מַקָּבָה (maq.qa.vah)
maq.qa.vah
hammer
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun maqqabah refers to a hammer, specifically the tool used to drive nails and pegs into wood or stone. It appears as a variant spelling of maqqebet (H4718), with both forms describing the same physical implement in the Old Testament.
In its three biblical occurrences, the word grounds abstract ideas in tangible reality. Jeremiah 10:4 uses it to describe how craftsmen secure idols with nails and hammers, highlighting the effort required to make a lifeless object stand. Isaiah 54:16 invokes the image of a blacksmith’s hammer forging weapons, while 1 Kings 6:7 notes that no hammer was heard at Solomon’s Temple construction site, emphasizing the peace and order of the project.
The term carries no metaphorical weight beyond its literal function as a tool of force or construction. Its rarity in Scripture suggests it served as a precise technical term rather than a poetic symbol. Translators consistently render it as "hammer," preserving the concrete nature of the object without adding theological nuance.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word maqqabah refers to a simple iron hammer, a tool of force and construction. In Scripture, it appears in three specific contexts that ground spiritual truths in physical reality. It describes the effort required to secure an idol, the labor of a blacksmith forging weapons, and the silent peace of Solomon’s Temple.
For your faith, this word highlights the difference between human striving and divine order. When craftsmen used hammers to make idols stand still, it showed the futility of relying on lifeless objects for security. Yet at the Temple, the absence of hammer sounds revealed a space dedicated entirely to God’s presence, free from the noise of human effort.
You can find comfort in knowing that not all work requires forceful striving. Some things are built in peace, and some truths stand firm without our constant intervention. This reminds us that true stability comes from God, not from the tools we use to try and hold everything together.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ with/ hammers1×
- and/ with <the>/ hammers1×
- and/ hammers1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וּ/מַקָּב֤וֹת1×
- וּ/בַ/מַּקָּב֖וֹת1×
- וּ/בְ/מַקָּב֛וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
I Kings 6:7
The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or ax or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction.
This verse highlights the peaceful nature of the Temple by noting the absence of hammer sounds during construction.
-
Jeremiah 10:4
They deck it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers, so that it can’t move.
Here the hammer is used to fasten idols with nails, illustrating the human effort to make lifeless objects stand firm.
-
Isaiah 44:12
The blacksmith takes an ax, works in the coals, fashions it with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. He is hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water, and is faint.
The blacksmith uses hammers to fashion metal, showing the physical labor and strength involved in creating tools.