4884. mesurah

Lexical Summary

mesurah: Measure, measurement

Original Word: מְשׂוּרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: msuwrah
Pronunciation: meh-soo-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mes-oo-raw')
KJV: measure
NASB: measure, capacity, volume
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning apparently to divide]

1. a measure (for liquids)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

measure

From an unused root meaning apparently to divide; a measure (for liquids) -- measure.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a measure
NASB Translation
capacity (1), measure (2), volume (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מְשׂוּרָה noun feminine measure, of water, Ezekiel 4:11,16 ("" מִשְׁקָל); capacity in General, Leviticus 19:35 ( + מִדָּה, מִשְׁקָל), 1 Chronicles 23:29 (derivatives dubious)

מָשׂוֺשׂ see שׂוֺשׂ. מִשְׂחָק see שׂחק.

מַשְׂטֵמָה see שׂטם. [מְשֻׂכָֿה] see שׂוך. p. 962, 966, 968

מַשְׂכִּיל see שׂכל. מַשְׂכִּית see שׂכה.

[מַשְׂכֹּ֫רֶת] see שׂכר. [מַשְׂמֵר] see שׂמר.

מִשְׂמָּח see שׂפח. מִשְׂרָה see שׂרה.

[מִשְׂרָפוֺת], מִשְׁרְפוֺת מַיִם see שׂרף.

מַשְׂרֵקָה see שׂרק.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

מְשׂוּרָה (mesurah) appears four times in the Old Testament. In every instance the word addresses measured capacity—whether of grain, water, or other commodities. Its sparse distribution highlights key moments when the Lord calls His people to integrity, order, and sober acknowledgment of divine provision.

Occurrences and Contexts

• Leviticus 19:35 places mesurah in a triad with length and weight: “You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume”. Here the word safeguards social righteousness; dishonest volume distorts economic life just as false testimony distorts justice.
• 1 Chronicles 23:29 assigns the Levites responsibility “for all measures of volume and size.” Temple worship required accuracy, reinforcing that offerings were presented exactly as God prescribed, neither diminished nor exaggerated.
• Ezekiel 4:11, 16 employ mesurah in the prophet’s enacted siege. Israel’s rebellion results in rations of water “by measure” and bread “by weight,” dramatizing scarcity under judgment. The same term that once ensured fair plenty in Leviticus now underscores deprivation when covenant standards are ignored.

Moral and Theological Significance

1. Divine Justice. Mesurah embodies the Lord’s demand for equity. Proverbs 11:1 affirms the principle: “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.” When volume is honest, communal trust flourishes; when it is falsified, the weak are exploited—an affront to the God who “shows no partiality.”
2. Covenant Fidelity. Accurate measurement in worship (1 Chronicles 23) declares that God’s holiness tolerates no sloppiness. The Levites’ concern with mesurah exhibited reverence, anticipating the New Testament call that “all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
3. Prophetic Warning. Ezekiel’s rationed water demonstrates that misused abundance can be withdrawn. The same God who insists on fair distribution can limit supply to chastise covenant breakers. Thus mesurah becomes a symbol of divine sovereignty over resources.

Liturgical and Priestly Usage

The Chronicler stresses that Levites did not merely sing or guard gates; they oversaw practical details—grain, oil, and every mesurah. Their service reaffirmed that worship extends to mundane administration, where accuracy reflects the character of God. Modern ministry likewise honors the Lord when financial and logistical matters are handled with transparent precision.

Prophetic Symbolism

Ezekiel’s theater prophecies employ mesurah to confront false security. Jerusalem assumed her cisterns would never run dry, yet God says, “They will drink water by measure and in despair” (Ezekiel 4:16). Measured scarcity becomes a visible sermon: covenant blessings are not entitlements but gifts sustained by obedience.

Practical Application for Ministry Today

• Financial Integrity. Churches and Christian organizations mirror Leviticus 19:35 when budgeting, auditing, and reporting without manipulation.
• Sacramental Precision. Whether preparing communion elements or distributing benevolence funds, leaders emulate the Levites when they treat quantities with intentional care.
• Discipleship of Contentment. Ezekiel’s rationing challenges believers in affluent cultures to embrace stewardship and resist waste, remembering that all provision can be “measured” by the Lord at His discretion.

Related Concepts

Just balances (Leviticus 19:36), honest weights (Proverbs 16:11), the ephah and hin standards, and Jesus’ teaching, “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2), all echo the themes embedded in מְשׂוּרָה. Together they testify that the God of Scripture weighs actions and resources with flawless equity and expects His people to do the same.

Forms and Transliterations

בִּמְשׂוּרָ֥ה במשורה וּבַמְּשׂוּרָֽה׃ ובמשורה׃ מְשׂוּרָ֖ה משורה bim·śū·rāh bimsuRah bimśūrāh mə·śū·rāh mesuRah məśūrāh ū·ḇam·mə·śū·rāh ūḇamməśūrāh uvammesuRah

Englishman's Concordance

Leviticus 19:35
HEB: בַּמִּדָּ֕ה בַּמִּשְׁקָ֖ל וּבַמְּשׂוּרָֽה׃
NAS: in measurement of weight, or capacity.
KJV: in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
INT: measurement of weight capacity

1 Chronicles 23:29
HEB: וְלַמֻּרְבָּ֑כֶת וּלְכָל־ מְשׂוּרָ֖ה וּמִדָּֽה׃
NAS: and all measures of volume and size.
KJV: and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;
INT: is well-mixed and all of volume measures

Ezekiel 4:11
HEB: וּמַ֛יִם בִּמְשׂוּרָ֥ה תִשְׁתֶּ֖ה שִׁשִּׁ֣ית
NAS: of a hin by measure; you shall drink
KJV: also water by measure, the sixth part
INT: the water measure drink shall be the sixth

Ezekiel 4:16
HEB: וּבִדְאָגָ֑ה וּמַ֕יִם בִּמְשׂוּרָ֥ה וּבְשִׁמָּמ֖וֹן יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃
NAS: water by measure and in horror,
KJV: water by measure, and with astonishment:
INT: anxiety water measure horror and drink

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4884
4 Occurrences

bim·śū·rāh — 2 Occ.
mə·śū·rāh — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇam·mə·śū·rāh — 1 Occ.