4688. metsolah

Lexicon

metsolah: Depths, deep places, abyss

Original Word: מְצוֹלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mtsowlah
Pronunciation: met-so-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mets-o-law')
Definition: Depths, deep places, abyss
Meaning: a deep place

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

bottom, deep, depth

Or mtsolah {mets-o-law'}; also mtsuwlah {mets-oo-law'}; or mtsulah {mets-oo-law'}; from the same as tsuwlah; a deep place (of water or mud) -- bottom, deep, depth.

see HEBREW tsuwlah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as tsulah
Definition
depth, deep
NASB Translation
deep (4), depths (7).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[מְצוֺלָה], מְצוּלָה noun feminine depth, deep; — absolute מְצוּלָה Job 41:23 +; plural absolute מְצוֺלֹת Exodus 15:5; Nehemiah 9:11, מְצֹלוֺת Psalm 88:7; construct מְצוּלוֺת Zechariah 10:11, מְצֻלוֺת Micah 7:19; Psalm 68:23; — depth, plural יָם ׳מ depths of the sea Micah 7:19; Psalm 68:23; absolute Exodus 15:5 (of Red Sea) Nehemiah 9:11 (id.); figurative of deep distress Psalm 88:7 ("" בּוֺר תַּחְתִיּוֺת); יְאֹר ׳מ Zechariah 10:11 (i.e. of Nile); singular = the deep sea, deep, Psalm 107:24; Jonah 2:4; Job 41:23 (in hyperbolic description of crocodile); depth of marsh, swamp, ׳בִּיוֵן מ Psalm 69:3 in mire of (the) depth, figurative of distress ("" מַעֲמַקֵּימַֿיִם), compare ׳מ alone Psalm 69:16 ("" בְּאֵר).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root צָלַל (tsalal), meaning "to sink" or "to be submerged."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G12 (βάθος, bathos): Refers to depth, often used in the New Testament to describe deep places or profound mysteries.
• G899 (βυθός, bythos): Meaning the deep or the sea, used in contexts similar to מְצוֹלָה.
• G1037 (βυθίζω, bythizo): To sink or submerge, related to the action of going into the depths.
• G2288 (θάνατος, thanatos): While primarily meaning death, it can metaphorically relate to the depths of despair or the grave, akin to the symbolic use of מְצוֹלָה.

These Greek terms reflect similar themes of depth, submersion, and profoundness found in the Hebrew concept of מְצוֹלָה, illustrating the continuity of these ideas across the biblical texts.

Usage: The term מְצוֹלָה is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe deep waters, often symbolizing chaos, danger, or the unknown. It is frequently associated with the sea or ocean depths.

Context: מְצוֹלָה (metzolah) appears in various contexts within the Hebrew Scriptures, often evoking imagery of the vast and mysterious depths of the sea. This term is used to convey both literal and metaphorical meanings. In a literal sense, it describes the physical depths of bodies of water, such as the sea or ocean. For example, in Exodus 15:5, the term is used in the Song of the Sea, where the Egyptians are said to have been "covered by the deep" (מְצוֹלָה) as they pursued the Israelites. This imagery highlights the power and might of God in delivering His people.

Metaphorically, מְצוֹלָה can represent overwhelming circumstances or profound depths of despair. In Micah 7:19, the prophet speaks of God casting sins into the "depths of the sea" (מְצוֹלָה), symbolizing complete forgiveness and the removal of transgressions. This usage underscores the concept of divine mercy and the obliteration of sin.

The term is also found in Psalm 68:22, where it is used to describe the depths from which God will bring back His people, illustrating His sovereignty and ability to rescue from even the most profound depths.

Forms and Transliterations

בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃ בִּמְצֻל֥וֹת בִּמְצוּלָֽה׃ בִמְצוֹלֹ֖ת בִמְצוֹלֹ֛ת במצולה׃ במצולת במצלות במצלות׃ מְ֭צוּלָה מְצוּל֣וֹת מְצוּלָ֑ה מְצוּלָה֙ מִֽמְּצֻל֥וֹת ממצלות מצולה מצולות bim·ṣō·lō·wṯ ḇim·ṣō·w·lōṯ bim·ṣū·lāh bim·ṣu·lō·wṯ bimṣōlōwṯ ḇimṣōwlōṯ bimṣūlāh bimṣulōwṯ bimtzoLot bimtzuLah bimtzuLot mə·ṣū·lāh mə·ṣū·lō·wṯ məṣūlāh məṣūlōwṯ metzuLah metzuLot mim·mə·ṣu·lō·wṯ mimetzuLot mimməṣulōwṯ vimtzoLot

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 15:5
HEB: יְכַסְיֻ֑מוּ יָרְד֥וּ בִמְצוֹלֹ֖ת כְּמוֹ־ אָֽבֶן׃
NAS: them; They went down into the depths like
KJV: them: they sank into the bottom as
INT: cover went the depths like A stone

Nehemiah 9:11
HEB: רֹ֨דְפֵיהֶ֜ם הִשְׁלַ֧כְתָּ בִמְצוֹלֹ֛ת כְּמוֹ־ אֶ֖בֶן
NAS: You hurled into the depths, Like
KJV: thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone
INT: and their pursuers hurled the depths Like A stone

Job 41:31
HEB: יַרְתִּ֣יחַ כַּסִּ֣יר מְצוּלָ֑ה יָ֝֗ם יָשִׂ֥ים
NAS: He makes the depths boil like a pot;
KJV: He maketh the deep to boil like a pot:
INT: boil A pot the depths the sea makes

Psalm 68:22
HEB: אָשִׁ֑יב אָ֝שִׁ֗יב מִֽמְּצֻל֥וֹת יָֽם׃
NAS: I will bring [them] back from the depths of the sea;
KJV: I will bring [my people] again from the depths of the sea:
INT: will bring back the depths of the sea

Psalm 69:2
HEB: טָבַ֤עְתִּי ׀ בִּיוֵ֣ן מְ֭צוּלָה וְאֵ֣ין מָעֳמָ֑ד
NAS: I have sunk in deep mire,
KJV: I sink in deep mire,
INT: have sunk mire deep and there foothold

Psalm 69:15
HEB: וְאַל־ תִּבְלָעֵ֣נִי מְצוּלָ֑ה וְאַל־ תֶּאְטַר־
NAS: me Nor the deep swallow
KJV: overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up,
INT: Nor swallow the deep Nor shut

Psalm 88:6
HEB: תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃
NAS: pit, In dark places, in the depths.
KJV: pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
INT: the lowest dark the depths

Psalm 107:24
HEB: יְהוָ֑ה וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו בִּמְצוּלָֽה׃ ׆
NAS: And His wonders in the deep.
KJV: and his wonders in the deep.
INT: of the LORD and his wonders the deep

Jonah 2:3
HEB: וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤נִי מְצוּלָה֙ בִּלְבַ֣ב יַמִּ֔ים
NAS: For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart
KJV: For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst
INT: had cast the deep the heart of the seas

Micah 7:19
HEB: עֲוֹֽנֹתֵ֑ינוּ וְתַשְׁלִ֛יךְ בִּמְצֻל֥וֹת יָ֖ם כָּל־
NAS: their sins Into the depths of the sea.
KJV: all their sins into the depths of the sea.
INT: our iniquities will cast the depths of the sea all

Zechariah 10:11
HEB: וְהֹבִ֕ישׁוּ כֹּ֖ל מְצוּל֣וֹת יְאֹ֑ר וְהוּרַד֙
NAS: So that all the depths of the Nile
KJV: in the sea, and all the deeps of the river
INT: will dry all the depths of the Nile will be brought

11 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4688
11 Occurrences

bim·ṣō·lō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
bim·ṣū·lāh — 1 Occ.
bim·ṣu·lō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
mə·ṣū·lāh — 4 Occ.
mə·ṣū·lō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
mim·mə·ṣu·lō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ḇim·ṣō·w·lōṯ — 2 Occ.