4938. mish'enah

Lexicon

mish'enah: Staff, support, prop

Original Word: מִשְׁעֵנָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mish`enah
Pronunciation: mish-eh-naw'
Phonetic Spelling: (mish-ay-naw')
Definition: Staff, support, prop
Meaning: support, sustenance, a walking-stick

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

staff

Or mishteneth {mish-eh'-neth}; feminine of mish'en; support (abstractly), i.e. (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking-stick -- staff.

see HEBREW mish'en

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מַשְׁעֵנָה noun feminine id., see foregoing (masculine and feminine to exhaust the category = support of every kind).

מִשְׁעֶ֫נֶת noun feminine staff; — absolute Judges 6:21; 2 Kings 4:31; construct 2 Kings 18:20 +; suffix מִשְׁעַנְתּוֺ Exodus 21:19; Zechariah 8:4, etc.; plural suffix מִשְׁעֲנֹתָם Numbers 21:18; — staff, Exodus 21:19 (E) Numbers 21:18 (J) Judges 6:21; 2 Kings 4:28; 2 Kings 4:29; 2 Kings 2:31; Zechariah 8:4; figurative of political support, מִשְׁעֶנֶת הַקָּנֶה הָרָצוּץ 2 Kings 18:21 = Isaiah 36:6, compare Ezekiel 29:6; of ׳י as shepherd Psalm 23:4 (+שֵׁבֶט).

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root שָׁעַן (sha'an), meaning "to lean" or "to support."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G2961: κυριεύω (kurieuō) • to have dominion over, to rule. This Greek term, while not a direct translation, shares the concept of authority and reliance, as one might rely on a ruler or lord for support.
• G4464: ῥάβδος (rhabdos) • a rod, staff, or scepter. This term directly corresponds to the physical aspect of מִשְׁעֵנָה as a staff or walking-stick, symbolizing support and authority.

In summary, מִשְׁעֵנָה encapsulates the idea of support, whether through a physical object like a staff or through metaphorical reliance on divine or human aid. Its usage in the Hebrew Bible serves as a reminder of the importance of discerning where true and reliable support can be found.

Usage: The word מִשְׁעֵנָה is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe objects or concepts that provide support or assistance. It is often used metaphorically to represent reliance or dependence on something or someone.

Context: מִשְׁעֵנָה appears in various contexts within the Hebrew Scriptures, illustrating both literal and figurative uses. In a literal sense, it refers to a physical object like a staff or walking-stick, which provides support to an individual, particularly the elderly or those in need of assistance while walking. For example, in 2 Kings 18:21, the term is used metaphorically to describe Egypt as a "splintered reed of a staff" that cannot be relied upon for support. This usage underscores the concept of trust and the dangers of relying on unreliable sources for sustenance or aid.

The term also appears in passages that emphasize the importance of divine support and the futility of relying on human strength or foreign powers. In Isaiah 36:6, the imagery of a broken reed is again employed to caution against misplaced trust. The consistent theme across these references is the contrast between the transient nature of human support and the enduring reliability of divine assistance.

Forms and Transliterations

בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם במשענתם הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙ המשענת וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ וּמַשְׁעֵנָ֑ה ומשענה ומשענתך מִשְׁעֶ֥נֶת מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ מִשְׁעַנְתִּ֖י מִשְׁעַנְתִּ֣י מִשְׁעַנְתּ֖וֹ מִשְׁעַנְתּ֛וֹ משענת משענתו משענתי bə·miš·‘ă·nō·ṯām bəmiš‘ănōṯām bemishanoTam ham·miš·‘e·neṯ hammiš‘eneṯ hammishEnet miš‘antî miš‘antōw miš‘eneṯ miš·‘an·tî miš·‘an·tōw miš·‘e·neṯ mishanTi mishanTo misheNet ū·maš·‘ê·nāh ū·miš·‘an·te·ḵā ūmaš‘ênāh umasheNah ūmiš‘anteḵā umishanTecha

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 21:19
HEB: בַּח֛וּץ עַל־ מִשְׁעַנְתּ֖וֹ וְנִקָּ֣ה הַמַּכֶּ֑ה
NAS: outside on his staff, then he who struck
KJV: abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote
INT: outside on his staff shall go struck

Numbers 21:18
HEB: הָעָ֔ם בִּמְחֹקֵ֖ק בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖ר מַתָּנָֽה׃
NAS: With the scepter [and] with their staffs. And from the wilderness
KJV: it, by [the direction of] the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness
INT: of the people the scepter their staffs the wilderness Mattanah

Judges 6:21
HEB: אֶת־ קְצֵ֤ה הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּיָד֔וֹ
NAS: out the end of the staff that was in his hand
KJV: the end of the staff that [was] in his hand,
INT: of the LORD the end of the staff that was hand

2 Kings 4:29
HEB: מָתְנֶ֗יךָ וְקַ֨ח מִשְׁעַנְתִּ֣י בְיָדְךָ֮ וָלֵךְ֒
NAS: and take my staff in your hand,
KJV: and take my staff in thine hand,
INT: your loins and take my staff your hand and go

2 Kings 4:29
HEB: תַעֲנֶנּ֑וּ וְשַׂמְתָּ֥ מִשְׁעַנְתִּ֖י עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י
NAS: him; and lay my staff on the lad's
KJV: and lay my staff upon the face
INT: answer and lay my staff and face

2 Kings 4:31
HEB: וַיָּ֤שֶׂם אֶת־ הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙ עַל־ פְּנֵ֣י
NAS: them and laid the staff on the lad's
KJV: them, and laid the staff upon the face
INT: before and laid the staff and face

2 Kings 18:21
HEB: לְּךָ֡ עַל־ מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ הַקָּנֶ֨ה הָרָצ֤וּץ
NAS: you rely on the staff of this
KJV: Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised
INT: rely on the staff reed crushed

Psalm 23:4
HEB: עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃
NAS: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort
KJV: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
INT: me your rod and your staff they comfort

Isaiah 3:1
HEB: וּמִ֣יהוּדָ֔ה מַשְׁעֵ֖ן וּמַשְׁעֵנָ֑ה כֹּ֚ל מִשְׁעַן־
NAS: Both supply and support, the whole
KJV: the stay and the staff, the whole stay
INT: and Judah supply and support the whole supply

Isaiah 36:6
HEB: בָטַ֡חְתָּ עַל־ מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ הַקָּנֶ֨ה הָרָצ֤וּץ
NAS: you rely on the staff of this
KJV: Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken
INT: rely on the staff reed crushed

Ezekiel 29:6
HEB: יַ֧עַן הֱיוֹתָ֛ם מִשְׁעֶ֥נֶת קָנֶ֖ה לְבֵ֥ית
NAS: they have been [only] a staff [made] of reed
KJV: that I [am] the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed
INT: Because have been a staff reed to the house

Zechariah 8:4
HEB: יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְאִ֧ישׁ מִשְׁעַנְתּ֛וֹ בְּיָד֖וֹ מֵרֹ֥ב
NAS: each man with his staff in his hand
KJV: and every man with his staff in his hand
INT: of Jerusalem each his staff his hand very

12 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4938
12 Occurrences

bə·miš·‘ă·nō·ṯām — 1 Occ.
ham·miš·‘e·neṯ — 2 Occ.
miš·‘an·tî — 2 Occ.
miš·‘an·tōw — 2 Occ.
miš·‘e·neṯ — 3 Occ.
ū·maš·‘ê·nāh — 1 Occ.
ū·miš·‘an·te·ḵā — 1 Occ.