4929. mishmar
Lexical Summary
mishmar: Guard, watch, custody, prison

Original Word: מִשְׁמָר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mishmar
Pronunciation: mish-MAHR
Phonetic Spelling: (mish-mawr')
KJV: diligence, guard, office, prison, ward, watch
NASB: guard, confinement, custody, division, diligence, keeping watch, post
Word Origin: [from H8104 (שָׁמַר - keep)]

1. a guard (the man, the post or the prison)
2. (figuratively) a deposit
3. (as observed, abstractly) a usage
4. (as observed, concretely) an example

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
diligence, guard, office, prison, ward, watch

From shamar; a guard (the man, the post or the prison); a deposit (fig.); also (as observed) a usage (abstr.), or an example (concr.) -- diligence, guard, office, prison, ward, watch.

see HEBREW shamar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from shamar
Definition
place of confinement, jail, prison, guard, watch, observance
NASB Translation
confinement (4), custody (2), diligence (1), division (2), guard (8), keeping watch (1), post (1), prison (1), prison* (1), services (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מִשְׁמָר noun [masculine] place of confinement, goal, prison; late, guard, watch, observance; — absolute ׳מ Genesis 42:17 +; construct מִשְׁמַר Genesis 40:3 +; suffix מִשְׁמָרוֺ Nehemiah 7:3, etc.; plural suffix רָיו- Nehemiah 13:14; —

1 goal, prison, בֵּית שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים ׳מ Genesis 40:3, compare Genesis 40:4 (absolute), Genesis 40:7; Genesis 41:10; Genesis 42:17 (absolute), + Genesis 42:30 (ᵐ5), בֵּית מִשְׁמַרְכֶם Genesis 42:19 (all E); guard-house in camp Leviticus 24:12 (H), Numbers 15:34 (P).

2 guard, Jeremiah 51:12; Nehemiah 4:3; Nehemiah 4:16, ׳אַנְשֵׁי הַמּ Nehemiah 4:17; guard&-post Nehemiah 7:3; figurative of ׳י setting a guard, ׳כִּי תָשִׂים עָלַימ Job 7:12; band of (Levitical) guards or functionaries 1 Chronicles 26:16; Nehemiah 12:24 (compare מִשְׁמֶרֶת); act of guarding, ׳מִכָּלמֿ Proverbs 4:23 above all guarding watch thy heart. — ׳לְמ Ezekiel 38:7 is doubtful, Hi Co Toy and others reserve; Krae לְמשֵׁל.

3 plural observances, services, of temple Nehemiah 13:14.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scope

The Hebrew noun מִשְׁמָר (mishmar, Strong 4929) gathers the ideas of guard, watch, custody, post, obligation, or charge. Whether referring to prison confinement, Levitical assignments, civic security, or the vigilant care of one’s own heart, the term always carries an atmosphere of responsibility before God for the safety and preservation of something valuable.

Securing Persons: Custody and Prison

The first six occurrences arise in the Joseph narrative. Twice Joseph himself is confined, and twice he becomes the attendant of fellow prisoners (Genesis 40:3-4, 7; 41:10). When Joseph later imprisons his brothers, he declares, “So he confined them in custody for three days” (Genesis 42:17). Yet even here the captivity is a means of testing and ultimately preserving the family line through which the Messiah will come. Leviticus 24:12 and Numbers 15:34 show Israel placing offenders in custody while seeking the Lord’s will, illustrating that justice in Israel was never to be arbitrary but always subject to divine revelation.

Preserving Covenant Community: Levitical Posts and Gates

After Israel settled in the land, mishmar described the assigned stations of the gatekeepers: “To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the West Gate, together with the gate of Shalleketh on the ascending highway—watch corresponding to watch” (1 Chronicles 26:16). Every gate had its guard; the holy precincts could not be treated casually. Mishmar therefore embodies a theology of ordered service by which holiness is protected and worship made possible.

Safeguarding the Return: Nehemiah’s Wall Watch

Thirteen of the twenty-two occurrences come from the books of Nehemiah, where the post-exilic community must defend its fragile revival. “We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night against them” (Nehemiah 4:9). Nehemiah weaves prayer and practical vigilance into one fabric; the people do not choose between faith and preparation. Mishmar describes day-and-night rotations (Nehemiah 4:22-23), appointed sentries from among citizens (7:3), and Levitical choirs set “division corresponding to division” in praise (12:24-25). Spiritual worship, civic order, and armed defense all fall under one word of guardianship.

The Personal Watch: Wisdom Literature

Proverbs applies mishmar to the inner life: “Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Here the arena shifts from external walls to the moral citadel of the soul. The term that kept Babylon at bay now stands over thoughts, affections, and motives. Job laments, “Am I the sea, or a monster of the deep, that You must set a guard over me?” (Job 7:12), revealing the felt pressure of divine surveillance in suffering. Both passages press the reader toward self-examination under God’s eye.

Prophetic Watchfulness: Nations and Eschatology

Jeremiah summons Babylon’s enemies: “Raise a banner against the walls of Babylon; strengthen the watch!” (Jeremiah 51:12). Ezekiel, prophesying Gog’s northern invasion, commands, “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts … and be a guard for them” (Ezekiel 38:7). In each case mishmar frames geopolitical events within God’s sovereign timetable. He appoints watches over empires just as He does over temple gates.

Theological Themes

1. Stewardship under divine authority: Whether imprisoning wrongdoers, protecting sanctuaries, or defending cities, mishmar implies accountability to the Lord.
2. Intercession joined to vigilance: Nehemiah’s pattern of prayer plus guard duty anticipates the New Testament call to “watch and pray.”
3. Holiness defended: Sacred space, Sabbath rest, and covenant law are preserved by faithful watchers.
4. The heart as sanctuary: Proverbs internalizes the concept, urging believers to police the inner life with the same seriousness shown at Jerusalem’s walls.

Ministry Application

• Church leadership bears a mishmar-like charge to “keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account” (Hebrews 13:17).
• Every believer must cultivate moral sentry duty, screening media, relationships, and desires by Scripture.
• Corporate worship requires thoughtful planning and protection against both doctrinal error and practical disorder.
• Intercessory prayer partners practical measures; locking a door without praying, or praying without locking, falls short of biblical balance.
• Mission and mercy ministries can reflect Joseph’s experience: custody that becomes custody-care, turning prisons into places of providence.

Thus מִשְׁמָר traces a line from dungeon to heart, from city walls to global destinies, calling God’s people in every age to faithful watchfulness until the true Guardian of Israel, who “neither slumbers nor sleeps,” brings His kingdom in full.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּמִשְׁמַ֗ר בְּמִשְׁמָֽר׃ בְּמִשְׁמָר֔וֹ בְמִשְׁמַ֛ר בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר במשמר במשמר׃ במשמרו הַמִּשְׁמָ֔ר הַמִּשְׁמָר֙ המשמר וּבְמִשְׁמָרָֽיו׃ ובמשמריו׃ לְמִשְׁמָֽר׃ למשמר׃ מִ֭שְׁמָר מִשְׁמַרְכֶ֑ם מִשְׁמָ֔ר מִשְׁמָ֖ר מִשְׁמָ֧ר מִשְׁמָֽר׃ משמר משמר׃ משמרכם bam·miš·mār bammishMar bammišmār bə·miš·mā·rōw bə·miš·mar bə·miš·mār ḇə·miš·mar bemishMar bemishmaRo bəmišmar bəmišmār ḇəmišmar bəmišmārōw ham·miš·mār hammishMar hammišmār lə·miš·mār lemishMar ləmišmār miš·mār miš·mar·ḵem mishMar mishmarChem Mishmor mišmār mišmarḵem ū·ḇə·miš·mā·rāw ūḇəmišmārāw uvemishmaRav vemishMar
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 40:3
HEB: וַיִּתֵּ֨ן אֹתָ֜ם בְּמִשְׁמַ֗ר בֵּ֛ית שַׂ֥ר
NAS: So he put them in confinement in the house
KJV: And he put them in ward in the house
INT: put confinement the house of the captain

Genesis 40:4
HEB: וַיִּהְי֥וּ יָמִ֖ים בְּמִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time.
KJV: them: and they continued a season in ward.
INT: become some confinement

Genesis 40:7
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֨ר אִתּ֧וֹ בְמִשְׁמַ֛ר בֵּ֥ית אֲדֹנָ֖יו
NAS: who were with him in confinement in his master's
KJV: officers that [were] with him in the ward of his lord's
INT: who in confinement house his master's

Genesis 41:10
HEB: וַיִּתֵּ֨ן אֹתִ֜י בְּמִשְׁמַ֗ר בֵּ֚ית שַׂ֣ר
NAS: and he put me in confinement in the house
KJV: and put me in ward in the captain
INT: his servants put confinement the house of the captain

Genesis 42:17
HEB: אֹתָ֛ם אֶל־ מִשְׁמָ֖ר שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִֽים׃
NAS: So he put them all together in prison for three
KJV: And he put them all together into ward three
INT: put in prison three days

Genesis 42:19
HEB: יֵאָסֵ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית מִשְׁמַרְכֶ֑ם וְאַתֶּם֙ לְכ֣וּ
KJV: in the house of your prison: go
INT: be confined of your households of your prison you go

Leviticus 24:12
HEB: וַיַּנִּיחֻ֖הוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר לִפְרֹ֥שׁ לָהֶ֖ם
NAS: They put him in custody so that the command
KJV: And they put him in ward, that the mind
INT: put custody might be made like

Numbers 15:34
HEB: וַיַּנִּ֥יחוּ אֹת֖וֹ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר כִּ֚י לֹ֣א
NAS: and they put him in custody because
KJV: And they put him in ward, because it was not declared
INT: put custody because had not

1 Chronicles 26:16
HEB: בַּֽמְסִלָּ֖ה הָעוֹלָ֑ה מִשְׁמָ֖ר לְעֻמַּ֥ת מִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: highway. Guard corresponded
KJV: of the going up, ward against
INT: highway the ascending Guard corresponded to guard

1 Chronicles 26:16
HEB: מִשְׁמָ֖ר לְעֻמַּ֥ת מִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: Guard corresponded to guard.
KJV: ward against ward.
INT: Guard corresponded to guard

Nehemiah 4:9
HEB: אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַנַּעֲמִ֨יד מִשְׁמָ֧ר עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם יוֹמָ֥ם
NAS: of them we set up a guard against
KJV: and set a watch against them day
INT: our God set A guard and because day

Nehemiah 4:22
HEB: לָ֧נוּ הַלַּ֛יְלָה מִשְׁמָ֖ר וְהַיּ֥וֹם מְלָאכָֽה׃
NAS: Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night
KJV: that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour
INT: become night guard day laborer

Nehemiah 4:23
HEB: וּנְעָרַ֗י וְאַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּשְׁמָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַחֲרַ֔י
NAS: nor the men of the guard who followed
KJV: nor the men of the guard which followed
INT: my servants the men of the guard who followed

Nehemiah 7:3
HEB: יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם אִ֚ישׁ בְּמִשְׁמָר֔וֹ וְאִ֖ישׁ נֶ֥גֶד
NAS: each at his post, and each
KJV: every one in his watch, and every one
INT: of Jerusalem each his post and each front

Nehemiah 12:24
HEB: אִישׁ־ הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים מִשְׁמָ֖ר לְעֻמַּ֥ת מִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: of God, division corresponding
KJV: of God, ward over against
INT: the man of God division corresponding to division

Nehemiah 12:24
HEB: מִשְׁמָ֖ר לְעֻמַּ֥ת מִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: division corresponding to division.
KJV: ward over against ward.
INT: division corresponding to division

Nehemiah 12:25
HEB: שֹׁמְרִ֤ים שֽׁוֹעֲרִים֙ מִשְׁמָ֔ר בַּאֲסֻפֵּ֖י הַשְּׁעָרִֽים׃
NAS: [were] gatekeepers keeping watch at the storehouses
KJV: keeping the ward at the thresholds
INT: keeping gatekeepers keeping the storehouses of the gates

Nehemiah 13:14
HEB: בְּבֵ֥ית אֱלֹהַ֖י וּבְמִשְׁמָרָֽיו׃
NAS: of my God and its services.
KJV: of my God, and for the offices thereof.
INT: the house of my God services

Job 7:12
HEB: תָשִׂ֖ים עָלַ֣י מִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: That You set a guard over
KJV: that thou settest a watch over me?
INT: you set over A guard

Proverbs 4:23
HEB: מִֽכָּל־ מִ֭שְׁמָר נְצֹ֣ר לִבֶּ֑ךָ
NAS: with all diligence, For from it [flow] the springs
KJV: thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues
INT: all diligence Watch your heart

Jeremiah 51:12
HEB: נֵ֗ס הַחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ הַמִּשְׁמָ֔ר הָקִ֙ימוּ֙ שֹֽׁמְרִ֔ים
NAS: Post a strong guard, Station
KJV: of Babylon, make the watch strong,
INT: A signal Post guard Station sentries

Ezekiel 38:7
HEB: וְהָיִ֥יתָ לָהֶ֖ם לְמִשְׁמָֽר׃
NAS: about you, and be a guard for them.
KJV: that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
INT: about become guard

22 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4929
22 Occurrences


bam·miš·mār — 2 Occ.
bə·miš·mar — 3 Occ.
bə·miš·mā·rōw — 1 Occ.
ham·miš·mār — 2 Occ.
lə·miš·mār — 1 Occ.
miš·mār — 9 Occ.
miš·mar·ḵem — 1 Occ.
miš·mār — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇə·miš·mā·rāw — 1 Occ.
ḇə·miš·mar — 1 Occ.

4928
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