4748. miqsheh

Lexical Summary

miqsheh: well-set hair

Original Word: מִקְשֶׁה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: miqsheh
Pronunciation: mik-SHEH
Phonetic Spelling: (mik-sheh')
KJV: X well (set) hair
NASB: well-set hair
Word Origin: [from H7185 (קָשָׁה - stiffened) in the sense of knotting up round and hard]

1. something turned (rounded), i.e. a curl (of tresses)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

well set hair

From qashah in the sense of knotting up round and hard; something turned (rounded), i.e. A curl (of tresses) -- X well (set) hair.

see HEBREW qashah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
(an artistic) hairdo
NASB Translation
well-set hair (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מִקְשֶׁה noun [masculine] an artistic hair arrangement; ? turner's work, Isaiah 3:24, so most.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Imagery

The single biblical appearance of מִקְשֶׁה (Isaiah 3:24) evokes an image of carefully sculpted, fashionable hairstyles—luxurious locks formed into intricate curls or braids. The word conveys more than grooming; it symbolizes the beauty, wealth, and social status that the “daughters of Zion” projected in Jerusalem’s pre-exilic society.

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Near Eastern women often communicated rank and prosperity through elaborate coiffures accented with precious metals, beads, or dyed fibers. Archaeological reliefs from Assyria and Egypt show tiered curls cascading over shoulders or braided crowns bound with gold. Among Israel’s elite, such ornamentation would have required significant time, wealth, and the labor of female attendants. Isaiah’s audience therefore knew that the term pointed to opulence rather than ordinary grooming.

Context in Isaiah 3:16-26

Isaiah delivers a courtroom-style indictment against Judah’s proud women whose outward extravagance masks inward spiritual poverty. “Instead of well-set hair, baldness” (Isaiah 3:24) forms one line of a fivefold reversal—fragrance turns to stench, sashes to ropes, costly garments to sackcloth, and beauty to branding. The abrupt contrast between מִקְשֶׁה and baldness dramatizes the seriousness of divine judgment: every symbol of self-exaltation will be stripped away when the Lord “takes away the finery” (Isaiah 3:18).

Theological Themes

1. Divine Reversal: Throughout Scripture God humbles the proud (Luke 1:52; 1 Peter 5:5). The loss of מִקְשֶׁה serves as a vivid sign that earthly glory fades when opposed to divine holiness.
2. Outward vs. Inward Adornment: The passage anticipates New Testament admonitions that true beauty is “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4).
3. Covenant Accountability: Isaiah’s oracle links personal vanity to national covenant breach. Judah’s women share responsibility for societal injustice because their lavish display thrives on oppression (Isaiah 3:14-15).

Ministry Significance

• Preaching: מִקְשֶׁה offers a concrete hook for sermons addressing the idolatry of appearance and materialism. The prophetic image warns congregations that reliance on external allure invites divine correction.
• Counseling and Discipleship: The term reinforces a biblical ethic of modesty. Mentor relationships with young believers can explore how inner character, not fashion trends, should govern self-presentation.
• Worship Planning: Music or liturgy that contrasts temporal beauty with God’s eternal glory can draw on Isaiah 3 to deepen corporate repentance and re-orientation toward Christ.

Practical Application

Believers today inhabit a culture saturated with beauty industries promising self-worth through outward enhancement. Isaiah’s single, potent use of מִקְשֶׁה calls Christians to evaluate heart motives behind style choices. The text encourages modest stewardship of resources, compassion for the marginalized exploited by consumerism, and contentment rooted in identity in Christ.

Related Biblical Imagery

• The Nazirite vow required uncut hair, symbolizing consecration (Numbers 6:5). The contrast with coiffured מִקְשֶׁה highlights differing spiritual priorities.
• Ezekiel 16 portrays Jerusalem as a woman adorned by the Lord, only to misuse His gifts—a thematic parallel to Isaiah 3.
• Revelation 18’s lament over Babylon’s luxury shows the eschatological culmination of Isaiah’s warning: worldly splendor collapses before divine justice.

Christological Reflection

Isaiah’s oracle sets a backdrop for the Servant who “had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him” (Isaiah 53:2). Where Judah’s daughters trusted in carefully arranged curls, the Messiah embraced humility, thereby providing the true adornment of righteousness for His people (Romans 13:14).

Conclusion

Though מִקְשֶׁה surfaces only once, its rich cultural resonance and prophetic function make it a vital term for understanding the ethical and theological dynamics of Isaiah 3. The fleeting nature of external glory, contrasted with the enduring worth of godly character, continues to challenge and shape faithful living in every generation.

Forms and Transliterations

מִקְשֶׁה֙ מקשה mikSheh miq·šeh miqšeh

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 3:24
HEB: וְתַ֨חַת מַעֲשֶׂ֤ה מִקְשֶׁה֙ קָרְחָ֔ה וְתַ֥חַת
NAS: Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp;
KJV: and instead of well set hair baldness;
INT: Instead set of well-set A plucked-out Instead

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4748
1 Occurrence

miq·šeh — 1 Occ.