4042. magan

Lexical Summary

magan: delivered, present, surrender

Original Word: מָגַן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: magan
Pronunciation: maw-gane'
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-gan')
KJV: deliver
NASB: delivered, present, surrender
Word Origin: [a denominative from H4043 (מָגֵן מְגִנָּה - shield)]

1. (properly) to shield
2. encompass with
3. (figuratively) to rescue, to hand safely over (i.e. surrender)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

deliver

A denominative from magen; properly, to shield; encompass with; figuratively, to rescue, to hand safely over (i.e. Surrender) -- deliver.

see HEBREW magen

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
denominative verb from magen
Definition
to deliver up, deliver
NASB Translation
delivered (2), present (1), surrender (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מָגַן verb only

Pi`el deliver up, deliver (denominative from מָגֵן; on connection of meanings compare סָגַר) — Perfect מִגֵּן Genesis 14:20; Imperfect3feminine singular suffix תְּמַגְּנֶ֑ךָּ Proverbs 4:9 אֲמַגֶּנְךָ Hosea 11:8; — deliver up to adversary Genesis 14:20; Hosea 11:8 + Isaiah 64:6 ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ7 Ew Che and others וַתְּמַגְּנֵּנוּ for ᵑ0 וַתְּמגֵנוּ; also deliver, give, with accusative & suffix of indirect object Proverbs 4:9.

Topical Lexicon

Semantic Range and Nuances

מָגַן (Strong’s H4042) speaks of “handing over,” “delivering up,” or “presenting.” The term covers both hostile and benevolent transfers: enemies delivered into a victor’s hand, a crown presented to a disciple of wisdom, or a covenant people potentially surrendered to judgment.

Canonical Occurrences

1. Genesis 14:20 – Melchizedek blesses Abram: “who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” The verb underscores divine sovereignty. Abram’s victory is explicitly attributed to God, not to military prowess.
2. Proverbs 4:9 – Wisdom “will present you with a crown of beauty.” Here the verb conveys bestowal of honor. The same action that can hand foes to defeat can also hand believers a reward, showing the moral texture of the word.
3. Hosea 11:8 – “How can I hand you over, Israel?” The threatened transfer to destruction is restrained by God’s compassion. The verb intensifies the emotional tension of covenant justice versus covenant love.

Theological Motifs

• Divine Agency: In every use, מָגַן locates the decisive action in God or His personified wisdom. Even human agency (Abram’s sword, a father’s teaching, Assyria’s armies) is secondary.
• Covenant Dynamics: The word frames both blessing and curse within covenant bonds. Blessing (Genesis 14; Proverbs 4) flows when covenant faith is honored; threatened curse (Hosea 11) emerges when it is violated, yet mercy prevails.
• Moral Transfer: What is “handed over” reflects moral reality—evil is delivered to defeat, the wise to honor, the rebellious nearly to ruin. God’s transfers are never arbitrary; they mirror His holiness and compassion.

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Assurance in Spiritual Warfare: Believers face real adversaries, but Genesis 14:20 assures that ultimate victory rests on the Lord “who has delivered.” Prayer and praise flow naturally from this confidence.
• Incentive for Discipleship: Proverbs 4:9 invites pastors and parents to hold up wisdom’s tangible reward. The same God who hands over enemies to destruction also hands over crowns to the obedient.
• Heart for the Lost: Hosea 11:8 shapes evangelistic compassion. Before any final “handing over,” God’s heart wrestles. His ministers should likewise labor to reclaim the straying before judgment falls.

Christological Echoes

The Septuagint often renders מָגַן with paradidōmi, the verb used of the Father who “did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). The ultimate “handing over” that secures salvation fills out the pattern glimpsed in Genesis 14:20, Proverbs 4:9, and Hosea 11:8—victory, honor, and mercy converge at the cross.

Related Terms

• נָתַן (nathan) – to give; broader, less intense.
• שָׁלַח (shalach) – to send; emphasizes dispatch rather than transfer of control.
• παράδοσις / paradidōmi (Greek) – to deliver over; New Testament counterpart.

Summary

מָגַן portrays God’s decisive act of transfer—of foes to defeat, of glory to the faithful, and potentially of His people to judgment yet withheld by mercy. Recognizing the hand that “hands over” shapes worship, discipleship, and proclamation.

Forms and Transliterations

אֲמַגֶּנְךָ֙ אמגנך מִגֵּ֥ן מגן תְּמַגְּנֶֽךָּ׃ תמגנך׃ ’ă·mag·gen·ḵā ’ămaggenḵā amaggenCha mig·gên migGen miggên tə·mag·gə·ne·kā temaggeNeka təmaggənekā

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 14:20
HEB: עֶלְי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁר־ מִגֵּ֥ן צָרֶ֖יךָ בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ
NAS: Who has delivered your enemies
KJV: God, which hath delivered thine enemies
INT: Most Who has delivered your enemies your hand

Proverbs 4:9
HEB: עֲטֶ֖רֶת תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת תְּמַגְּנֶֽךָּ׃
NAS: of grace; She will present you with a crown
KJV: of glory shall she deliver to thee.
INT: A crown of beauty will present

Hosea 11:8
HEB: אֶתֶּנְךָ֣ אֶפְרַ֗יִם אֲמַגֶּנְךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֚יךְ
NAS: you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel?
KJV: Ephraim? [how] shall I deliver thee, Israel?
INT: give Ephraim deliver Israel How

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4042
3 Occurrences

’ă·mag·gen·ḵā — 1 Occ.
mig·gên — 1 Occ.
tə·mag·gə·ne·kā — 1 Occ.