מְאָה
𐤌𐤀𐤄
mᵉʼâh
H3969 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
The numeral 'hundred'; denotes the quantity of 100. Used primarily as a cardinal number in enumerations, counting persons, objects, animals, years, and similar items. May also occur in multiplicative constructions (e.g., 'a hundredfold') and as part of larger numerals (e.g., 'one hundred and twenty'). In some rare idiomatic instances, it is used in approximations or hyperbolically to denote a very large quantity.
Semantic Range
hundred, a set of one hundred units, precisely 100, used in enumerations, in legal or genealogical records, in measurements (e.g., years, cubits, shekels), in expressions of quantity (multiples and fractions), sometimes figurative for a great number
Root / Etymology
Root: מאה. Derived directly from the Hebrew root מאה, which as a noun is a primitive numeral indicating the quantity of 100. The root meaning, as far as can be determined, is simply that of the cardinal numeral 'hundred.' There is no evidence of a prior verbal or non-numerical root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מְאָה occurs regularly throughout Biblical Hebrew to express the quantity 100, typically as part of census totals (e.g., Num 1:46), genealogical data, or measurements (e.g., years, shekels, cubits). While the form מֵאָה is most common in Biblical Hebrew prose, מְאָה represents the Aramaic form, found in sections of the Hebrew Bible written in Aramaic (notably in Daniel and Ezra), though sometimes appearing in Hebrew poetic texts or late Biblical Hebrew. Its meaning remains stable across periods, always denoting the numeral hundred. The term is distinct from related numerals based on ten (עֶשֶׂר) and thousand (אֶלֶף), although all follow a similar morphological pattern in Semitic numerals. English translations that render מְאָה as 'hundred' are accurate, but idiomatic uses should be noted when 'hundred' indicates a large or indefinite number, not always a precise count, especially in poetic contexts. There is no direct religious or ethnonymic implication in uses of this term. In later periods of Hebrew and Aramaic, the numeral continues to carry the same basic meaning.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to מֵאָה; properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction}; hundred.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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מאה (m-ʾ-h) — hundred, numerical designation, counting
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3968 | מֵאָה | the Hundred |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3969-02 |
מְאָ֣ה | meah | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred | 7 |
H3969-01 |
מָאתַ֔יִן | matayin | AAcbda |
two hundred | two hundred | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3969-02 |
Daniel 6:2 | מְאָ֣ה | meah | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred |
H3969-02 |
Ezra 6:17 | מְאָ֔ה | meah | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred |
H3969-01 |
Ezra 6:17 | מָאתַ֔יִן | matayin | AAcbda |
two hundred | two hundred |
H3969-02 |
Ezra 6:17 | מְאָ֑ה | meah-2 | AAcbsa |
hundred | one hundred |
H3969-02 |
Ezra 7:22 | מְאָה֒ | meah | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred |
H3969-02 |
Ezra 7:22 | מְאָ֔ה | meah-2 | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred |
H3969-02 |
Ezra 7:22 | מְאָ֔ה | meah-3 | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred |
H3969-02 |
Ezra 7:22 | מְאָ֑ה | meah-4 | AAcbsa |
a hundred | one hundred |