Lexical Summary maskith: Image, figure, idol, showpiece Original Word: מַשְׂכִּית Strong's Exhaustive Concordance conceit, imagery, picture, wish From the same as Sekuw; a figure (carved on stone, the wall, or any object); figuratively, imagination -- conceit, image(-ry), picture, X wish. see HEBREW Sekuw NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as sekvi Definition a showpiece, figure, imagination NASB Translation carved images (1), figured (1), figured stones (1), imagination (1), imaginations (1), settings (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַשְׂכִּית noun feminine show-piece, figure, imagination; — absolute ׳מ Leviticus 26:1, **on ancient rock-carvings in Canaan compare Ghosn-el-HowieJBL xxiii (1904), 211 ff.; suffix מַשְׂכִּיתוֺ Ezekiel 8:12, מַשְׂכִּתוֺ Proverbs 18:11; plural construct מַשְׂכִיּוֺת Proverbs 25:11; Psalm 73:7, suffix מַשְׂכִּיֹּתָם Numbers 33:52; — 1 show-piece, specifically carved figure, of idolatrous symbols, Numbers 33:52 (P; "" מַסֵּכֹתָם צַלְמֵי), ׳אֶבֶן מ Leviticus 26:1 ("" מַצֵּבָה etc.), ׳חַדְרֵי מ Ezekiel 8:12 ( >strike out Co); elsewhere כֶּסֶף ׳מ Proverbs 25:11 silver carvings. 2 imagination, conceit, Proverbs 18:11, לֵבָב ׳מ Psalm 73:7. Topical Lexicon Concept Summary מַשְׂכִּית denotes a fashioned representation—whether a physical relief carved in stone or an inner “image” formed by the mind. Scripture applies the term both to visible idols condemned by the Law and to the invisible imaginings that can become objects of misplaced trust. Occurrences and Contexts Leviticus 26:1 and Numbers 33:52 place מַשְׂכִּית among items Israel must neither manufacture nor tolerate. Psalm 73:7, Proverbs 18:11, and Proverbs 25:11 employ the word in poetry to expose human self-deception or, in one case, to evoke beauty rightly ordered. Ezekiel 8:12 records the prophet’s vision of clandestine idolatry practiced by Judah’s elders, each man standing “in the shrine of his own idol,” showing that forbidden images had migrated from public altars into private chambers. Cultic Prohibitions and the Call to Exclusive Worship In the covenant code, מַשְׂכִּית is paired with “engraved image” and “sacred pillar” (Leviticus 26:1). These parallels indicate its concrete sense: a polished stone panel or low-relief figure set up for veneration. Yahweh’s command is absolute: “You must not make idols for yourselves.” The same word reappears at the conquest stage: “Destroy all their carved images” (Numbers 33:52). The link between the two passages shows continuity from Sinai to Canaan—Israel’s holiness required continual elimination of rival representations. Wisdom Literature: Idols of the Imagination When the psalmist writes, “From their callous hearts proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild” (Psalm 73:7), מַשְׂכִּית moves from external artifact to internal scheme. Similarly, Proverbs 18:11 warns, “A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.” Here the term exposes false security erected within the mind. By contrast, Proverbs 25:11 uses the word positively: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” The finely crafted “settings” (מַשְׂכִּית) frame what is precious, suggesting that artistic skill, when divorced from idolatry, may serve wisdom and truth. Prophetic Indictment of Secret Images Ezekiel’s temple vision uncovers idolatry hidden behind closed doors: “each at the shrine of his own idol” (Ezekiel 8:12). The elders have transferred forbidden carvings into “chambers” where they presume the LORD cannot see. The prophet’s use of מַשְׂכִּית intensifies the charge—Israel has not merely imagined sin; they have shaped it, nurturing concrete substitutes for the divine presence even within the precincts of the temple. Theological Themes 1. Exclusivity of Divine Revelation: Only Yahweh chooses how He will be represented—ultimately in the incarnate Son, not in human carvings. Ministry Implications • Preaching and Teaching: Expose modern equivalents of מַשְׂכִּית—material objects or mental constructs that rival God’s authority. Historical Reflections Archaeological finds in Canaanite and Near-Eastern contexts reveal stone bas-reliefs depicting deities, kings, and cosmic symbols—physical analogues to the מַשְׂכִּית banned in Leviticus. Israel’s temptation to adopt such imagery underscores the radical nature of the second commandment within its environment. Christological Perspective The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Whereas מַשְׂכִּית substitutes human invention for divine reality, the incarnation supplies God’s own authorized self-disclosure. Right worship therefore rejects unauthorized images and embraces the living Image who perfectly reveals the Father. Forms and Transliterations בְּמַשְׂכִּיּ֥וֹת בְּמַשְׂכִּיתֽוֹ׃ במשכיות במשכיתו׃ מַשְׂכִּ֗ית מַשְׂכִּיֹּתָ֑ם מַשְׂכִּיּ֥וֹת מַשְׂכִּית֑וֹ משכיות משכית משכיתו משכיתם bə·maś·kî·ṯōw bə·maś·kî·yō·wṯ bemaskiTo bəmaśkîṯōw bemaskiYot bəmaśkîyōwṯ maś·kî·ṯōw maś·kî·yō·ṯām maś·kî·yō·wṯ maś·kîṯ masKit maśkîṯ maskiTo maśkîṯōw maskiYot maskiyoTam maśkîyōṯām maśkîyōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 26:1 HEB: לָכֶ֔ם וְאֶ֣בֶן מַשְׂכִּ֗ית לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ֙ NAS: shall you place a figured stone KJV: neither shall ye set up [any] image of stone INT: set stone A figured nor place Numbers 33:52 Psalm 73:7 Proverbs 18:11 Proverbs 25:11 Ezekiel 8:12 6 Occurrences |
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