Lexical Summary mechir: Price, hire, wages, value Original Word: מְחִיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance gain, hire, price, sold, worth From an unused root meaning to buy; price, payment, wages -- gain, hire, price, sold, worth. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as machar Definition price, hire NASB Translation cost (2), payment (1), price (10), sale (1), wages (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. מְחִיר noun masculine price, hire (as that which is placed in front of one, presented, offered; Assyrian ma—îru, price; ma—irânu, buyer, DlHWB 404, Prol.94); — ׳מ absolute Micah 3:11 9t.; construct Deuteronomy 23:19 2t.; suffix מְחִירָהּ Job 28:15; plural suffix מְחִירֵיהֶם Psalm 44:13; — 1 price, often בִּמְחִיר for a price; in trade 2 Samuel 24:24; 1 Kings 10:28; 2Chronicles 1:16; compare Lamentations 5:4 ("" כֶּסֶף), also (no בְּ) 1 Kings 21:2 and שָׂדֶה עַתּוּדִים ׳מ Proverbs 27:26; of wisdom Job 28:15 ("" סְגוֺר כֶּסֶף) compare Proverbs 17:16 (no בְּ); figurative ׳בְּלוֺאבֶֿסֶף וּבְלוֺא מ Isaiah 55:1 in purchase of blessings from ׳י; of price of people, figurative Psalm 44:13, compare Jeremiah 15:13. 2 hire, כֶּלֶב ׳מ (i.e. of male prostitute) Deuteronomy 23:19 ("" אֶתְנַן זוֺנָה) see Di Dr; of venal priests Micah 3:11 ("" שֹׁחַד); = reward, gain, denied of Cyrus Isaiah 45:13 ("" id.); affirmed of Ant. Epiph. Daniel 11:39. Topical Lexicon Overview of Biblical Usage Appearing fifteen times across the Old Testament, the term denotes the monetary value, purchase price or hire by which goods, land, services and even people are exchanged. The contexts range from pastoral markets to palace treasuries, from covenant worship to prophetic denunciation, allowing Scripture to frame material “price” within God’s moral economy. Economic and Commercial Settings 1 Kings 10:28 and 2 Chronicles 1:16 record royal horse-trading: “the royal merchants purchased them … at the prevailing price,” illustrating international trade during Solomon’s reign. In 1 Kings 21:2 Ahab offers Naboth “its value in silver,” showing normal market language employed in land negotiations. Lamentations 5:4 laments post-exilic hardship: “We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price,” exposing how basic resources became commodified under foreign oppression. Worship and Holiness Boundaries Deuteronomy 23:18 forbids dedicating illicit earnings to the sanctuary, safeguarding purity of worship. By contrast, 2 Samuel 24:24 highlights righteous sacrifice: “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” Both texts insist that what is brought before God must be free from moral stain yet personally costly, reinforcing the principle that worship involves wholehearted devotion rather than residual funds. Royal Policy and Divine Sovereignty Isaiah 45:13 foretells Cyrus who will free the exiles “not for a price or reward,” affirming that Yahweh, not financial leverage, moves empires. Daniel 11:39 flips the motif as the end-time ruler “will divide the land for a price,” portraying corrupt geopolitical strategies that monetize inheritance once pledged to Abraham’s seed. Prophetic Exposure of Injustice Micah 3:11 censures leaders who “judge for a bribe … priests teach for a price,” coupling the term with bribery that distorts covenant justice. Jeremiah 15:13 likewise warns, “Your wealth and your treasures I will give up as plunder, without charge,” revealing that ill-gotten gain evaporates under divine judgment. Psalm 44:12 poignantly states, “You sell Your people for nothing,” contrasting God’s sovereignty with nations that view lives as commercial stock. Wisdom Literature on True Value Job 28:15 exalts wisdom: “It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.” Proverbs 17:16 asks why a fool should hold money “with no intention of buying wisdom,” and Proverbs 27:26 notes, “the goats [will provide] the price of a field,” reminding stewards to convert natural increase into lasting assets. These sayings teach discernment between transient wealth and enduring worth. Foreshadowing Redemption without Money Isaiah 55:1 invites, “Come, buy and eat … without money and without cost,” prefiguring salvation’s gratuity later unveiled through Christ who redeems believers “not with perishable things such as silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Earthly prices therefore anticipate the ultimate transaction where God pays the debt sinners could never afford. Ministry Implications • Uphold integrity in financial dealings; worship and service to God must be untainted by unrighteous gain. Through its varied appearances, the word gathers Israel’s everyday commerce into the larger account of a holy God who ultimately sets the true price of freedom, worship and life itself. Forms and Transliterations בִּמְחִ֔יר בִּמְחִ֣יר בִּמְחִ֥יר בִּמְחִֽיר׃ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶֽם׃ בִמְחִ֑יר בִמְחִיר֙ במחיר במחיר׃ במחיריהם׃ וּמְחִ֣יר וּמְחִ֥יר ומחיר מְחִ֖יר מְחִ֣יר מְחִ֥יר מְחִירָֽהּ׃ מחיר מחירה׃ bim·ḥî·rê·hem bim·ḥîr ḇim·ḥîr bimChir bimchireiHem bimḥîr ḇimḥîr bimḥîrêhem mə·ḥî·rāh mə·ḥîr meChir mechiRah məḥîr məḥîrāh ū·mə·ḥîr umeChir ūməḥîr vimChirLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 23:18 HEB: אֶתְנַ֨ן זוֹנָ֜ה וּמְחִ֣יר כֶּ֗לֶב בֵּ֛ית NAS: of a harlot or the wages of a dog KJV: of a whore, or the price of a dog, INT: the hire of a harlot the wages of a dog the house 2 Samuel 24:24 1 Kings 10:28 1 Kings 21:2 2 Chronicles 1:16 Job 28:15 Psalm 44:12 Proverbs 17:16 Proverbs 27:26 Isaiah 45:13 Isaiah 55:1 Jeremiah 15:13 Lamentations 5:4 Daniel 11:39 Micah 3:11 15 Occurrences |
    |