מִישׁוֹר (mi.shor)
mi.shor
plain
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 21 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun miyshor describes a level place or plain, but it also carries the abstract sense of uprightness. Derived from a root meaning to be straight, the word bridges physical geography and moral character. In texts like Psalm 67:4, it appears in the phrase "righteously," linking the idea of a flat, even surface with fairness and justice.
When used literally, miyshor often refers to specific districts, such as the plain near Medeba mentioned in Joshua 13:9. This geographical usage provides the backdrop for famous prophetic imagery. Isaiah 40:4 speaks of every valley being raised and every mountain made low so that the miyshor is revealed, suggesting a path cleared of obstacles.
Translators render this word variously as plain, equity, or straightness depending on context. The connection between physical levelness and moral integrity remains consistent throughout Scripture. A straight path implies honesty, while a crooked one suggests deceit, making miyshor a powerful metaphor for ethical living alongside its literal description of terrain.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word miyshor describes a level place or plain, but it also carries the abstract sense of uprightness. Derived from a root meaning to be straight, the word bridges physical geography and moral character. In texts like Psalm 67:4, it appears in the phrase "righteously," linking the idea of a flat, even surface with fairness and justice.
When used literally, miyshor often refers to specific districts, such as the plain near Medeba mentioned in Joshua 13:9. This geographical usage provides the backdrop for famous prophetic imagery. Isaiah 40:4 speaks of every valley being raised and every mountain made low so that the miyshor is revealed, suggesting a path cleared of obstacles.
A straight path implies honesty, while a crooked one suggests deceit, making miyshor a powerful metaphor for ethical living alongside its literal description of terrain. This connection between physical levelness and moral integrity remains consistent throughout Scripture.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 21 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ plain8×
- <into>/ level ground3×
- on the/ level ground2×
- level ground2×
- with/ uprightness1×
- on/ level ground1×
- in the/ plain1×
- and/ in/ uprightness1×
- and/ in the/ plain1×
- [are] in the/ plain1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/מִּישֹׁ֖ר3×
- לְ/מִישׁ֔וֹר2×
- הַ/מִּישֹׁ֑ר2×
- בַּ/מִּישׁ֔וֹר2×
- מִישֽׁוֹר\׃1×
- מִישׁ֑וֹר1×
- לְ/מִישֹׁ֑ר1×
- וּ/בַ/מִּישׁ֑וֹר1×
- וּ/בְ/מִישׁוֹר֙1×
- הַ/מִּישֹׁ֥ר1×
- הַ/מִּישֹׁ֗ר1×
- הַ/מִּישֹׁ֔ר1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 40:4
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
This verse uses miyshor to describe the final state of God's path, where rough places are made level for all people to see.
-
Psalms 26:12
My foot stands in an even place. In the congregations I will bless Yahweh.
Here the word describes a stable footing, allowing the psalmist to stand firm and bless Yahweh in the congregation.
-
Zechariah 4:7
Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’”
The great mountain is called a plain before Zerubbabel, symbolizing that obstacles will be removed for God's work.
-
Joshua 13:9
from Aroer, that is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon;
This reference anchors the term in real geography, marking the boundary of the land given to Reuben and Gad.