מַחְסֶּה (ma.cha.seh)
ma.cha.seh
refuge
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun machsah refers to a place of protection, such as a shelter from rain or a hiding spot from danger. In the Hebrew Bible it appears fourteen times, with a strong presence in the Psalms where it describes God as a safe haven for those in trouble. It can also apply to false security, like trusting in deceit rather than in God.
Its root idea is about physical cover that provides safety. This concrete image helps explain why the word carries such emotional weight in prayer. When someone calls God their machsah, they are not just speaking abstractly but picturing themselves under a protective roof during a storm.
This word highlights how ancient readers understood safety as something tangible. It reminds us that trust in God is often about finding real shelter when life feels threatening or chaotic.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels overwhelming, the human instinct is often to seek safety in things we can control or understand. The Hebrew word machsah offers a different perspective by describing God not as an abstract concept, but as a tangible place of shelter. It evokes the image of standing under a solid roof while a storm rages outside. This concrete picture reminds us that trust in God is about finding real rest when chaos surrounds us.
In the Psalms, this word appears frequently as believers declare their confidence in divine protection. It suggests that safety comes from proximity to God rather than from our own strength or cleverness. Even when circumstances seem dire, the promise remains that He serves as a secure hiding place for those who seek Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- refuge/ my3×
- shelter/ my1×
- shelter1×
- refuge/ our1×
- and/ for/ refuge1×
- a shelter1×
- a refuge1×
- [the] refuge of1×
- [is] refuge/ his1×
- [are] refuge/ my1×
- [are] refuge of/ my1×
- [are] a refuge1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מַחְסִ֑/י2×
- מַֽחֲסִ/י\־1×
- מַחְסֶֽה\׃1×
- מַחְסֶ֥ה1×
- מַחְסֶ֤ה1×
- מַחְסֵֽ/הוּ\׃1×
- מַחְסֵ֣ה1×
- מַחְסֵ֖/נוּ1×
- מַחְסִֽ/י\׃1×
- מַחְסִ֣/י1×
- מַֽחֲסִ/י\־1×
- מַ֝חְסֶ֗ה1×
Key Verses
-
Psalms 91:2
I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
This verse pairs 'refuge' with 'fortress,' emphasizing both protection from external attacks and a strong foundation for trust.
-
Isaiah 28:15
“Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and we are in agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.’”
Here the word describes a false shelter built on lies, warning that deceit offers no real safety when judgment arrives.
-
Job 24:8
They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for lack of a shelter.
The text shows people clinging to rocks for physical cover from rain, illustrating the basic human need for immediate protection.