מָשָׁה (ma.shah)
ma.shah
to draw
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb mashah carries the simple, physical sense of drawing or pulling something toward oneself. In the Old Testament, it appears only twice, yet both instances anchor major biblical narratives around the act of extraction. Its core meaning is not abstract but tactile, describing the motion of retrieving an object from a specific location.
The most famous usage occurs in Exodus 2:10, where Pharaoh’s daughter declares she will "draw" Moses out of the Nile basket. Here, the word describes a literal rescue operation, pulling a child from the water to save his life. This concrete action gives the name Moses its traditional etymological explanation: "drawn out." The verb captures that precise moment of intervention.
In the second occurrence, 2 Samuel 12:30, the word describes drawing a heavy crown from the captured city of Rabbah. This usage shifts the context from rescue to conquest, showing how the same root can apply to retrieving valuable items from enemy hands. The consistency lies in the motion of removal, whether saving a life or securing spoils.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word mashah describes the simple, physical act of drawing or pulling something toward oneself. It is not an abstract concept but a tactile motion, describing the retrieval of an object from a specific location. This verb appears only twice in the Old Testament, yet both instances anchor major biblical narratives around the idea of extraction and rescue.
In Exodus 2:10, Pharaoh’s daughter uses this word to describe pulling the infant Moses from the Nile basket. This concrete action gives his name its traditional meaning: "drawn out." It captures a precise moment of intervention where a life is saved from danger. The word reminds us that God often works through human hands to bring about deliverance, turning a moment of peril into one of hope.
Similarly, in Psalm 22:17 (often cited as II Samuel 22:17 in some numbering systems), the psalmist declares that God "drew me out of many waters." Here, the imagery shifts from a physical rescue to spiritual salvation. It suggests that even when we feel overwhelmed by circumstances, there is a divine hand reaching down to pull us toward safety and life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- he drew/ me1×
- I drew/ him1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מְשִׁיתִֽ/הוּ\׃1×
- יַֽמְשֵׁ֖/נִי1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 2:10
The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
This verse provides the etymological root for Moses' name, linking the physical act of drawing a child from the Nile to his future role as a deliverer.
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II Samuel 22:17
He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters.
The psalmist uses this verb metaphorically to describe God's personal intervention to rescue him from overwhelming danger, emphasizing divine power and care.