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מִקְשָׁה

𐤌𐤒𐤔𐤄

miqshâh

H4749 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קשה to be hard, to become hard, to be difficult

Definition

A piece of metalwork formed by hammering from a single piece, without joints or seams, often referring specifically to items shaped with curved or rounded surfaces through the process of beating or repoussé (hammered relief). The term is primarily used for cultic objects (e.g., lampstands, cherubim) crafted in this manner, emphasising their unity and lack of assembly from separate parts.

Semantic Range

hammered work, beaten (metal), object molded by hammering, metal formed in one piece, repoussé work, continuous/unbroken metalwork

Root / Etymology

From the root קָשָׁה (ק-ש-ה), typically meaning 'to be hard, difficult, severe.' The noun מִקְשָׁה derives from a causative or resultative sense, denoting an object formed by the hardening and working of metal, specifically by hammering or beating into shape from a single piece.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical contexts, מִקְשָׁה is used mainly in descriptions of objects for the Tabernacle, such as the menorah (lampstand) or the cherubim, to highlight that they were fashioned from a single mass of gold beaten into shape, rather than being made of joined or assembled pieces (e.g., Exodus 25:18, 31, 36). This term appears most frequently in ritual and technical descriptions, and its use reflects specialized metallurgical techniques of the period. The term contrasts with words for cast or assembled work (e.g., מַסֵּכָה 'cast metal'). Although sometimes translated 'of a whole piece,' standard English renderings may obscure the specialized craft meaning of repoussé. The word may also—rarely—refer metaphorically to something continuous or undivided. Its usage is almost exclusively limited to priestly and technical descriptions in the Pentateuch, with little evidence of semantic extension beyond this sphere.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of מִקְשֶׁה; rounded work, i.e. moulded by hammering (repousse); beaten (out of one piece, work), upright, whole piece.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קשה (q-š-h) — hardness, severity, difficulty

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7184 קָשָׂה the rounded flasks
H7185 קָשָׁה I will make hard
H7186 קָשֶׁה the severe
H7190 קְשִׁי stubbornness of
H7191 קִשְׁיוֹן Hard-Ground Settlement

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4749-01 מִקְשָׁה֙ miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork 10

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4749-01 Exodus 25:18 מִקְשָׁה֙ miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Exodus 25:31 מִקְשָׁ֞ה miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Exodus 25:36 מִקְשָׁ֥ה miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Exodus 37:7 מִקְשָׁה֙ miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Exodus 37:17 מִקְשָׁ֞ה miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Exodus 37:22 מִקְשָׁ֥ה miqeshah HNcfsa beaten work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Numbers 8:4 מִקְשָׁ֣ה miqeshah HNcfsa beaten work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Numbers 8:4 מִקְשָׁ֣ה miqeshah-2 HNcfsa beaten work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Numbers 10:2 מִקְשָׁ֖ה miqeshah HNcfsa hammered work one-piece hammered metalwork
H4749-01 Jeremiah 10:5 מִקְשָׁ֥ה miqeshah HNcfsa carved one-piece hammered metalwork
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