מָנוֹס
𐤌𐤍𐤅𐤎
mânôwç
H4498 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Place or act of fleeing; specifically, a location or means of escape, often denoting a place of refuge or sanctuary, but in some contexts used to describe the act or state of flight. The primary meaning is a site or act of escape from danger or pursuit, usually with a focus on physical safety, but also used in some poetic or metaphoric contexts for deliverance.
Semantic Range
place of escape, refuge, flight, act of fleeing, means of deliverance, way to flee, sanctuary
Root / Etymology
The word derives from the root נוּס (nus), which at the root level means 'to flee, escape, run away.' מָנוֹס is a noun form that signifies either the action (flight) or the location (place of escape, refuge) resulting from fleeing. The shift from verbal root to noun highlights both process and destination.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In preexilic and exilic biblical texts, מָנוֹס is often used to describe physical locations that offer protection or safe passage, such as designated cities of refuge or safe havens from invaders and calamity (e.g., Isaiah 20:6; Jeremiah 25:35, referring to a shepherd lacking a מָנוֹס, i.e., lacking any means of escape from disaster). At times, it is used abstractly to express the idea of deliverance or opportunity for safety. This term is closely related to מִפְלָט (miphlat, 'asylum, shelter'), but with more emphasis on the action or potential for fleeing rather than the territory itself. Later Hebrew and post-biblical usage focuses more heavily on 'refuge' in the abstract sense, but in the Tanakh the duality of action and place remains. English Bible translations often limit מָנוֹס to 'refuge' or 'escape,' which can obscure the word's breadth, particularly its abstract reflective uses. The term is not specific to legalistic sanctuary (as are certain other terms), but is often situational or descriptive of dire circumstance.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נוּס; a retreat (literally or figuratively); abstractly, a fleeing; [idiom] apace, escape, way to flee, flight, refuge.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נוס (n-w-s) — to flee, escape, run away
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4499 | מְנוּסָה | refuge of |
| H5127 | נוּס | let me flee |
| H5211 | נִיס | fleeing one |
| H5254 | נָסָה | he fled |
| H5375 | נָשָׂא | they fled |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4498-02 |
וּ/מָנ֥וֹס | umanos | HC/Ncmsa |
and a refuge | and a place of escape | 3 |
H4498-01 |
מָנ֖וֹס | manos | HNcmsa |
flight | place of escape | 3 |
H4498-03 |
וּ/מְנוּסִ֔/י | umenusi | HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
and my refuge | and my escape-place | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4498-03 |
2 Samuel 22:3 | וּ/מְנוּסִ֔/י | umenusi | HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
and my refuge | and my escape-place |
H4498-03 |
Jeremiah 16:19 | וּ/מְנוּסִ֖/י | umenusi | HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs |
and-my-refuge | and my escape-place |
H4498-01 |
Jeremiah 25:35 | מָנ֖וֹס | manos | HNcmsa |
flight | place of escape |
H4498-02 |
Jeremiah 46:5 | וּ/מָנ֥וֹס | umanos | HC/Ncmsa |
and flight | and a place of escape |
H4498-01 |
Amos 2:14 | מָנוֹס֙ | manos | HNcmsa |
flight | place of escape |
H4498-02 |
Psalms 59:17 | וּ֝/מָנ֗וֹס | umanos | HC/Ncmsa |
and a refuge | and a place of escape |
H4498-01 |
Psalms 142:5 | מָנ֣וֹס | manos | HNcmsa |
escape | place of escape |
H4498-02 |
Job 11:20 | וּ֭/מָנוֹס | umanos | HC/Ncmsa |
and escape | and a place of escape |