מַעֲרָצָה
𐤌𐤏𐤓𐤑𐤄
maʻărâtsâh
H4637 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place of slaughter or execution, associated with execution or violent death. In most contexts, it refers to a location or place where violence, mainly as a judicial act or battle execution, was carried out, rather than denoting the act of violence itself.
Semantic Range
place of slaughter, place of execution, site of judicial killing, location of violent death, slaughterhouse (in ancient context); by extension, a place of terror or violent judgment
Root / Etymology
From the root ערץ (ʿ-r-ts), meaning 'to terrify, to break, to shatter, to crush.' The noun מַעֲרָצָה is derived via the feminine nominal prefix מַ– (ma–), often used to form nouns denoting places or instruments relating to the verbal action, indicating 'place of crushing/violence/terrifying action.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term מַעֲרָצָה occurs only rarely in the Hebrew Bible (hapax legomenon in Ezekiel 21:14 [21:19 Eng.]), where it refers to a specific ‘place of slaughter’ in the prophetic context of judgment. The nuance focuses on a judicial or divinely-ordained place of violence rather than random violence or terror. In later periods, classical translations sometimes rendered it as 'place of execution' or 'slaughterhouse,' but the context in Ezekiel is a battlefield or site of judicial violence. This term differs from other words for violence (חָמָס hamas; שָׁדַד shadad) by its focus on a designated place rather than the abstract quality or act of violence itself. Modern English translations sometimes obscure the nuance by rendering it as 'slaughter' or 'slaughterhouse,' but the Hebrew term specifically denotes the place of this violent action, usually in a ritual, judicial, or wartime context.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from עָרַץ; violence; terror.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ערץ (ʿ-r-ts) — to terrify, to shatter, to crush, to make afraid
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6178 | עָרוּץ | in the dread-chasm of |
| H6184 | עָרִיץ | terror-wielding one |
| H6206 | עָרַץ | I will terrify |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4637-01 |
בְּ/מַעֲרָצָ֑ה | bemaaratsah | HR/Ncfsa |
with terror | in a slaughter-place | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4637-01 |
Isaiah 10:33 | בְּ/מַעֲרָצָ֑ה | bemaaratsah | HR/Ncfsa |
with terror | in a slaughter-place |