4740. miqtsoa

Lexical Summary

miqtsoa: Corner, angle

Original Word: מַקְצוֹעַ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: maqtsowa`
Pronunciation: mik-tso'-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (mak-tso'-ah)
KJV: corner, turning
NASB: corners, Angle, corner buttress, every corner
Word Origin: [from H7106 (קָצַע - To end) in the denominative sense of bending]

1. an angle or recess

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

corner, turning

Or maqtsoa {mak-tso-ah}; or (feminine) maqtso-ah {mak-tso-aw'}; from qatsa' in the denominative sense of bending; an angle or recess -- corner, turning.

see HEBREW qatsa'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a corner buttress
NASB Translation
Angle (4), corner buttress (1), corners (7), every corner (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מִקָצֹעַ noun masculine^{Ezekiel 46:21} place of corner-structure, (inner) corner-buttress (as (place of) cutting off of an inner angle if √ rightly explained; see RS^{l.c. 71-81}); — absolute ׳מ Nehemiah 3:19 +, צוֺעַ- Nehemiah 3:20 +; construct צֹעַ- Ezekiel 46:21 (twice in verse); plural absolute מִקָצֹעֹת Exodus 26:24; Exodus 36:29, construct עוֺת- Ezekiel 46:22, מִקְצוֺעֵי Ezekiel 46:21, also מְקֻצְעֹת Exodus 26:23; Exodus 36:28 Di (not

Pu`al Participle from קָצַע Thes Buhl^{Lex 13} and others), but read probably מִקְצֹעֹת, so SS Baen; suffix מִקְצֹעוֺתָיו Ezekiel 41:22;-corner-post of altar Ezekiel 41:22, tabernacle Exodus 26:23,24 = Exodus 36:28,29; (inner) buttress-place of court, where the small corner-courts were, Ezekiel 46:21 (3 t. in verse); Ezekiel 46:22; of inner (rock- ?) buttress at northeast corner of wall of Jerusalem, ׳הַמּ, nearly = proper name, Nehemiah 3:19,20,25, also (distinguished from מִּנָּה) Nehemiah 3:24; 2Chronicles 26:9.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Semantic Scope

מַקְצוֹעַ (maqtsōaʿ) designates a physical “corner,” “angle,” or “corner‐tower.” The term stresses the meeting point where two sides converge and is applied to structural joints, fortifications, and enclosed courts.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Tabernacle framework – Exodus 26:24; Exodus 36:29
2. Royal defenses – 2 Chronicles 26:9
3. Jerusalem’s wall during Nehemiah’s reconstruction – Nehemiah 3:19, 20, 24, 25
4. Ezekiel’s visionary temple – Ezekiel 41:22; 46:21 (threefold mention); 46:22

Contextual Categories

1. Tabernacle Corners
• Exodus 26:24 records that the corner boards “shall be coupled together beneath and held tightly at the top by a single ring… they shall form the two corners”. The corners provided stability to the sanctuary that bore God’s manifest presence.
• Exodus 36:29 shows the same craftsmanship replicated in construction, emphasizing obedience to the divine blueprint.

2. Defensive Towers and Angles
• In 2 Chronicles 26:9 King Uzziah “built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and he fortified them” (cf.). The corner‐towers offered vantage points for surveillance and the launching of defensive measures.
• Nehemiah’s record highlights successive work crews assigned to sections that adjoined “the Angle.” The repetition (Nehemiah 3:19–25) reveals the strategic importance of every meeting point in the wall—an ancient reminder that no gap in God’s work may be neglected.

3. Visionary Temple Architecture
• Ezekiel 41:22 alludes to wooden elements flanked by corners in the inner sanctuary, drawing the prophet’s gaze to the symmetry of divine worship.
• Ezekiel 46:21–22 describes “four corners of the outer court,” each containing forty-by-thirty‐cubit enclosures. These corners are reserved for boiling and baking the sacrificial offerings, preventing the sacred from mixing with the profane.

Historical and Architectural Significance

Ancient builders treated corners as both the most vulnerable and the most critical parts of any structure. Reinforcing them with towers (city walls) or rings (tabernacle frames) transformed the weak point into a place of strength. The repeated biblical focus on corners underlines Israel’s conviction that every detail of sacred architecture was God‐directed and therefore meaningful.

Spiritual and Theological Insights

• Order and Stability: God’s instructions for corners in the tabernacle signify that worship requires structure. Disorder in the place of meeting would distort the revelation of His holiness.
• Vigilance and Protection: Fortified corners under Uzziah and Nehemiah illustrate stewardship—leaders must guard the flock at natural points of vulnerability.
• Separation for Holiness: Ezekiel’s corner kitchens keep sacrificial flesh within holy bounds, portraying the believer’s call to distinguish the sacred from the common.

Ministry Applications

1. Pastoral Oversight: Just as builders reinforced angles, church leaders must fortify doctrinal and moral “corners” where compromise often begins.
2. Teamwork in Service: Nehemiah’s roster assigns families to adjoining angles, modeling distributed responsibility. Ministry flourishes when every member takes ownership of a portion of the wall.
3. Worship Design: Thoughtful planning of spaces—whether physical or liturgical—reflects the character of the God who specifies dimensions down to the corners.

Anticipations of the Cornerstone

Although מַקְצוֹעַ points to corners rather than the cornerstone itself, the concept prepares the reader for prophetic language fulfilled in Jesus Christ: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22; echoed in Acts 4:11). By transforming structural weak points into strongholds, God foreshadows the Messiah who unites Jew and Gentile into one temple (Ephesians 2:20–22).

Key References

Exodus 26:24; Exodus 36:29; 2 Chronicles 26:9; Nehemiah 3:19, 20, 24, 25; Ezekiel 46:21–22

Forms and Transliterations

בְּמִקְצֹ֣עַ בְּמִקְצֹ֥עַ במקצע הַ֨מִּקְצ֔וֹעַ הַמִּקְצ֑וֹעַ הַמִּקְצ֖וֹעַ הַמִּקְצֹֽעַ׃ הַמִּקְצֹעֹ֖ת הַמִּקְצֹעֹֽת׃ הַמִּקְצוֹעַ֒ המקצוע המקצע׃ המקצעת המקצעת׃ וּמִקְצֹֽעוֹתָיו֙ ומקצעותיו מִקְצֹע֤וֹת מִקְצוֹעֵ֣י מקצועי מקצעות bə·miq·ṣō·a‘ bemikTzoa bəmiqṣōa‘ ham·miq·ṣō·‘ōṯ ham·miq·ṣō·a‘ ham·miq·ṣō·w·a‘ hammikTzoa hammiktzoOt hammiqṣō‘ōṯ hammiqṣōa‘ hammiqṣōwa‘ miktzoEi miktzoot miq·ṣō·‘ō·wṯ miq·ṣō·w·‘ê miqṣō‘ōwṯ miqṣōw‘ê ū·miq·ṣō·‘ō·w·ṯāw umiktzooTav ūmiqṣō‘ōwṯāw

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 26:24
HEB: לִשְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם לִשְׁנֵ֥י הַמִּקְצֹעֹ֖ת יִהְיֽוּ׃
NAS: the two corners.
KJV: they shall be for the two corners.
INT: both the two corners shall form

Exodus 36:29
HEB: לִשְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם לִשְׁנֵ֖י הַמִּקְצֹעֹֽת׃
NAS: with both of them for the two corners.
KJV: to both of them in both the corners.
INT: both the two corners

2 Chronicles 26:9
HEB: הַגַּ֖יְא וְעַל־ הַמִּקְצ֑וֹעַ וַֽיְחַזְּקֵֽם׃
NAS: Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified
KJV: gate, and at the turning [of the wall], and fortified
INT: the Valley and at the corner and fortified

Nehemiah 3:19
HEB: עֲלֹ֥ת הַנֶּ֖שֶׁק הַמִּקְצֹֽעַ׃ ס
NAS: of the armory at the Angle.
KJV: to the armoury at the turning [of the wall].
INT: of the ascent of the armory the Angle

Nehemiah 3:20
HEB: שֵׁנִ֑ית מִן־ הַ֨מִּקְצ֔וֹעַ עַד־ פֶּ֙תַח֙
NAS: section, from the Angle to the doorway
KJV: piece, from the turning [of the wall] unto the door
INT: another from the Angle against to the doorway

Nehemiah 3:24
HEB: עֲזַרְיָ֔ה עַד־ הַמִּקְצ֖וֹעַ וְעַד־ הַפִּנָּֽה׃
NAS: as far as the Angle and as far
KJV: of Azariah unto the turning [of the wall], even unto the corner.
INT: of Azariah far as the Angle far as the corner

Nehemiah 3:25
HEB: אוּזַי֮ מִנֶּ֣גֶד הַמִּקְצוֹעַ֒ וְהַמִּגְדָּ֗ל הַיּוֹצֵא֙
NAS: [made repairs] in front of the Angle and the tower
KJV: of Uzai, over against the turning [of the wall], and the tower
INT: of Uzai front of the Angle and the tower projecting

Ezekiel 41:22
HEB: שְׁתַּֽיִם־ אַמּ֗וֹת וּמִקְצֹֽעוֹתָיו֙ ל֔וֹ וְאָרְכּ֥וֹ
NAS: cubits; its corners, its base
KJV: cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length
INT: two cubits corners base sides

Ezekiel 46:21
HEB: אֶל־ אַרְבַּ֖עַת מִקְצוֹעֵ֣י הֶחָצֵ֑ר וְהִנֵּ֤ה
NAS: to the four corners of the court;
KJV: the four corners of the court;
INT: to the four corners of the court and behold

Ezekiel 46:21
HEB: וְהִנֵּ֤ה חָצֵר֙ בְּמִקְצֹ֣עַ הֶחָצֵ֔ר חָצֵ֖ר
NAS: and behold, in every corner
KJV: of the court; and, behold, in every corner
INT: and behold of the court every a court of the court

Ezekiel 46:21
HEB: הֶחָצֵ֔ר חָצֵ֖ר בְּמִקְצֹ֥עַ הֶחָצֵֽר׃
NAS: in every corner of the court
KJV: and, behold, in every corner of the court
INT: a court of the court corner of the court

Ezekiel 46:22
HEB: בְּאַרְבַּ֜עַת מִקְצֹע֤וֹת הֶֽחָצֵר֙ חֲצֵר֣וֹת
NAS: In the four corners of the court
KJV: In the four corners of the court
INT: the four corners of the court courts

12 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4740
12 Occurrences

bə·miq·ṣō·a‘ — 2 Occ.
ham·miq·ṣō·w·a‘ — 5 Occ.
ham·miq·ṣō·‘ōṯ — 2 Occ.
miq·ṣō·w·‘ê — 1 Occ.
miq·ṣō·‘ō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ū·miq·ṣō·‘ō·w·ṯāw — 1 Occ.