4684. mitshalah
Lexical Summary
mitshalah: Prosperity, success

Original Word: מַצְהָלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: matshalah
Pronunciation: mits-lah-HAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mats-haw-law')
KJV: neighing
NASB: neighing, neighings
Word Origin: [from H6670 (צָּהַל - To gleam)]

1. a whinnying (through impatience for battle or lust)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
neighing

From tsahal; a whinnying (through impatience for battle or lust) -- neighing.

see HEBREW tsahal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from tsahal
Definition
a neighing
NASB Translation
neighing (1), neighings (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מִצְהָלָה] noun feminine neighing; — plural construct קוֺל מִצְהֲלוֺת אַבִּירָיוֺ Jeremiah 8:16 ("" נַחְרַת סוּסָיוֺ); suffix מִצְהֲלוֺתַיִךְ Jeremiah 13:27 of idolatrous Judah, under figure of mare desiring stallion ("" נִאֻפַיִךְ, זִמַּת זְנוּתֵךְ).

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Imagery

מַצְהָלָה conveys the vigorous snorting or neighing of a horse. The word evokes the audible, forceful breath of an animal ready to charge—an image that communicates urgency, power, and, in context, moral and national unrest.

Occurrences in Scripture

Jeremiah 8:16 and Jeremiah 13:27 both employ מַצְהָלָה:
Jeremiah 8:16 – “The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; the neighing of their stallions shakes the whole land.”
Jeremiah 13:27 – “Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields—I have seen your detestable acts.”

Historical Context

Jeremiah prophesied during the final decades of Judah’s monarchy, warning of Babylon’s imminent invasion. Cavalry, a growing component of Near-Eastern warfare, struck terror by speed and overwhelming noise. The prophet seizes that familiar sound—the resonant snort before the charge—to portray both the advance of Babylonian forces (8:16) and Judah’s own brazen pursuit of sin (13:27).

Prophetic Significance

1. Divine Warning: The snorting travels “from Dan,” Israel’s northernmost point, signaling judgment sweeping southward to Jerusalem. The auditory image underscores the certainty and reach of punishment.
2. Moral Mirror: In 13:27 the same word depicts Judah’s “lustful neighings,” equating idolatry and sexual immorality with an untamed animal’s craving. The people invite the very calamity pictured in 8:16.

Theological Insights

• God Communicates through Sense Experience: He uses familiar sounds to arrest attention and confirm His word (compare Amos 1:2; Joel 2:1).
• Sin and Judgment Are Linked: The identical term binds Judah’s corruption to Babylon’s charge, illustrating Galatians 6:7’s principle long before Paul penned it.
• Sovereign Control: Even the warhorse, emblem of human power, ultimately fulfills divine purpose (Proverbs 21:31).

Ministry Application

• Preaching: The vivid metaphor invites contemporary proclamation that unchecked sin still summons unavoidable consequences.
• Discipleship: Believers are exhorted to cultivate holy restraint, not the unbridled appetites symbolized by the neighing steed (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).
• Intercession: Jeremiah’s grief (Jeremiah 9:1) following these oracles models earnest prayer for nations headed toward judgment.

Relevant Cross-References

Job 39:20; Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31; Isaiah 5:26-30; Zechariah 10:3; Revelation 19:11-14.

Summary

מַצְהָלָה functions as a sensory bridge between Judah’s sin and God’s chastening hand. The prophetic use of a horse’s snort reverberates through history, reminding the Church that the Lord still warns, confronts, and calls His people to repent before judgment thunders at the gate.

Forms and Transliterations
וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ ומצהלותיך מִצְהֲל֣וֹת מצהלות miṣ·hă·lō·wṯ miṣhălōwṯ mitzhaLot ū·miṣ·hă·lō·w·ṯa·yiḵ ūmiṣhălōwṯayiḵ umitzhaloTayich
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 8:16
HEB: סוּסָ֗יו מִקּוֹל֙ מִצְהֲל֣וֹת אַבִּירָ֔יו רָעֲשָׁ֖ה
NAS: At the sound of the neighing of his stallions
KJV: at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones;
INT: of his horses the sound of the neighing of his stallions quakes

Jeremiah 13:27
HEB: נִֽאֻפַ֤יִךְ וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ זִמַּ֣ת זְנוּתֵ֔ךְ
NAS: As for your adulteries and your [lustful] neighings, The lewdness
KJV: thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness
INT: your adulteries and your neighings the lewdness of your prostitution

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4684
2 Occurrences


miṣ·hă·lō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ū·miṣ·hă·lō·w·ṯa·yiḵ — 1 Occ.

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