מִפְגָּע (miph.ga)
miph.ga
target
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 miphga denotes a target or mark struck by an attack. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Job 7:20, where Job uses it to describe his own vulnerability before God.
Job asks why God treats him like a target, emphasizing that he is merely a human being subject to divine scrutiny. The word highlights the asymmetry of the relationship: God is the hunter or striker, while Job is the object hit by this relentless attention.
This single usage paints a vivid picture of existential exposure. Job feels hunted, not because he has committed a specific crime requiring punishment, but simply because he exists. The term captures the pain of being constantly aimed at by a power far greater than oneself.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word miphga appears only once in Scripture, found in Job’s cry of anguish. It describes a target or mark struck by an attack. In this verse, Job feels that God has set him up as a target for scrutiny. This paints a vivid picture of existential exposure, where the sufferer feels hunted not for a specific crime, but simply because they exist.
It is easy to feel like this when life becomes overwhelming. You might wonder why you are being tested so deeply. This word reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we are seen. The asymmetry of power between the divine and human is stark here, yet it does not mean abandonment. It means your pain is real and visible.
When you feel like a target of circumstance or divine attention, know that your voice matters. Job spoke his truth to God, and God eventually answered him. You do not have to carry the weight of being a burden alone. Your vulnerability is met with a God who listens to the cries of the afflicted.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ a target1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/מִפְגָּ֣ע1×
Key Verses
-
Job 7:20
If I have sinned, what do I do to you, you watcher of men? Why have you set me as a mark for you, so that I am a burden to myself?
This verse uses miphga to show Job feeling like a target for divine scrutiny, highlighting his sense of existential exposure and vulnerability before God.