מְנַקִּיָּה (me.naq.qiy.yah)
me.naq.qiy.yah
bowl
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun menaqiyah refers to a specific type of sacrificial bowl or cup used in ancient Israelite worship. It appears only four times in the Old Testament, primarily within the detailed instructions for the tabernacle and temple services found in Exodus and Numbers, as well as in Jeremiah’s prophecies against Judah.
These vessels were essential tools for handling blood during ritual offerings. In Exodus 27:3 and Numbers 4:14, menaqiyah is listed alongside other bronze utensils like shovels and basins, indicating its role in the practical maintenance of the altar rites. Jeremiah 25:15 uses the image metaphorically, describing a cup of wrath that God holds out to the nations, linking the physical object to divine judgment.
The word highlights the tangible nature of ancient worship, where specific vessels were consecrated for holy purposes. Its limited usage underscores how central these ritual objects were to the covenant community’s understanding of atonement and obedience.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word menaqiyah points to a small bowl or cup used in ancient worship. In Exodus, these vessels were crafted from pure gold for the sacred table in the tabernacle. They held offerings poured out before God, showing that even the smallest items in worship matter when they are set apart for holy use.
In Jeremiah, the image shifts to a bowl of judgment. God holds out this cup to the nations, symbolizing His response to sin. This reminds us that God is both the giver of blessing and the judge of wrongdoing. The same object can represent grace or consequence, depending on how we stand before Him.
For your faith, this word invites reflection on what you offer to God. Whether in joy or trial, your life becomes a vessel for His purposes. You are invited to consider how your daily actions reflect reverence and honesty before the Lord.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ bowls2×
- bowls/ its1×
- and/ bowls/ its1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מְנַקִּיֹּתָ֔י/ו1×
- וּ/מְנַקִּיֹּתָ֔י/ו1×
- הַ/מְּנַקִּיֹּ֔ת1×
- הַ/מְּנַקִי֔וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 25:29
You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls with which to pour out offerings. You shall make them of pure gold.
This verse specifies that the bowls were made of pure gold for the table, highlighting their sacred purpose in holding offerings.
-
Numbers 4:7
“On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be on it.
Here the bowls are listed among items to be covered by a blue cloth during transport, showing their careful handling in ritual service.
-
Jeremiah 52:19
The captain of the guard took away the cups, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lamp stands, the spoons, and the bowls; that which was of gold, as gold, and that which was of silver, as silver.
This passage records the removal of these bowls as part of the temple's plunder, linking the object to the fall of Jerusalem.