i.e. a common; meadows.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ערה (ʿ-r-h) — to bare, uncover, expose

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4626 מַעַר like the exposed part of
H4630 מַעֲרָה bare clearings of
H4631 מְעָרָה in the cave
H4632 מְעָרָה and Mearah
H6168 עָרָה bare places

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4629-01 מִ/מַּֽעֲרֵה mimaareh HR/Ncmsc out of the meadow from an exposed pasture 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4629-01 Judges 20:33 מִ/מַּֽעֲרֵה mimaareh HR/Ncmsc out of the meadow from an exposed pasture
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