מֵמַד (me.mad)
me.mad
measurement
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun memad simply means a measurement or a measured portion. It is an abstract term referring to the act or result of measuring something out, establishing its dimensions or limits.
This word appears only once in the entire Old Testament, in Job 38:5. In that context, God uses it rhetorically when asking Job who determined the size and boundaries of the earth. The question highlights that the universe’s scale was set by divine wisdom long before human existence.
Its rarity makes its single occurrence stand out. By using a technical term for measurement in a poetic dialogue about creation, the text emphasizes that the physical world is not chaotic but has precise, intentional limits established by God.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we look at the vastness of the sky or the complexity of our own lives, it is easy to feel small and uncertain. The word me.mad reminds us that the world was not created by accident. In Job 38:5, God asks who determined its measures, pointing to a precise order behind everything we see. This suggests that your life, too, has been measured out with care and intention.
You do not need to figure out every detail of your future on your own. The same wisdom that set the boundaries of the earth is present in your daily journey. Trusting in this divine order brings a quiet peace, knowing that you are held within limits that are both safe and purposeful. There is comfort in knowing that nothing is left to chance.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- measurements/ its1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מְ֭מַדֶּי/הָ1×
Key Verses
-
Job 38:5
Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?
This verse uses the word to emphasize that God alone established the precise dimensions of the earth, highlighting His sovereign control over creation.