מָחוֹז
𐤌𐤇𐤅𐤆
mâchôwz
H4231 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A district, province, or administrative region; the primary meaning denotes a defined territorial area, most often used in the sense of a province in late biblical Hebrew (particularly during the Persian period). Rarely, in some contexts, it may refer more generally to a region or enclosure, as derived from its etymological sense of being defined or delimited.
Semantic Range
district, province, administrative region; enclosure (etymological only, not attested as 'harbor' or 'haven' in biblical usage)
Root / Etymology
Root: חו״ז or מ-חו״ז (uncertain; possibly a denominative form built from a root meaning 'to enclose, to limit,' but the specific verb does not occur in biblical Hebrew). The noun form מָחוֹז reflects a transformation of this putative root, resulting in a word designating an area that is bordered or enclosed. The root itself is not found in the biblical corpus as a verb.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מָחוֹז is utilized in post-exilic biblical texts (such as Ezra and Nehemiah) to refer to administrative districts under Persian governance. Its occurrences in these texts indicate an official sense aligned with Persian structures of provincial organization. The Strong's gloss ('harbor, haven') reflects a translation tradition tied to interpretive guesswork about a root meaning 'to enclose;' however, this is not supported by contextual evidence in the biblical occurrences. The term does not refer to harbors or bodies of water in the Hebrew Bible. The term is distinct from older and broader terms for region or district (e.g., אֵרֶץ 'land,' גָּבוּל 'border, territory'). English translations often render מָחוֹז as 'province,' though this reflects the specific Persian administrative context. Later Hebrew usage (rabbinic or modern) expands the meaning, but such senses are not present in the biblical text.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to enclose; a harbor (as shut in by the shore); haven.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מחז (m-ḥ-z) — to enclose, to limit; defined territorial district
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4231-01 |
מְח֥וֹז | mechoz | HNcmsc |
haven | enclosed district of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4231-01 |
Psalms 107:30 | מְח֥וֹז | mechoz | HNcmsc |
haven | enclosed district of |