מַגָּל (mag.gal)
mag.gal
sickle
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun maggal refers simply to a sickle, the curved blade used for harvesting grain. With only one occurrence in the Bible, it appears in Jeremiah 51:33, where God compares Babylon to wheat ready for harvest.
This single usage carries significant weight. The image of the sickle implies that judgment is imminent and inevitable, much like a farmer cutting down ripe crops at the end of the season. It transforms a common agricultural tool into a symbol of divine retribution against a proud empire.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word maggal refers to a sickle, the curved blade used by farmers to cut down ripe grain. In Jeremiah 51:33, this simple tool becomes a powerful symbol of God’s judgment against Babylon. The image suggests that just as wheat is gathered when it is fully grown, so too will God act when the time for justice is right.
This imagery reminds us that history is not random. When pride and oppression reach their peak, there comes a moment of reckoning. For believers, this offers comfort: evil does not go unanswered. God sees the suffering of His people and will ultimately set things right.
While we cannot predict when or how these moments come, we can trust in God’s justice. The same God who oversees the harvest also cares for the individual. We are invited to rest in the assurance that righteousness will prevail, even when it seems delayed.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a sickle1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מַגָּ֖ל1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 50:16
Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him who handles the sickle in the time of harvest. For fear of the oppressing sword, they will each return to their own people, and they will each flee to their own land.
This verse mentions the sickle in the context of harvest, linking agricultural imagery to the coming judgment on Babylon and the scattering of its people.