4181. morashah
Lexical Summary
morashah: possession

Original Word: מוֹרָשָׁה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mowrashah
Pronunciation: mo-rah-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-raw-shaw')
KJV: heritage, inheritance, possession
NASB: possession
Word Origin: [feminine of H4180 (מוֹרָשׁ - possession)]

1. a possession

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
heritage, inheritance, possession

Feminine of mowrash; a possession -- heritage, inheritance, possession.

see HEBREW mowrash

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
fem. of morash
Definition
a possession
NASB Translation
possession (9).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מוֺרָשָׁה noun feminine a possession; — ׳מ Exodus 6:8 8t.; — of land Deuteronomy 33:4 (poem), Exodus 6:8 (P), Ezekiel 11:15; Ezekiel 25:10; Ezekiel 33:24; Ezekiel 36:2,5; of people Ezekiel 25:4; Ezekiel 36:3.

Topical Lexicon
Nature of the Word

מֹורָשָׁה (morashah) denotes a God-given possession, legacy, or heritage that is held in trust by the recipient and intended to be passed on intact. Because its root comes from “to dispossess/possess,” the term always carries the notion of rightful ownership established by divine decree rather than by human achievement.

Sweep of Biblical Usage

1. Promise and Covenant (Exodus 6:8)

“I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!”

The first appearance links morashah to the Abrahamic covenant. God alone guarantees the transfer; Israel merely receives. The verse sets the theological baseline: morashah is anchored in oath, grace, and sovereignty.

2. Torah as Heritage (Deuteronomy 33:4)

“The law that Moses gave us, the possession of the congregation of Jacob.”

Here morashah refers to the Mosaic Law itself. Scripture thus identifies both land and Word as divine patrimony. The congregation’s responsibility is custodial: to preserve, obey, and transmit.

3. Contested Inheritance (Ezekiel 11:15; 25:4,10; 33:24; 36:2,3,5)

Ezekiel ministers amid exile and foreign encroachment. Misguided claimants in Jerusalem boast, “This land has been given to us as a possession” (Ezekiel 11:15), while hostile nations seek to make Israel “a possession for themselves” (Ezekiel 25:4). The prophet exposes the presumption of both groups and reasserts God’s right to allocate His heritage. Ultimately, morashah will be restored to a purified remnant (Ezekiel 36).

Historical Trajectory

• Patriarchal Period: The promise of land is declared but not yet occupied.
• Conquest and Settlement: Morashah moves from promise to tangible reality under Joshua.
• Monarchy to Exile: Sin jeopardizes the inheritance; foreign powers temporarily seize what was never theirs.
• Post-exilic Hope: Ezekiel’s visions assure that God’s heritage is indefeasible. Human unfaithfulness may delay enjoyment, but it cannot annul divine title.

Ministry Significance

1. Assurance of Divine Faithfulness

Morashah strengthens confidence in God’s unbroken promises. Believers today rest in the same covenant-keeping character revealed in Exodus 6:8.

2. Stewardship of Revelation

As Israel received Torah as morashah, the Church is entrusted with “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Proclamation and preservation of Scripture are non-negotiable.

3. Warning Against Presumption

Ezekiel’s audiences—both insiders and outsiders—serve as cautionary examples. Possession is never a license for pride; it is a summons to holiness.

4. Eschatological Perspective

New Testament writers draw on the inheritance motif—“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). The temporal land pledge anticipates the consummate kingdom secured in Christ.

Summary

Morashah encapsulates the biblical theology of inheritance: a divinely granted legacy that includes land, law, and ultimately life in God’s presence. It calls every generation to grateful reception, faithful stewardship, and confident hope in the One who never relinquishes His claim or fails His word.

Forms and Transliterations
לְמ֨וֹרָשָׁ֜ה לְמֽוֹרָשָׁ֑ה לְמֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה לְמֽוֹרָשָׁ֗ה לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ למורשה למורשה׃ מֽוֹרָשָׁה֙ מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה מורשה lə·mō·w·rā·šāh lemoraShah ləmōwrāšāh mō·w·rā·šāh moraShah mōwrāšāh
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 6:8
HEB: אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
NAS: and I will give it to you [for] a possession; I am the LORD.'
KJV: and I will give it you for an heritage: I [am] the LORD.
INT: and Jacob will give to you a possession I the LORD

Deuteronomy 33:4
HEB: לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃
NAS: us with a law, A possession for the assembly
KJV: us a law, [even] the inheritance of the congregation
INT: charged Moses A possession the assembly of Jacob

Ezekiel 11:15
HEB: נִתְּנָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ ס
NAS: has been given us as a possession.'
KJV: given in possession.
INT: has been given land possession

Ezekiel 25:4
HEB: לִבְנֵי־ קֶ֜דֶם לְמֽוֹרָשָׁ֗ה וְיִשְּׁב֤וּ טִירֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙
NAS: of the east for a possession, and they will set
KJV: of the east for a possession, and they shall set
INT: to the sons of the east A possession will set their encampments

Ezekiel 25:10
HEB: עַמּ֔וֹן וּנְתַתִּ֖יהָ לְמֽוֹרָשָׁ֑ה לְמַ֛עַן לֹֽא־
NAS: and I will give it for a possession along
KJV: and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites
INT: of Ammon will give A possession so not

Ezekiel 33:24
HEB: נִתְּנָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ ס
NAS: has been given as a possession.'
KJV: the land is given us for inheritance.
INT: has been given the land inheritance

Ezekiel 36:2
HEB: וּבָמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם לְמֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה הָ֥יְתָה לָּֽנוּ׃
NAS: heights have become our possession,'
KJV: high places are ours in possession:
INT: heights the ancient possession have become

Ezekiel 36:3
HEB: מִסָּבִ֗יב לִֽהְיוֹתְכֶ֤ם מֽוֹרָשָׁה֙ לִשְׁאֵרִ֣ית הַגּוֹיִ֔ם
NAS: that you would become a possession of the rest
KJV: on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue
INT: every become A possession of the rest of the nations

Ezekiel 36:5
HEB: אַרְצִ֣י ׀ לָ֠הֶם לְמ֨וֹרָשָׁ֜ה בְּשִׂמְחַ֤ת כָּל־
NAS: My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted
KJV: my land into their possession with the joy
INT: my land as A possession joy all

9 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4181
9 Occurrences


lə·mō·w·rā·šāh — 6 Occ.
mō·w·rā·šāh — 3 Occ.

4180
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