4548. masmer or mismer or masmerah or mismerah or masmerah

Lexical Summary

masmer or mismer or masmerah or mismerah or masmerah: Nail, peg

Original Word: מַסְמֵר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: macmer
Pronunciation: mahs-MARE or mees-MARE or mahs-meh-RAH or mees-meh-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mas-mare')
KJV: nail
NASB: nails
Word Origin: [from H5568 (סָמַר - bristled)]

1. a peg (as bristling from the surface)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

nail

Or micmer {mis-mare'}; also (feminine) macmrah {mas-mer-aw'}; or micmrah {mis-mer-aw'}; or even masmrah (Eccles. 12:11) {mas-mer-aw'}; from camar; a peg (as bristling from the surface) -- nail.

see HEBREW camar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
perhaps from samar
Definition
a nail
NASB Translation
nails (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[מַסְמֵר] noun masculine^{Ecclesiastes 12:11} nail (connection with above √ dubious; ᵑ7 מַסְמְרָא, ChrPalAramaic Schw^{63. 122}; Late Hebrew verb סמר nail on or up; Arabic is perhaps loan-word Frä⁸⁹); — plural absolute מַסְמְרִים Isaiah 41:7, מִסְמְרִים 1 Chronicles 22:3 (of iron; on ִ֯ see Ges^{§ 85f}.); also מַסְמְרוֺת Jeremiah 10:4 (+ מַקָּבוֺת), מַשְׂמְרוֺת נְטוּעִים, Ecclesiastes 12:11(simile; + דָּרְבֹנוֺת), and מִסְמְרוֺת2Chronicles 3:9 (of gold).

[מַשְׂמֵר], מַשְׂמְרוֺת, Ecclesiastes 12:14, see [ מַסְמֵר].

Topical Lexicon

Concept Overview

The Hebrew noun מַסְמֵר denotes a metal nail or peg driven by hammer to fasten timber, doors, or ornamentation. Though humble in size, it appears in key passages that illuminate both the glory of Yahweh’s house and the folly of idolatry.

Occurrences and Contexts

1 Chronicles 22:3; 2 Chronicles 3:9; Isaiah 41:7; Jeremiah 10:4

Temple Construction and Worship

• 1 Chronicles 22:3 records King David’s extensive preparations for the future temple: “David provided large quantities of iron for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more bronze than could be weighed”. The provision of countless nails underscores a heart fixed on permanence and excellence in the place where the Lord would set His Name.
• In 2 Chronicles 3:9, when Solomon actually builds, even the nails receive lavish treatment: “The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.” The verse highlights that every detail of the sanctuary—down to the very fasteners—was consecrated. Gold-plated nails signal that nothing associated with divine worship is trivial.

Artisanship versus Idolatry

• Isaiah 41:7 portrays craftsmen uniting in their shared labor: “So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith… saying, ‘It is good’; and he fastens it with nails so it will not be moved.” While the verse depicts human solidarity, it also contrasts the frailty of manmade objects with the sovereignty of God proclaimed in the surrounding context.
• Jeremiah 10:4 exposes the emptiness of idols: “They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.” Nails that once served holy ends are here misused to stabilize lifeless images. The prophet’s satire magnifies the living God who requires no such prop.

Symbolic Insights

1. Stability and Permanence—Nails secure structures; the term invites meditation on the certainty of God’s promises (compare Isaiah 22:23 where a different word pictures a “peg” in a sure place).
2. Sanctity of Details—Gold nails in Solomon’s temple remind the church that every aspect of ministry, however small, should reflect the holiness of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
3. Contrast with Vanity—Nails that uphold idols reveal how human effort tries to replace divine foundation, challenging believers to expose modern forms of idolatry.

Christological Foreshadowing

Though מַסְמֵר itself does not appear in crucifixion texts, its temple associations and fastening imagery naturally point forward to the nails that fixed Christ to the cross (John 20:25). The object once used to beautify God’s dwelling finally secures the greater Temple—His own Son—in the climactic act of redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12).

Ministry Applications

• Teach craftsmanship as a spiritual discipline: faithfulness in “nail-sized” tasks builds a dwelling fit for the King.
• Warn against cultural idols propped up by human ingenuity; they still “cannot speak” (Jeremiah 10:5).
• Highlight the cross as the ultimate union of judgment and mercy, where nails both condemn sin and establish eternal security for the believer.

Key References for Further Study

1 Chronicles 22:3; 2 Chronicles 3:9; Isaiah 41:7; Jeremiah 10:4

Forms and Transliterations

בְּמַסְמְר֧וֹת בְמַסְמְרִ֖ים במסמרות במסמרים לְמִסְמְר֥וֹת לַֽמִּסְמְרִ֞ים למסמרות למסמרים ḇə·mas·mə·rîm bə·mas·mə·rō·wṯ ḇəmasmərîm bemasmeRot bəmasmərōwṯ lam·mis·mə·rîm lammismeRim lammismərîm lə·mis·mə·rō·wṯ lemismeRot ləmismərōwṯ vemasmeRim

Englishman's Concordance

1 Chronicles 22:3
HEB: וּבַרְזֶ֣ל ׀ לָ֠רֹב לַֽמִּסְמְרִ֞ים לְדַלְת֧וֹת הַשְּׁעָרִ֛ים
NAS: of iron to make the nails for the doors
KJV: in abundance for the nails for the doors
INT: of iron large the nails the doors of the gates

2 Chronicles 3:9
HEB: וּמִשְׁקָ֛ל לְמִסְמְר֥וֹת לִשְׁקָלִ֖ים חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים
NAS: The weight of the nails was fifty
KJV: And the weight of the nails [was] fifty
INT: the weight of the nails shekels was fifty

Isaiah 41:7
HEB: ה֔וּא וַיְחַזְּקֵ֥הוּ בְמַסְמְרִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִמּֽוֹט׃
NAS: And he fastens it with nails, [So that] it will not totter.
KJV: and he fastened it with nails, [that] it should not be moved.
INT: and he fastens nails not totter

Jeremiah 10:4
HEB: וּבְזָהָ֖ב יְיַפֵּ֑הוּ בְּמַסְמְר֧וֹת וּבְמַקָּב֛וֹת יְחַזְּק֖וּם
NAS: They fasten it with nails and with hammers
KJV: they fasten it with nails and with hammers,
INT: gold decorate nails hammers fasten

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4548
4 Occurrences

bə·mas·mə·rō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
lam·mis·mə·rîm — 1 Occ.
lə·mis·mə·rō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ḇə·mas·mə·rîm — 1 Occ.