מוּשׁ (mush)
mush
to feel
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb mush simply means to feel, appearing only three times in the Old Testament. In Judges 5:30, it describes soldiers anticipating the tactile sensation of finding plunder, while in Genesis 44:12, the search for the silver cup is framed as an act of feeling through bags. The word captures a basic, physical interaction with an object.
Its usage highlights a tangible, sensory experience rather than an abstract emotion. In Psalm 139:5, God’s knowledge is described using this root, suggesting a close, encompassing awareness that surrounds the believer from behind and before. This physical metaphor grounds spiritual intimacy in the reality of bodily presence.
Though rare, mush connects the divine to the human experience of touch. It reminds readers that biblical language often uses concrete sensations to describe profound realities, whether it is the hope of finding treasure or the assurance of being known by God.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word mush describes the simple, physical act of feeling or touching. It appears rarely in Scripture, yet its usage is strikingly concrete. We see it when Isaac reaches out to touch Jacob’s skin, seeking reassurance of his son’s presence. We see it again when Samson asks a servant to guide his hands to the temple pillars, relying on tactile sensation in a moment of crisis.
These moments remind us that faith is not detached from our physical reality. God meets us in the tangible details of life—through touch, presence, and sensory experience. Even when we cannot see clearly, we can still reach out, trust, and find grounding in what is real before us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they feel/ !1×
- so/ I may feel/ you1×
- and/ let feel/ me1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יְמִישׁ֗וּ/ן1×
- וַ/הֲמִשֵׁ֙/נִי֙1×
- וַ/אֲמֻֽשְׁ/ךָ֖1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 27:21
Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
Isaac uses the act of feeling to verify Jacob's identity, showing how physical touch serves as a bridge for trust and recognition in uncertain times.
-
Judges 16:26
and Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Allow me to feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean on them.”
Samson’s request to feel the pillars highlights human dependence on sensory input when vision fails, grounding his final act of strength in physical reality.
-
Psalms 115:7
They have hands, but they don’t feel. They have feet, but they don’t walk, neither do they speak through their throat.
The psalmist contrasts idols’ inability to feel with God’s active presence, emphasizing that true worship involves a living, responsive relationship rather than static objects.