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מַגָּל

𐤌𐤂𐤋

maggâl

H4038 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גלל to roll, turn, move in a circle

Definition

A hand-held agricultural implement with a curved blade used for reaping or harvesting grain or grass. In biblical contexts, refers specifically to the practical tool for cutting grain stalks during harvest, and by extension, may represent the act or process of harvest as a concrete object.

Semantic Range

sickle (agricultural tool), curved hand implement for reaping, instrument of harvest, object symbolizing reaping or cutting, tool used in agricultural regulation

Root / Etymology

From root גלל (galal), primary meaning 'to roll, turn, revolve.' Morphologically formed with mem-prefixed nominal pattern (maCCāl), common for instruments. The underlying idea relates to the swinging or circular motion in reaping with a curved blade, though the precise verbal root is not attested in this stem with the specific meaning 'to reap.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical Hebrew, מַגָּל appears in agricultural contexts describing the harvest process, particularly in passages about reaping grain (Deut 16:9; Jer 50:16). It indicates a small, hand-held sickle, not a larger scythe or industrial implement. The semantic field overlaps with other agricultural terms such as חֶרְמֵשׁ (hermēsh, another word for 'sickle') but is distinct from broader tools or weapons. In later Hebrew and in rabbinic usage, the term remains tied to harvest and sometimes acquires a metaphorical sense relating to cycles or acts of cutting. Modern translations render it as 'sickle' but may obscure nuances of ancient agricultural practice and tool types. In prophetic and legal texts, it may symbolize both the literal act of reaping and, secondarily, harvest time or agricultural regulation. The English term 'sickle' is an appropriate equivalent but can miss the specifically ancient Near Eastern context and the tool's symbolic associations in Israelite agrarian society. Usage is stable across biblical periods, with no significant semantic shift attested through exilic times. Unlike terms later used with broader connotations (e.g., scythe, mower), מַגָּל remains material-specific and contextually agrarian.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to reap; a sickle; sickle.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גלל (g-l-l) — to roll, turn, revolve, move in a circle

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1530 גַּל rolled heap
H1534 גַּלְגַּל in the rolling-wheel
H1535 גַּלְגַּל his wheels
H1536 גִּלְגָּל Rolling-Circle
H1537 גִּלְגָּל in Gilgal

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4038-01 מַגָּ֖ל magal HNcmsa the sickle reaping sickle 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4038-01 Jeremiah 50:16 מַגָּ֖ל magal HNcmsa the sickle reaping sickle
H4038-01 Joel 4:13 מַגָּ֔ל magal HNcmsa the sickle reaping sickle
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