מַעֲשֶׂה
𐤌𐤏𐤔𐤄
maʻăseh
H4639 noun
SILEX Entry
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 WordRoot 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 |