מְגַמָּה
𐤌𐤂𐤌𐤄
mᵉgammâh
H4041 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A gathering, collecting or accumulation, especially of liquid. In usage, refers specifically to a place or act of drinking deeply, consuming, or 'sipping up' (e.g. water), sometimes indicating a collective draining or gathering for consumption. The semantic range includes physical accumulation, the act of drinking in, and metaphorical gathering or drawing together.
Semantic Range
gathering or accumulation (of liquid), the act of consuming or drinking in, draining, being consumed, (in later Hebrew) metaphorical goal or direction
Root / Etymology
From the root גם (g-m), meaning 'to gather, to collect, to swallow, to consume.' מְגַמָּה is a feminine noun form likely denoting the result or place of gathering or collecting, especially in relation to liquids. The formation involves the mem-prefix (common for nouns of result or place in Hebrew), gimel, mem, and he.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מְגַמָּה appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible (notably in Isaiah 25:6), and is best understood within the imagery of feasting and drinking. In biblical usage, it is not a generic word for 'cup' or 'vessel,' but instead alludes to the act or process of consumption—especially the thorough drinking or finishing off of liquids. Later Hebrew (including Modern Hebrew, where the word means 'goal' or 'objective') shifted semantically away from its concrete, physical sense to a more abstract idea of direction or aim, but in biblical usage this more abstract sense is not in evidence. English translations often render the word according to context, sometimes missing the nuance of gathering, draining, or consuming, and instead supplying terms like 'wine,' 'drink,' or 'bowl.' Distinct from related terms such as כּוֹס (kos, 'cup') or סַף (saf, 'bowl'), which primarily refer to the vessel rather than the act or process of drinking.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as גַּם; properly, accumulation, i.e. impulse or direction; sup up.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גם (g-m) — to gather, to collect, to swallow, to consume
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1571 | גַּם | in that also |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4041-01 |
מְגַמַּ֥ת | megamat | HNcfsc |
horde | gathering of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4041-01 |
Habakkuk 1:9 | מְגַמַּ֥ת | megamat | HNcfsc |
horde | gathering of |