מִכְסָה (mikh.sah)
mikh.sah
number
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun mikh.sah refers to a computed amount, specifically denoting a number or a calculated value. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both within the legal instructions of Exodus and Leviticus regarding sacred finances.
In these contexts, the word signifies a fixed monetary valuation rather than a simple count. For instance, it is used to describe the half-shekel offering required for the census (Exodus 30:13) and the specific silver amount assigned to individuals based on age in Leviticus 27:3-7. Here, mikh.sah represents a standardized worth established by divine command.
This term highlights how ancient Israelite law integrated precise economic calculations into religious practice. The word underscores that spiritual obligations often had tangible, measured components, ensuring fairness and consistency in the community’s contributions to the sanctuary.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word mikh.sah appears only twice in the Old Testament, referring to a calculated amount or fixed valuation rather than a simple count. In Exodus and Leviticus, it designates specific monetary standards for sacred finances, such as the half-shekel offering for the census or the silver value assigned based on age. This precision shows that ancient Israelite law integrated exact economic calculations into religious practice, ensuring fairness and consistency in community contributions to the sanctuary.
For your faith today, this reminds us that spiritual obligations often have tangible, measured components. God values order and equity, ensuring that every contribution is weighed fairly according to divine command. This structured approach highlights how sacred duties were not arbitrary but grounded in clear, just standards that protected the community's integrity and unity.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- by/ [the] number of1×
- [the] amount of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מִכְסַ֣ת1×
- בְּ/מִכְסַ֣ת1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 12:4
and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls. You shall make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat.
This verse uses a related concept of counting souls to determine lamb portions, illustrating the principle of measured distribution central to mikh.sah's theme of calculated fairness.
-
Leviticus 27:23
then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and he shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to Yahweh.
Here the priest reckons a specific valuation up to the Jubilee, demonstrating how mikh.sah establishes fixed monetary worth for sacred vows rather than vague estimates.