מַחְתֶּרֶת
𐤌𐤇𐤕𐤓𐤕
machtereth
H4290 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place of breaking in, especially a tunnel or breach made through a wall for covert entry; by extension, the act of making such a breach or the event of breaking in, typically with intent to commit theft or intrusion. Used concretely of the physical hole or tunnel, and abstractly of the act of secret entry.
Semantic Range
opening made by breaking through a wall, tunnel for secret entry, act of breaking in covertly, the event of a burglary
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root חתר (ḥ-t-r), which means 'to dig, bore, break through.' מַחְתֶּרֶת is a noun formation denoting the result or place of such action, i.e., 'the breached place' or 'the tunnel.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical law (Exod 22:1[2], 22:2[3]), מַחְתֶּרֶת refers to the clandestine act of breaking into a house, usually at night, by digging or making an opening through a wall. The context emphasizes the secretive and unlawful aspect of the act, often associated with theft. The term appears primarily in legal settings to distinguish between open theft (גנבה) and covert burglary (מַחְתֶּרֶת). Later Jewish interpretive traditions developed the term to refer to any form of surreptitious entry or breach. Modern translations often render it 'breaking in' or 'burglary,' but the Hebrew term specifically implies a physical breach made by digging or boring, not merely entry by force. It does not intrinsically carry the sense of a search or examination, and such expansions in figurative usage are not attested in biblical contexts. The term is rare in the Hebrew Bible and does not appear in other periods with a developed secondary sense. The English term 'burglary' may sometimes narrow the original to legal contexts, but the emphasis in Hebrew is on the physical and covert aspect of entry.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from חָתַר; a burglary; figuratively, unexpected examination; breaking up, secret search.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חתר (ḥ-t-r) — to dig, bore, break through, tunnel
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2864 | חָתַר | Break through! |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4290-02 |
בַ/מַּחְתֶּ֥רֶת | vamacheteret | HRd/Ncfsa |
in the digging | breach-tunnel | 1 |
H4290-01 |
בַּ/מַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת | bamacheteret | HRd/Ncfsa |
breaking in | in the breach-tunnel | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4290-01 |
Exodus 22:1 | בַּ/מַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת | bamacheteret | HRd/Ncfsa |
breaking in | in the breach-tunnel |
H4290-02 |
Jeremiah 2:34 | בַ/מַּחְתֶּ֥רֶת | vamacheteret | HRd/Ncfsa |
in the digging | breach-tunnel |