Lexical Summary machalaph: Change, exchange, or replacement Original Word: מַחֲלָף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance knife From chalaph; a (sacrificial) knife (as gliding through the flesh) -- knife. see HEBREW chalaph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chalaph Definition a knife NASB Translation duplicates (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מַחֲלָף] noun masculine knife, so ᵑ9 (compare Syriac  totondit (in Lexicon),  ,  , knife, Talmud חליפות knives, according to Levy, Jastr; Thes as passing through (compare verb 3a)); but √ and meaning not certain, only Plural מַחֲלָפִים Ezra 1:9, among temple utensils (see BeRy Ryle). Topical Lexicon Biblical context “And this was the inventory: thirty gold dishes, one thousand silver dishes, twenty-nine silver knives” (Ezra 1:9). מַחֲלָף appears only here, describing the knives that King Cyrus returned to Jerusalem with the other temple vessels. These knives had once belonged to Solomon’s Temple, were seized by Nebuchadnezzar, stored in Babylon for about seventy years, and were now being restored so that sacrificial worship could recommence. Historical and cultic background Knives were indispensable to the priestly ministry. They were used to: Because blood represented life (Leviticus 17:11), the instrument that released that life was treated as consecrated. Being forged of precious metal, the twenty-nine knives listed in Ezra 1:9 testified to the care once devoted to temple worship and to the thorough plundering that followed Jerusalem’s fall (2 Kings 25:13-15). Significance within the return from exile 1. Fulfillment of prophecy: Isaiah had foreseen Cyrus as the shepherd who would “accomplish all My purpose” (Isaiah 44:28). The return of even minor implements proved the accuracy of God’s word down to the smallest detail. Theological insights • Holiness: Vessels once seized by pagans had not lost their sanctity (compare Daniel 5:3). God preserved them and saw that they were placed back in holy service, underscoring that what He sets apart remains His. Cultural and practical considerations Manufacture: Temple knives were typically full-metal, without wooden handles, to avoid impurity through decay. Silver offered durability and ease of ritual purification (Numbers 31:22-23). Number: Twenty-nine may reflect sets assigned to the twenty-four priestly divisions (1 Chronicles 24:7-18) with surplus for festivals, showing ordered worship. Stewardship: Sheshbazzar delivered them intact to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:11), highlighting accountable handling of sacred resources—an enduring ministry principle (1 Corinthians 4:2). Ministry applications 1. Faithful record-keeping: Cyrus’s detailed inventory models transparency for modern churches in managing offerings and property. Typological reflections Abraham lifted a knife over Isaac (Genesis 22:10), foreshadowing substitutionary atonement. Temple knives carried that picture daily until Christ declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Their return in Ezra assures believers that every shadow finds its fulfillment; no part of God’s saving plan is forgotten. Related passages for study Genesis 22:6-13; Exodus 29:11; Leviticus 1:5-9; Deuteronomy 12:27; 2 Chronicles 5:1; Hebrews 9:22-26; 1 Peter 1:18-19. Summary Though מַחֲלָף occurs only once, its single appearance opens a window on God’s faithfulness, the centrality of sacrificial worship, and the meticulous way the Lord preserves and restores what belongs to Him. The twenty-nine silver knives of Ezra 1:9, once sullied by exile, now shine as symbols of renewed covenant fellowship and as quiet witnesses to the greater sacrifice that would make temple blades obsolete—the cross of Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations מַחֲלָפִ֖ים מחלפים ma·ḥă·lā·p̄îm machalaFim maḥălāp̄îmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 1:9 HEB: כֶ֙סֶף֙ אָ֔לֶף מַחֲלָפִ֖ים תִּשְׁעָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃ NAS: dishes, 29duplicates; KJV: nine and twenty knives, INT: of silver A thousand duplicates nine and twenty 1 Occurrence |
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