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מִזְמוֹר

𐤌𐤆𐤌𐤅𐤓

mizmôwr

H4210 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A song or poem intended for singing, often accompanied by stringed instruments, especially as a type of liturgical piece found in the Psalms collection. Its primary use denotes a specific genre of musical composition within ancient Israelite worship, frequently introduced in Psalm headings to designate the following text as a sung piece.

Semantic Range

a song set to music, a liturgical song or piece, a psalm, a poem intended for musical performance, specifically a designated genre of Israelite religious poetry

Root / Etymology

From the root זמר (zmr), which means 'to make music, sing, play (especially on stringed instruments)'. מִזְמוֹר is a noun formation, probably a 'noun of result' (miqtal pattern), indicating something produced by the act of music-making.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מִזְמוֹר appears almost exclusively in the superscriptions of Psalms (e.g. Psalm 3–6, etc.), designating certain compositions as meant for musical performance, likely with stringed accompaniment. This distinguishes such texts from other rubric terms (e.g. תְּפִלָּה 'prayer', שִׁיר 'song') indicating different genres of religious poetry. The presence of מִזְמוֹר in the headings marks a composition as both literary and musical. As a technical term, it is unique to the Hebrew Psalter and rare outside this collection. The English rendering 'psalm' reflects later translation tradition; at the time, the term is best understood as a musical or liturgical piece rather than simply a poem or prayer. There is no evidence for its use in non-cultic or secular musical contexts in the biblical corpus.

Translation Consistency

primary "psalm" 57 occurrences

mizmôwr specifically denotes the liturgical, sung-poem genre found in the Psalms. ‘Psalm’ is the traditional, natural English term that preserves the cultic/poetic sense and matches how the word appears in Psalm headings—more precise than the broader ‘song.’

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from זָמַר; properly, instrumental music; by implication, a poem set to notes; psalm.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

זמר (z-m-r) — to sing, to make music, to play an instrument

Root זמר to play music, to sing, to make music with an instrument
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2156 זְמוֹרָה the pruned vine-shoot
H2158 זָמִיר with musical songs
H2159 זָמִיר the pruned shoot
H2160 זְמִירָה Zemirah
H2167 זָמַר I will make music in praise

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4210-01 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm 57

Occurrences in Scripture

57 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4210-01 Psalms 3:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 4:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa a psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 5:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 6:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 8:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 9:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 12:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 13:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 15:1 מִזְמ֗וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A psalm musical composition psalm
H4210-01 Psalms 19:1 מִזְמ֥וֹר mizemor HNcmsa A Psalm musical composition psalm
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