מִזְרָע (miz.ra)
miz.ra
sowing
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 mizraʿ refers to a field prepared for planting, or simply "seed-land." It describes the ground itself where the agricultural process begins, rather than the seed or the act of sowing. This concrete term grounds the language in the physical reality of farming.
Its usage is remarkably narrow, appearing only once in the Hebrew Bible at Isaiah 19:7. In this context, it illustrates the devastation of Egypt’s Nile-dependent agriculture. The verse describes how reeds and rushes wither when the water recedes, leaving the mizraʿ—those fertile plots meant for growth—dry and barren.
By focusing on the place rather than the crop, the word highlights potential that remains unfulfilled. It serves as a stark image of lost opportunity, where the land is ready but the conditions for life have vanished.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word mizraʿ points to the field itself, the ground prepared for planting. It is not the seed or the act of sowing, but the place where life begins. In Isaiah 19:7, this term describes the fertile plots along the Nile that have turned dry and barren. The land was ready, but the water receded, leaving potential unfulfilled.
This image reminds us that preparation is only part of the story. We can prepare our hearts and lives, yet still face seasons where growth seems impossible. It invites us to trust in a source of life beyond our own efforts. When conditions fail, we look to God for renewal.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] sown land of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מִזְרַ֣ע1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 19:7
The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
This verse uses mizraʿ to describe the specific Nile fields that wither when water disappears, highlighting the loss of agricultural potential.