4739. Maqats
Lexical Summary
Maqats: To awake, to arise

Original Word: מָקַץ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Maqats
Pronunciation: mah-KATS
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-kats')
KJV: Makaz
NASB: Makaz
Word Origin: [from H7112 (קָצַץ - cut off)]

1. end
2. Makats, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Makaz

From qatsats; end; Makats, a place in Palestine -- Makaz.

see HEBREW qatsats

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from qatsats
Definition
a place in Isr.
NASB Translation
Makaz (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מָקַץ proper name, of a location in Israel, site unknown, 1 Kings 4:9; ᵐ5 Μαχεμας, A Μαχμας (i.e. מִכְמָס), ᵐ5L Μαγχας.

מִקְצוֺעַ, מִקְצֹעַ, [מַקְצוּעָה, מְקֻצְעֹת] see קצע.

מִקְצָת see קְצָת.

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Setting

Makaz appears once in Scripture: “Ben-deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth-hanan” (1 Kings 4:9). It heads the first cluster of towns administered by Ben-deker, one of the twelve officers appointed by King Solomon to supply provisions for the royal court (1 Kings 4:7).

Geographical Considerations

The surrounding towns—Shaalbim (Joshua 19:42), Beth Shemesh (Joshua 15:10), and Elon Beth-hanan—lie on the borderlands of Dan and Judah, west of the Judean hill country. Makaz therefore belongs to the Shephelah region, the low foothills that bridge Israel’s coastal plain and interior highlands. Although its exact archaeological locus remains unconfirmed, its grouping with well-known sites suggests a position on the major east-west route that later linked Gezer to Beth Shemesh and the Aijalon Valley. Such placement would have given Solomon strategic oversight of trade and military movement between the Mediterranean coast and Jerusalem.

Historical Significance

1. Royal Administration: Solomon’s twelve-district system replaced the tribal model with a centralized, merit-based bureaucracy. Makaz, as the lead town in Ben-deker’s circuit, exemplifies how the monarchy unified diverse tribal territories into a cohesive national economy.
2. Agricultural Value: The Shephelah’s fertile limestone valleys produced grain, olives, and grapes essential for sustaining the palace stores (1 Kings 4:22-23). Makaz likely hosted threshing floors and presses that contributed to the daily provision of “thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal.”
3. Security Buffer: Positioned between Philistine cities to the west and the Judean heartland to the east, Makaz and its sister towns formed a defensive belt. Solomon’s fortifications (cf. 2 Chronicles 8:5-6) would have drawn on such nodes to deter incursion and protect the Temple city.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Order: By integrating Makaz into a nation-wide supply network, Solomon fulfilled the Deuteronomic ideal of a king who governs “with justice and righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5). The administrative mention underlines God’s intent for ordered stewardship of the land promised to Abraham.
• Unity in Diversity: Makaz’s fleeting cameo signals that even lesser-known locales share in the blessings flowing from the Davidic covenant. The prosperity recorded in 1 Kings 4:20-25 embraces small towns and great capitals alike, prefiguring the universal reach of Christ’s kingdom.
• Provision and Wisdom: Solomon’s wise structuring of resources foreshadows the greater Son of David, who multiplies bread for the multitudes (Matthew 14:19-21). Makaz stands as a silent witness to divine provision mediated through human administration.

Ministry Reflections

1. Faithfulness in Obscurity: Makaz receives only one biblical mention, yet its contribution was indispensable to the sustenance of Israel’s king. Modern believers serving in unseen roles can take encouragement that God records and rewards hidden labor (Hebrews 6:10).
2. Stewardship and Planning: The logistical efficiency evident in Makaz’s district urges churches to cultivate prudent organization, ensuring that spiritual and material needs are met “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
3. Regional Engagement: Just as Makaz connected border communities to the royal center, local congregations today serve as bridges between their neighborhoods and the reign of Christ, embodying kingdom values in commerce, justice, and hospitality.

Christological Foreshadowing

Solomon’s administrative network reflects a limited, temporal wisdom. In contrast, Jesus “is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). The fleeting record of Makaz invites contemplation of the eternal city John envisions, where the glory of God supplies every need and no district is forgotten (Revelation 21:23-27).

Key Reference

1 Kings 4:9—primary and sole biblical occurrence of Makaz.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּמָקַ֥ץ במקץ bə·mā·qaṣ bemaKatz bəmāqaṣ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Kings 4:9
HEB: בֶּן־ דֶּ֛קֶר בְּמָקַ֥ץ וּבְשַֽׁעַלְבִ֖ים וּבֵ֣ית
NAS: Ben-deker in Makaz and Shaalbim
KJV: The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim,
INT: Ben-deker Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4739
1 Occurrence


bə·mā·qaṣ — 1 Occ.

4738
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