4276. machatsith
Lexical Summary
machatsith: Half, half part

Original Word: מַחֲצִית
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: machatsiyth
Pronunciation: mah-khats-eeth'
Phonetic Spelling: (makh-ats-eeth')
KJV: half (so much), mid(-day)
NASB: half, half as much
Word Origin: [from H2673 (חָצָה - divided)]

1. a halving or the middle

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
half so much, midday

From chatsah; a halving or the middle -- half (so much), mid(-day).

see HEBREW chatsah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from chatsah
Definition
half, middle
NASB Translation
half (11), half as much (1), half-tribe* (3), midday* (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַחֲצִית noun feminine half, middle — construct מַחֲצִית Exodus 30:13 (twice in verse) + 8 t.; מַחֲצִת Numbers 31:30,47; suffix מַחֲצִיתוֺ Exodus 30:23, מַחֲצִיתָהּ Leviticus 6:13 (twice in verse), מַחֲצִיתָם Numbers 31:29

1 half of a shekel Exodus 30:13 (twice in verse); Exodus 30:15 compare Exodus 30:23; Exodus 38:26; the flour for offering Leviticus 6:13 (twice in verse), of spoils Numbers 31:29,30,42,47; of tribe Joshua 21:25 (all P), 1 Chronicles 6:46; 1 Chronicles 6:55; of chariots 1 Kings 16:9.

2 middle היּוֺם ׳מ = midday, noon Nehemiah 8:3 (compare midnight, חָצוֺת, חֲצִי 2).

חצן (√ of following; meaning dubious; denominative seem to be Arabic , Ethiopic carry in the arms or bosom, rear, foster; perhaps also Assyrian êƒênu, bring together, also drink or draw in sweet odours Flood Tabletiii, 49 Hpt in KAT2Gloss i).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope of Usage

The term denotes an exact half or half-portion. Scripture employs it in the realms of money, weight, time, military spoils, and tribal inheritance—underscoring the precision, equity, and covenantal order that mark the LORD’s dealings with His people.

Half-Shekel Atonement Contribution

Exodus 30:13–16 and 38:26 establish the half-shekel as the fixed amount every male Israelite twenty years and older must bring “as an offering to the LORD to make atonement for your lives.” The sum was deliberately small enough for the poor yet not so small that the rich could augment it: “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel” (Exodus 30:15). By ordaining a uniform ransom, the LORD affirmed both the equal worth of each soul before Him and the insufficiency of earthly wealth to purchase redemption. Centuries later, this same sum emerges as the Temple tax that Jesus willingly paid (Matthew 17:24–27), highlighting the continuity of the atonement theme and pointing to the greater ransom He would offer at the cross.

Standard of Measurement in Worship

Exodus 30:23 applies the concept to weight: the anointing oil required “five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh… and two hundred fifty shekels of fragrant cinnamon,” literally “half” of five hundred. The identical weight safeguarded the recipe from human alteration, preserving the sanctity of the priestly anointing and typifying the perfection of the coming Anointed One.

Daily Sacrificial Rhythm

In Leviticus 6:20 the grain offering for the high priest’s ordination is to be baked “half in the morning and half in the evening.” The symmetrical division kept the priest mindful that every portion of the day belongs to the LORD. It also offered Israel a visual pattern of continual, whole-day consecration—a foreshadowing of the perpetual intercession of Christ, our great High Priest.

Equitable Division of War Spoils

Numbers 31 employs the word eight times (verses 27, 29–30, 42, 47) to describe the precise division of Midian’s plunder—half to the warriors, half to the rest of Israel, with dedicated portions for Eleazar the priest and the Levites. This arrangement prevented greed, honored those who fought, and ensured that worship remained central even in matters of national defense and economic gain.

Allocation within the Half-Tribe of Manasseh

Joshua 21:25; 1 Chronicles 6:61, 70 detail cities taken “from the half-tribe of Manasseh” for the Levites. By designating these towns from only part of the tribe, the LORD balanced inheritance between Transjordan and Cisjordan clans while embedding priestly ministry throughout the land.

A Royal Administration and the Language of Governance

1 Kings 16:9 notes that Zimri was “commander of half the chariots” of King Elah. Even in the northern kingdom’s turbulent politics, Scripture’s precise language testifies that authority and responsibility are ultimately measured under God’s gaze.

Half the Day in Public Reading of the Law

Nehemiah 8:3 records Ezra’s public reading “from daybreak until noon,” literally “until half of the day.” The restored community responded with attentive ears and worshipful hearts, demonstrating that revival springs from extended, shared exposure to the Word.

Theological Reflections

1. Equality before God: The half-shekel demonstrates that salvation cannot be bought; every person stands on the same footing at the place of atonement.
2. Completeness in Christ: Each “half” anticipates the whole found in Him. What Israel rendered in fractional form, He fulfilled in totality (Hebrews 10:10).
3. Stewardship and Justice: Whether in offerings, spoils, or inheritances, the measured half teaches transparent stewardship and guards against partiality.
4. Continual Worship: Dividing offerings and the day itself frames life around regular rhythms of devotion.

Ministry Implications Today

• Congregational giving should reflect the principle of equal sacrifice rather than equal amounts, reminding believers that the value lies in obedience, not in size.
• Leadership ought to allocate resources and honor labor with scrupulous equity, following Moses’ numbering of halves.
• Corporate worship can benefit from intentional segments—morning and evening prayer, balanced proclamation and response—echoing the symmetrical halves of Leviticus 6:20 and Nehemiah 8:3.
• Teaching on redemption gains richness by tracing the half-shekel to the coin Jesus provided, presenting Him as the complete ransom for sinners.

Thus, מַחֲצִית, though merely “half,” magnifies God’s unwavering precision and grace, directing hearts to the perfect wholeness secured in His Son.

Forms and Transliterations
וּמִֽמַּחֲצִ֖ית וּמִֽמַּחֲצִית֙ וּמִמַּחֲצִ֨ת וּמַחֲצִיתָ֖הּ ומחציתה וממחצית וממחצת מִֽ֠מַּחֲצִית מִֽמַּחֲצִ֖ית מִמַּֽחֲצִיתָ֖ם מִמַּחֲצִ֣ת מַחֲצִ֣ית מַחֲצִ֥ית מַחֲצִית֖וֹ מַחֲצִיתָ֣הּ מחצית מחציתה מחציתו ממחצית ממחציתם ממחצת ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯāh ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯōw ma·ḥă·ṣîṯ machaTzit machatziTah machatziTo maḥăṣîṯ maḥăṣîṯāh maḥăṣîṯōw mim·ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯām mim·ma·ḥă·ṣiṯ mim·ma·ḥă·ṣîṯ mimachaTzit mimachatziTam mimmaḥăṣiṯ mimmaḥăṣîṯ mimmaḥăṣîṯām ū·ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯāh ū·mim·ma·ḥă·ṣiṯ ū·mim·ma·ḥă·ṣîṯ umachatziTah ūmaḥăṣîṯāh umimachaTzit ūmimmaḥăṣiṯ ūmimmaḥăṣîṯ
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Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 30:13
HEB: עַל־ הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים מַחֲצִ֥ית הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל
NAS: shall give: half a shekel
KJV: them that are numbered, half a shekel
INT: among is numbered half A shekel to the shekel

Exodus 30:13
HEB: גֵּרָה֙ הַשֶּׁ֔קֶל מַחֲצִ֣ית הַשֶּׁ֔קֶל תְּרוּמָ֖ה
NAS: gerahs), half a shekel
KJV: gerahs:) an half shekel
INT: gerah shekel half A shekel A contribution

Exodus 30:15
HEB: לֹ֣א יַמְעִ֔יט מִֽמַּחֲצִ֖ית הַשָּׁ֑קֶל לָתֵת֙
NAS: than the half shekel,
KJV: shall not give less than half a shekel,
INT: shall not pay the half shekel give

Exodus 30:23
HEB: וְקִנְּמָן־ בֶּ֥שֶׂם מַחֲצִית֖וֹ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם
NAS: cinnamon half as much, two hundred
KJV: cinnamon half so much,
INT: cinnamon fragrant half and fifty hundred

Exodus 38:26
HEB: בֶּ֚קַע לַגֻּלְגֹּ֔לֶת מַחֲצִ֥ית הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל
NAS: a head ([that is], half a shekel
KJV: for every man, [that is], half a shekel,
INT: A bekah man half A shekel the shekel

Leviticus 6:20
HEB: מִנְחָ֖ה תָּמִ֑יד מַחֲצִיתָ֣הּ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וּמַחֲצִיתָ֖הּ
NAS: grain offering, half of it in the morning
KJV: perpetual, half of it in the morning,
INT: offering A regular half the morning and half

Leviticus 6:20
HEB: מַחֲצִיתָ֣הּ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וּמַחֲצִיתָ֖הּ בָּעָֽרֶב׃
NAS: of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.
KJV: of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.
INT: half the morning and half the evening

Numbers 31:29
HEB: מִמַּֽחֲצִיתָ֖ם תִּקָּ֑חוּ וְנָתַתָּ֛ה
NAS: take it from their half and give
KJV: Take [it] of their half, and give
INT: their half take and give

Numbers 31:30
HEB: וּמִמַּחֲצִ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל
NAS: of Israel's half, you shall take
KJV: of Israel's half, thou shalt take
INT: half the sons of Israel's

Numbers 31:42
HEB: וּמִֽמַּחֲצִ֖ית בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
NAS: of Israel's half, which
KJV: of Israel's half, which Moses
INT: half the sons of Israel's

Numbers 31:47
HEB: וַיִּקַּ֨ח מֹשֶׁ֜ה מִמַּחֲצִ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
NAS: of Israel's half, Moses
KJV: of Israel's half, Moses
INT: took Moses half the sons of Israel's

Joshua 21:25
HEB: וּמִֽמַּחֲצִית֙ מַטֵּ֣ה מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה
NAS: From the half-tribe of Manasseh,
KJV: And out of the half tribe of Manasseh,
INT: of the half tribe of Manasseh

1 Kings 16:9
HEB: זִמְרִ֔י שַׂ֖ר מַחֲצִ֣ית הָרָ֑כֶב וְה֤וּא
NAS: commander of half his chariots,
KJV: captain of half [his] chariots,
INT: Zimri commander of half his chariots now he

1 Chronicles 6:61
HEB: מִמִּשְׁפַּ֣חַת הַמַּטֶּ֡ה מִֽ֠מַּחֲצִית מַטֵּ֨ה חֲצִ֧י
NAS: of the tribe, from the half-tribe, the half
KJV: tribe, [namely, out of] the half [tribe] of Manasseh,
INT: the family of the tribe the half of the tribe the half

1 Chronicles 6:70
HEB: וּמִֽמַּחֲצִית֙ מַטֵּ֣ה מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה
NAS: and from the half-tribe of Manasseh:
KJV: And out of the half tribe of Manasseh;
INT: of the half tribe of Manasseh

Nehemiah 8:3
HEB: הָאוֹר֙ עַד־ מַחֲצִ֣ית הַיּ֔וֹם נֶ֛גֶד
NAS: until midday, in the presence
INT: early until half in the presence

16 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4276
16 Occurrences


ma·ḥă·ṣîṯ — 5 Occ.
ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯāh — 1 Occ.
ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯōw — 1 Occ.
mim·ma·ḥă·ṣîṯ — 3 Occ.
mim·ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯām — 1 Occ.
ū·ma·ḥă·ṣî·ṯāh — 1 Occ.
ū·mim·ma·ḥă·ṣiṯ — 4 Occ.

4275
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