מַעֲשֶׂה

𐤌𐤏𐤔𐤄

maʻăseh

H4639 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עשה to do, to make, to perform, to act

Definition

An act, deed, or activity; the result or outcome of doing. Used to refer to any work, action, or accomplishment by a person, group, or divine agency, including tangible products (objects made), patterns of conduct, or abstract actions. May denote human labor, divine creative acts, achievements, business, craftsmanship, or moral/ritual actions, depending on the context.

Semantic Range

act, deed, action, thing done, work, labor, business, product of activity, accomplishment, undertaking, occupation, skillful craft, conduct, behavior, property, offering, ritual act, act of God (creative work), craftsmanship, handiwork, result of labor

Root / Etymology

From the root עשה ('ayin-shin-he), meaning 'to do, act, make, perform.' מַעֲשֶׂה is a noun form denoting the result or process of doing—i.e., a deed, act, or product derived from 'to do/make.' The noun form focuses on the outcome, whether tangible or intangible.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מַעֲשֶׂה is extremely common in biblical Hebrew and covers a wide range from physical acts and divine works (such as creation in Genesis 2:2-3), to skilled craftsmanship (Exodus 26:6), ritual deeds (Leviticus 18:3), or general conduct and moral actions (Deuteronomy 28:20). The term does not itself specify positive or negative moral valence—context determines whether the act is good or bad. In legal and economic texts, the word refers to business, occupation, or property produced by work. English translations often render it as 'work,' 'deed,' 'act,' 'activity,' 'product,' or 'thing made,' but none capture its range fully. Later in Hebrew literature, it can refer to poetic or narrative compositions, though rarely so in the Hebrew Bible. Distinct from מִלָּה (word/saying) or דָּבָר (thing/matter), which can overlap but emphasize speech or broader matters rather than specific acts or works. In priestly and prophetic contexts, may denote ritual actions, offerings, or the visible results of God’s will. In post-exilic literature, sometimes takes on an even broader scope, including hypothetical or paradigm acts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָשָׂה; an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property; act, art, [phrase] bakemeat, business, deed, do(-ing), labor, thing made, ware of making, occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, [idiom] well, (handy-, needle-, net-) work(ing, -manship), wrought.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

עשה (ʿ-ś-h) — to do, to make, to perform, to act

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3299 יַעֲשׂוּ They-will-act
H3300 יַעֲשִׂיאֵל And God-has-made
H4640 מַעֲשַׂי and Yah-has-performed
H4641 מַעֲשֵׂיָה Yahweh has accomplished
H6213 עָשָׂה he did

Word Forms

38 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4639-22 מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה maaseh HNcmsc work deed of 95
H4639-28 מַעֲשֶׂ֔י/ךָ maaseykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms your works your deeds 13
H4639-07 הַ/מַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה hamaaseh HTd/Ncmsa the deed the deed 12
H4639-11 כְּ/מַעֲשֵׂה֙ kemaaseh HR/Ncmsc like the work like a deed of 12
H4639-23 מַעֲשֵׂ֤/הוּ maasehu HNcmsc/Sp3ms his work his deed 11
H4639-35 וּ/מַֽעֲשֵׂה֙ umaaseh HC/Ncmsc and the work and deed-of 10
H4639-21 מַעֲשָׂ֔י/ו maasayv HNcmpc/Sp3ms his works his deeds 9
H4639-25 מַֽעֲשֵׂי maasey HNcmpc works of deeds of 8
H4639-27 מַֽעֲשֵׂי/הֶ֔ם maaseyhem HNcmpc/Sp3mp their works their deeds 8
H4639-03 בְּ/מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה bemaaseh HR/Ncmsc with the work in deed-of 6

Occurrences in Scripture

235 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4639-33 Genesis 5:29 מִֽ/מַּעֲשֵׂ֨/נוּ֙ mimaasenu HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cp from our work from our deed
H4639-31 Genesis 20:9 מַעֲשִׂים֙ maasim HNcmpa deeds works
H4639-22 Genesis 40:17 מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה maaseh HNcmsc kinds deed of
H4639-07 Genesis 44:15 הַ/מַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה hamaaseh HTd/Ncmsa the deed the deed
H4639-29 Genesis 46:33 מַּעֲשֵׂי/כֶֽם maaseykhem HNcmpc/Sp2mp is your occupation your deeds
H4639-29 Genesis 47:3 מַּעֲשֵׂי/כֶ֑ם maaseykhem HNcmpc/Sp2mp is your occupation your deeds
H4639-32 Exodus 5:4 מִ/מַּֽעֲשָׂ֑י/ו mimaasayv HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms from their work from his deeds
H4639-29 Exodus 5:13 מַעֲשֵׂי/כֶם֙ maaseykhem HNcmpc/Sp2mp your works your deeds
H4639-07 Exodus 18:20 הַֽ/מַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה hamaaseh HTd/Ncmsa the work the deed
H4639-28 Exodus 23:12 מַעֲשֶׂ֔י/ךָ maaseykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms your-work your deeds