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מַכְשֵׁלָה

𐤌𐤊𐤔𐤋𐤄

makshêlâh

H4384 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כשל to stumble, falter, totter

Definition

Object, situation, or condition causing someone to stumble or be hindered—either literally (as in a physical obstruction) or, much more frequently in the Hebrew Bible, figuratively, as a factor leading to misfortune, sin, or downfall. In most contexts makshêlâh is a metaphor for something that causes a person, group, or nation to falter morally, spiritually, or in wellbeing. It can refer to a temptation, a snare, or the consequence of iniquitous action.

Semantic Range

cause of stumbling, obstacle, enticement to sin, factor leading to ruin, downfall, snare, occasion of misfortune

Root / Etymology

From the root כָּשַׁל (k-sh-l), meaning 'to stumble, falter, totter.' The noun מַכְשֵׁלָה (makshêlâh) is formed with the mem-prefix and the feminine ending, indicating an instrument or object which causes stumbling. The sense of 'stumbling block' emphasizes not merely a physical object in the path, but especially a figurative obstacle—something leading to a person's downfall.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Makshêlâh appears primarily in prophetic and exilic literature (e.g., Ezekiel, Isaiah), often referring to sources of communal or individual downfall—especially in contexts warning of iniquity's consequences. In Ezekiel 14:3–7, idols themselves are called a 'stumbling block' (makshêlâh), highlighting their role as objects that trip up the people of Israel in their relationship to their deity. Over time, the idiom of 'stumbling block' became a common metaphor for anything that seduces, entices, or causes error or downfall, not just physical obstacles. English translations often render makshêlâh generically as 'stumbling block' or more interpretively as 'ruin,' but the term's nuance lies in its metaphorical association with moral and communal peril. Related terms are מִכְשׁוֹל (mikshol), also a cause of stumbling, but makshêlâh often conveys a more specific sense of a deliberate or particularly disastrous enticement or cause of downfall.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine from כָּשַׁל; a stumbling-block, but only figuratively (fall, enticement (idol)); ruin, stumbling-block.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כשל (k-sh-l) — to stumble, falter, totter

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3781 כַּשִּׁיל with a felling-axe
H3782 כָּשַׁל the one who has stumbled
H3783 כִּשָּׁלוֹן stumbling-collapse

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4384-01 וְ/הַ/מַּכְשֵׁלָ֥ה vehamakheshelah HC/Td/Ncfsa and this stumblingblock the stumbling-cause 1
H4384-02 וְ/הַ/מַּכְשֵׁל֖וֹת vehamakheshelot HC/Td/Ncfpa and the stumbling blocks and the stumbling-causes 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4384-01 Isaiah 3:6 וְ/הַ/מַּכְשֵׁלָ֥ה vehamakheshelah HC/Td/Ncfsa and this stumblingblock the stumbling-cause
H4384-02 Zephaniah 1:3 וְ/הַ/מַּכְשֵׁל֖וֹת vehamakheshelot HC/Td/Ncfpa and the stumbling blocks and the stumbling-causes
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