מִקְשָׁה
𐤌𐤒𐤔𐤄
miqshâh
H4750 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A plot or bed specifically cultivated for growing cucurbits, particularly cucumbers; a cultivated vegetable plot, usually enclosed or specially tended. The term signifies an agricultural field or plot planted with cucumbers or similar climbing/gourd-type vegetables, emphasizing both the crops and the purposeful organization of the plot.
Semantic Range
field of cucumbers, cucumber patch, plot for cucurbit cultivation; by extension, any specially prepared vegetable bed (esp. for gourds)
Root / Etymology
From the root ק־ש־א (קישוא, qishshu, 'cucumber'), with the nominal pattern -ָה (-ah) forming a feminine noun signifying a place or object characterized by the root concept. Thus, מִקְשָׁה (miqshâh) denotes a place of cucumbers, i.e., a cucumber patch, by extension any field of cucurbits. The word is denominative, formed directly from the noun for 'cucumber' rather than from a verbal root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, מִקְשָׁה appears in limited agricultural contexts, notably in Isaiah 1:8 and Jeremiah 10:5, where it refers to a field or plot of cucumbers. It evokes imagery of a vulnerable, exposed area in the countryside, sometimes used metaphorically to convey ideas of abandonment or isolation (as in 'a hut in a cucumber field'). The term does not signify a generic garden but a specific plot associated with a particular seasonal crop, distinguished from more general garden terms like גַּן (gan, 'garden') or שָׂדֶה (sadeh, 'field'). In related post-biblical Hebrew, the term continues to denote vegetable plots, while in later translation traditions the sense was sometimes generalized. English translations as 'garden of cucumbers' do not always convey the specialized agricultural connotation, and typically do not communicate the vulnerability or singular purpose of such a plot in the ancient agrarian setting.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
denominative from קִשֻּׁא; literally a cucumbered field, i.e. a cucumber patch; garden of cucumbers.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קשא (q-sh-ʾ) — cucumber, cucurbit growth, cucurbit cultivation
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7180 | קִשֻּׁא | the cucumbers |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4750-01 |
בְ/מִקְשָׁ֖ה | vemiqeshah | HR/Ncfsa |
in a cucumber field | in a cucumber patch | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4750-01 |
Isaiah 1:8 | בְ/מִקְשָׁ֖ה | vemiqeshah | HR/Ncfsa |
in a cucumber field | in a cucumber patch |