מַרְחֶשֶׁת
𐤌𐤓𐤇𐤔𐤕
marchesheth
H4802 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A cooking vessel, specifically a shallow pan or pot used for frying or stewing food. The term designates a type of cookware, generally associated with preparing food by applying heat directly (such as over a fire). May refer to a pan used for frying, sautéing, or boiling, depending on the context; the specific shape or size is not detailed in biblical texts.
Semantic Range
cooking pan, frying pan, stewpot, shallow vessel for cooking, kitchen implement
Root / Etymology
From the root רָחַשׁ (raḥash), which conveys the sense 'to boil, seethe, be in motion,' likely referencing the agitation or bubbling of liquids during cooking. מַרְחֶשֶׁת is a noun formation indicating an object associated with that activity—here, a vessel in which food is agitated by heating.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מַרְחֶשֶׁת appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible (notably in 1 Samuel 2:14, where it is listed alongside other cooking implements). In context, it refers to a specific type of vessel used in sacrificial or domestic food preparation. In ancient Israelite households and temples, a variety of specialized cooking pots and pans existed; marchesheth stands out as a vessel distinguished from a deeper pot (סִיר, sir), suggesting a shallower vessel, perhaps equivalent to a modern frying pan or sauté pan. English translations vary between 'pan,' 'pot,' and 'frying-pan.' Later Rabbinic literature offers further clarification, but the biblical term itself is not precisely defined in terms of shape or size. In post-biblical periods, this term was largely supplanted by more specific Greek and Aramaic designations for cookware. The translation 'fryingpan' in some traditions reflects later, perhaps anachronistic, understanding; in the Hebrew Bible, its principal distinction is as a vessel for cooking over heat in contrast to roasting or boiling in deeper pots.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָחַשׁ; a stewpan; fryingpan.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רחש (r-ḥ-sh) — to boil, to seethe, to stir, to be in motion
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7370 | רָחַשׁ | he stirred |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4802-02 |
בַ/מַּרְחֶ֖שֶׁת | vamarecheshet | HRd/Ncfsa |
in a pan | in the seething-pan | 1 |
H4802-01 |
מַרְחֶ֖שֶׁת | marecheshet | HNcfsa |
pan | seething pan | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4802-01 |
Leviticus 2:7 | מַרְחֶ֖שֶׁת | marecheshet | HNcfsa |
pan | seething pan |
H4802-02 |
Leviticus 7:9 | בַ/מַּרְחֶ֖שֶׁת | vamarecheshet | HRd/Ncfsa |
in a pan | in the seething-pan |