מְחִיר (me.chir)
me.chir
price
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 13 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun meḥîr denotes a specific monetary value or cost attached to an item or person. In the Old Testament, it appears in contexts ranging from commercial transactions to legal judgments, always pointing to a quantifiable exchange rather than abstract worth. Its usage spans historical narratives and wisdom literature, grounding economic concepts in tangible reality.
This word carries a dual nuance: it can mean the price paid for goods, or the hire and reward earned for labor. The sources highlight this distinction by noting its presence in Proverbs, where it often critiques the folly of selling one’s heritage or integrity for short-term gain. It is not merely a number but the agreed-upon value that facilitates transfer of ownership.
A striking application occurs in 1 Kings 21, where King Ahab seeks to buy Naboth’s vineyard. Here, meḥîr underscores the legal right of inheritance; Naboth refuses to sell because the land is his ancestral possession, which cannot simply be bought with any price. This narrative illustrates how the term intersects with justice and property rights 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 word meḥîr refers to a concrete price or monetary value assigned to an item or person. In ancient Israel, this was not just a number but the agreed-upon cost that facilitated the transfer of ownership. It appears in contexts ranging from commercial trades to legal judgments, grounding economic concepts in tangible reality.
Sometimes this word highlights the folly of valuing material gain over integrity, as seen when leaders judge for bribes. Other times, it underscores the sacredness of giving freely to God, like David refusing to offer sacrifices that cost him nothing. The term reminds us that true value often lies beyond what money can buy.
For your faith, this word invites reflection on what you truly value. It challenges us to consider whether we are willing to give freely or if we are trying to purchase things that cannot be bought with silver. It points toward a deeper truth: some blessings come without price, offered by grace rather than exchange.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 13 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- for/ a price6×
- price/ its1×
- price1×
- for/ price1×
- for/ hire1×
- and/ [the] price of1×
- [the] price of1×
- [is] a price1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בִּ/מְחִֽיר\׃3×
- מְחִירָֽ/הּ\׃1×
- מְחִ֥יר1×
- מְחִ֣יר1×
- מְחִ֖יר1×
- וּ/מְחִ֥יר1×
- בִּ/מְחִ֥יר1×
- בִּ/מְחִ֣יר1×
- בִּ/מְחִ֔יר1×
- בִ/מְחִיר֙1×
- בִ/מְחִ֑יר1×
Key Verses
-
II Samuel 24:24
The king said to Araunah, “No, but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
David insists on paying the full price for the threshing floor, showing that worship requires personal sacrifice rather than using what costs nothing.
-
I Kings 21:2
Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”
Ahab offers money for Naboth’s vineyard, highlighting how meḥîr intersects with justice and the legal right of ancestral inheritance.
-
Isaiah 55:1
“Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
God invites the thirsty to buy wine and milk without money and without price, contrasting earthly meḥîr with divine grace that cannot be purchased.
-
Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money; yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, “Isn’t Yahweh among us? No disaster will come on us.”
The prophets teach for a price, illustrating the corruption that occurs when spiritual guidance is treated as a commodity to be bought and sold.