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מַרְבֵּק

𐤌𐤓𐤁𐤒

marbêq

H4770 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מרבּק to bind, to tie up (root meaning, uncertain)

Definition

A stall or enclosure where animals, particularly cattle, are kept and fattened; by extension, refers to an animal (especially a calf) that is raised in such a location, hence a 'fattened' or 'stall-fed' animal in sacrificial or feasting contexts. The term primarily refers to a physical place of fattening but is sometimes used metonymically for the animal itself raised in such conditions.

Semantic Range

stall, enclosure for cattle, place for fattening animals, fattened animal, stall-fed calf or calf raised for sacrifice or feasting

Root / Etymology

The word appears to derive from an unused root, possibly connected to the idea of tying up or binding animals in a secure place, though the root is uncertain and occurs nowhere else in Hebrew; the formation resembles other place-nouns derived from verb roots but no direct verbal root is attested in biblical Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מַרְבֵּק occurs most notably in sacrificial or feasting contexts (e.g., 1 Samuel 28:24 uses it for a fattened calf prepared for a guest). The primary meaning is the stall or enclosure; however, the word often refers by extension to the animal fattened in such a place, especially in connection with hospitality or ritual meals. The context usually makes clear whether the physical place or the animal is intended. The term is rare and specific, differing from more generic words for cattle or sheep pens (e.g., גֹּרָן, 'threshing floor'/open enclosure; דִּיר, 'sheepfold'), emphasizing the purpose of fattening. Standard English translations often render מַרְבֵּק as 'stall' or 'stall-fed', but the nuance of purposeful fattening for special occasions is not always captured. Later in Rabbinic literature, related forms appear with similar meanings. No direct reference to religious identity or later concepts of 'Jews' is associated with this term.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to tie up; a stall (for cattle); [idiom] fat(-ted), stall.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מרבק (m-r-b-q) — binding, tying up, enclosing for fattening

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4770-01 מַרְבֵּק֙ marebeq HNcmsa fattened fattening-stall 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4770-01 1 Samuel 28:24 מַרְבֵּק֙ marebeq HNcmsa fattened fattening-stall
H4770-01 Jeremiah 46:21 מַרְבֵּ֔ק marebeq HNcmsa fattened fattening-stall
H4770-01 Amos 6:4 מַרְבֵּֽק marebeq HNcmsa the stall fattening-stall
H4770-01 Malachi 3:20 מַרְבֵּֽק marebeq HNcmsa of-the-stall fattening-stall
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