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מֶגֶד

𐤌𐤂𐤃

meged

H4022 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The best, choicest, or most precious produce, especially agricultural yield such as fruits, grains, or oils. In poetic and blessing contexts, denotes that which is most excellent, delightful, or valuable among natural products, often invoked as a symbol of divine bounty or fertility.

Semantic Range

the best produce, choicest yield, most precious fruit, valuable thing, delight, excellence

Root / Etymology

Root: מגד. Derived from a root that is otherwise unused in biblical Hebrew, possibly carrying the sense 'to be eminent' or 'to be precious.' The noun מֶגֶד is built as a masculine singular noun form and denotes eminence or excellence, likely linked in form to similar roots indicating excellence, beauty, or preciousness in Semitic languages, though direct cognates are not attested in biblical Hebrew. The root itself is not used in verb form in the Hebrew Bible.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מֶגֶד appears predominantly in poetic and blessing passages, such as Jacob's blessing of Joseph (Genesis 43:11; Deuteronomy 33:13-16), describing agricultural abundance and the best natural products of the land. The term does not simply refer to fruit in a general sense, but specifically the choicest or most desirable elements produced by the earth, often paired with other words for abundance (e.g., דָּגָן 'grain', תִּירוֹשׁ 'new wine'). Over time, its usage remained relatively restricted to elevated, literary, or liturgical contexts and does not appear in ordinary narrative speech. Standard English translations such as 'precious things,' 'choice fruits,' or 'best produce' approximate the term, but may not fully capture its connotations of delighted blessing and superlative quality. No significant shift in meaning is seen from the monarchic to post-exilic periods; the word remains associated with agricultural blessing in the biblical text, with later tradition sometimes broadening its meaning to rare or luxurious goods.

Translation Consistency

primary "best" 0 occurrences

"Best" is the most natural, versatile English word to render מֶגֶד’s primary sense of choicest or most precious produce. It covers the full SILEX range (choicest yield, most excellent fruit, valuable thing) in simple, idiomatic English and will read smoothly and consistently in all contexts.

Alternatives (8 occurrences):
"choicest produce of" (5x) "choicest yields" (2x) "choicest produce" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root probably meaning to be eminent; properly, a distinguished thing; hence something valuable, as aproduct or fruit; pleasant, precious fruit (thing).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

מגד (meged) — to be eminent, to be precious, to be distinguished

Root מגד to be eminent, to be precious, to be distinguished
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4030 מִגְדָּנָה choice precious objects

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4022-04 וּ/מִ/מֶּ֖גֶד umimeged HC/R/Ncmsc and from the precious things and from choicest produce of and from choicest produce of 4
H4022-02 מְגָדִ֑ים megadim HNcmpa choice fruits choicest yields choicest yields 2
H4022-01 מְגָדָֽי/ו megadayv HNcmpc/Sp3ms its choicest his choicest yields its choicest produce 1
H4022-03 מִ/מֶּ֤גֶד mimeged HR/Ncmsc from the precious things of from choicest produce of from choicest produce of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4022-03 Deuteronomy 33:13 מִ/מֶּ֤גֶד mimeged HR/Ncmsc from the precious things of from choicest produce of from choicest produce of
H4022-04 Deuteronomy 33:14 וּ/מִ/מֶּ֖גֶד umimeged HC/R/Ncmsc and from the precious things and from choicest produce of and from choicest produce of
H4022-04 Deuteronomy 33:14 וּ/מִ/מֶּ֖גֶד umimeged-2 HC/R/Ncmsc and from the precious things and from choicest produce of and from choicest produce of
H4022-04 Deuteronomy 33:15 וּ/מִ/מֶּ֖גֶד umimeged HC/R/Ncmsc and from the excellence and from choicest produce of and from choicest produce of
H4022-04 Deuteronomy 33:16 וּ/מִ/מֶּ֗גֶד umimeged HC/R/Ncmsc and from the best and from choicest produce of and from choicest produce of
H4022-02 Song of Songs 4:13 מְגָדִ֑ים megadim HNcmpa precious choicest yields choicest yields
H4022-01 Song of Songs 4:16 מְגָדָֽי/ו megadayv HNcmpc/Sp3ms its choicest his choicest yields its choicest produce
H4022-02 Song of Songs 7:14 מְגָדִ֔ים megadim HNcmpa choice fruits choicest yields choicest yields
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