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מְלֹא

𐤌𐤋𐤀

mᵉlôʼ

H4393 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מלא to fill, to be full, to complete

Definition

That which fills or makes full a vessel, space, measure, hand, or designated area; the quantity that fully occupies a given container, object, or location; by extension, completeness or totality in measure or number. In some contexts, refers concretely to an amount (such as a handful or measure of something) and, more abstractly, to abundance or entirety.

Semantic Range

what fills a vessel or space, full measure, entirety of contents, handful or specified portion, abundance, totality, completeness, all that is in (or within), multitude (of things filling or filling up)

Root / Etymology

From the root מָלֵא (malēʼ), meaning 'to fill' or 'be full.' The noun מְלֹא (mᵉlô’) is a derivative indicating the result or state of being filled, specifically 'what fills' or 'the filling.' The formation is standard for abstract and resultive nouns in Hebrew; root meaning relates to the verb 'to fill,' while the noun conveys the outcome or content of that action—what fills or completes a space or measure.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מְלֹא occurs across several Hebrew Bible genres. In priestly and legal texts, the word is frequently used with body parts (e.g., 'a handful' of incense, Leviticus 16:12) or vessels (e.g., 'the full measure' of something), designating specific quantities for ritual or legal requirements. In poetic and prophetic literature, it may appear in more abstract senses indicating abundance, completeness, or all that is within (e.g., 'the full content of the earth,' Isaiah 6:3). Unlike similar terms such as מִדָּה (middah, 'measure'), which stress standardization or measure, מְלֹא tends to focus on the actual content or fullness. English translations often render it as 'fullness,' 'all that is in,' 'whole,' or sometimes as 'multitude,' but may not capture the tangible aspect present in the Hebrew. Its use remains generally consistent over time, though in later texts the referent may become more abstract. The English term 'full' can obscure concrete senses like 'the amount that fills a hand.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

rarely מְלוֹא; or מְלוֹ; (Ezekiel [41:8), from מָלֵא; fulness (literally or figuratively); [idiom] all along, [idiom] all that is (there-) in, fill, ([idiom] that whereof...was) full, fulness, (hand-) full, multitude.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מלא (m-l-ʾ) — to fill, to be full, to complete

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3229 יִמְלָא He-will-be-full
H4390 מָלֵא I will fill up
H4391 מְלָא he filled himself
H4392 מָלֵא the fullness
H4394 מִלֻּא the installation-fillings

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4393-01 מְלֹֽא melo HNcmsc full fullness of 18
H4393-05 וּ/מְלֹאָ֔/הּ umeloah HC/Ncmsc/Sp3fs and its fullness and her full-contents 11
H4393-06 וּ/מְלֹא֔/וֹ umeloo HC/Ncmsc/Sp3ms and its fullness and its fullness 4
H4393-03 מִ/מְּלֹאָ֔/הּ mimeloah HR/Ncmsc/Sp3fs from its fullness her fullness 2
H4393-04 וּ/מְלֹ֣א umelo HC/Ncmsc and full and filling-of 2
H4393-02 מִ/מְּלֹ֥א mimelo HR/Ncmsc filling of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

38 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4393-01 Genesis 48:19 מְלֹֽא melo HNcmsc fullness fullness of
H4393-01 Exodus 9:8 מְלֹ֣א melo HNcmsc handfuls fullness of
H4393-01 Exodus 16:32 מְלֹ֤א melo HNcmsc full fullness of
H4393-01 Exodus 16:33 מְלֹֽא melo HNcmsc full fullness of
H4393-01 Leviticus 2:2 מְלֹ֣א melo HNcmsc a full fullness of
H4393-01 Leviticus 5:12 מְל֨וֹא melo HNcmsc full fullness of
H4393-01 Leviticus 16:12 מְלֹֽא melo HNcmsc full fullness of
H4393-04 Leviticus 16:12 וּ/מְלֹ֣א umelo HC/Ncmsc and full and filling-of
H4393-01 Numbers 22:18 מְלֹ֥א melo HNcmsc full fullness of
H4393-01 Numbers 24:13 מְלֹ֣א melo HNcmsc fullness of fullness of
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