מַכְתֵּשׁ (makh.tesh)
makh.tesh
hollow
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun makh.tesh refers to a mortar, the bowl-shaped vessel used for crushing or pounding substances. Its core meaning is defined by its function as a place of braying, where hard materials are broken down into smaller pieces or paste through repeated physical force.
This term appears in only two verses of Scripture: Judges 5:22 and Proverbs 27:22. In the Song of Deborah, it describes the dust kicked up by chariots as if they were grinding against a mortar. In Proverbs, it illustrates that refining evil people through criticism or pressure will not change their character, just as pounding a fool in a mortar leaves their folly intact.
The word’s imagery relies on the contrast between external force and internal nature. While a mortar effectively changes the physical state of grain or herbs, the biblical usage highlights its inability to alter moral disposition. This distinction underscores the futility of trying to reform a stubborn heart through mere pressure or rebuke alone.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word makh.tesh describes a heavy stone bowl used for crushing grain. It represents intense pressure and force applied to change the physical state of something hard. In Judges, it evokes the violent shaking of chariot wheels, while in Proverbs, it illustrates the limits of human correction.
This image reminds us that external circumstances cannot reshape our inner character. No amount of hardship or criticism can remove deep-seated folly if the heart remains unchanged. True transformation comes from within, guided by wisdom rather than forced by pressure.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ deep hollow1×
- in <the>/ mortar1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/מַּכְתֵּ֣שׁ1×
- בַּֽ/מַּכְתֵּ֡שׁ1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 27:22
Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.
This verse uses the mortar to show that even extreme physical pressure cannot remove a fool's stubborn nature.
-
Judges 15:19
But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it. When he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore its name was called En Hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day.
Here the term refers to a hollow place in rock, highlighting how God provides relief in moments of deep distress.