מוֹצָאָה (mo.tsa.ah)
mo.tsa.ah
going forth
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun moṣāʾâ literally means a place of going forth, derived from the root for exiting or emerging. In biblical Hebrew it carries two distinct meanings: it can refer to one’s origin or lineage, or more concretely, to a physical location where waste is disposed of.
While the word appears only once in the entire Old Testament, that single instance is theologically significant. In Micah 5:2, the prophet uses it to describe the ruler who will come from Bethlehem, stating his "goings forth" are from ancient times. Here, the term points to eternal origin rather than a physical exit.
This usage contrasts sharply with its other common meaning found in legal texts like Leviticus 4:12, where it denotes a privy or dung heap outside the camp. The juxtaposition highlights how the same root can describe both the humble source of royal authority and the disposal of impurity, depending entirely on context.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word moṣāʾâ literally means a place of going forth or exiting. While it can refer to physical waste disposal in legal texts, its most profound use appears in Micah 5:2. There, the prophet describes the future ruler from Bethlehem, noting that his origins are not merely recent but stretch back to ancient times.
This usage reminds us that true authority and identity often have deep, hidden roots. When we consider our own lives, we might look only at our current circumstances. Yet this word invites us to see that our purpose is anchored in something far older and more enduring than our immediate surroundings.
For your faith, this offers a quiet comfort. Your story is not defined solely by where you are now, but by the eternal source from which you come. It suggests that even humble beginnings can lead to significant outcomes when grounded in divine timing.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- <into>/ outhouses1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/מֽוֹצָא֖וֹת1×