מַהְפֶּ֫כֶת (mah.pe.khet)
mah.pe.khet
stocks
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun mahpeket refers to a device of physical restraint, most commonly translated as "stocks." These were wooden instruments designed to lock a person’s head and hands or feet in place, forcing an uncomfortable, often crooked posture. The word appears only four times in the Old Testament, primarily within the books of Jeremiah and II Chronicles, where it serves as a symbol of humiliation and confinement.
Its root sense involves turning or distorting, reflecting how the device physically contorts the body. In Jeremiah 20:2, the prophet Pashhur places Jeremiah in these stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, an act intended to publicly shame him for his prophetic messages. The term can also extend metaphorically to describe a "house of stocks," effectively functioning as a prison or dungeon where individuals are held against their will.
Translators sometimes render mahpeket as "prison" when the context emphasizes confinement rather than the specific instrument, but the core image remains one of forced immobility and disgrace. By restricting movement and visibility, these stocks served not just as a method of detention, but as a visible marker of legal judgment and social exclusion in ancient Israelite society.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word mahpeket describes wooden stocks used to restrain a person’s head or limbs, forcing an uncomfortable posture that marked them for public shame. In ancient Israel, this was not merely detention but a visible sign of disgrace and social exclusion. When Jeremiah was placed in these stocks by Pashhur, it was intended to silence his prophetic voice and humiliate him before the people.
Yet even in such confinement, truth could not be contained. The very act meant to suppress God’s message only highlighted the courage of those who spoke it. For believers today, this word reminds us that suffering for righteousness is real, but so is God’s presence in the midst of it. We are never truly isolated from His care, even when held by forces beyond our control.
This imagery invites reflection on how we respond to pressure, criticism, or injustice. Rather than retaliating, Christians are called to trust that God sees and vindicates those who remain faithful. The stocks may restrict the body, but they cannot bind the soul when it rests in divine purpose.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ stock[s]4×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/מַּהְפָּ֑כֶת1×
- הַ/מַּהְפֶּ֗כֶת1×
- הַ/מַּהְפֶּ֖כֶת1×
- הַ/מַּהְפֶּ֔כֶת1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 20:2
Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in Yahweh’s house.
This verse shows the stocks being used as a tool of public humiliation against a prophet, highlighting their role in enforcing social and religious conformity through shame.
-
Jeremiah 20:3
On the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “Yahweh has not called your name Pashhur, but Magormissabib.
Here, Jeremiah’s immediate prophetic response after release demonstrates that physical restraint could not silence the divine message he carried.
-
II Chronicles 16:10
Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the prison; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
The use of 'stocks' here reflects King Asa’s shift from reliance on God to fear-driven control, showing how leaders may misuse authority to suppress truth.