מַסְוֶה
𐤌𐤎𐤅𐤄
maçveh
H4533 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A covering, specifically a veil or mask that covers the face. The term denotes a cloth or similar material used to obscure, shroud, or conceal the face, especially partially or fully. In particular contexts, it refers to a face covering employed to hide expressions or as a sign of separation or distinction.
Semantic Range
veil, face covering, mask, shroud, cloth for covering the face or head, figurative covering (as in shroud over peoples or nations)
Root / Etymology
Root: סוה or סוה (uncertain; root not attested in biblical Hebrew), possibly related to the meaning 'to cover'. The noun מַסְוֶה was likely formed as a denominative for an object used to cover or conceal, but the precise verbal root is not otherwise evident in the Hebrew Bible.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term מַסְוֶה appears in Exodus 34:33–35, describing the cloth Moses used to cover his face after descending from Mount Sinai, reflecting the radiance resulting from his encounter with the deity. The word reappears only in Isaiah 25:7, there describing a covering or shroud cast over all peoples, which is eschatologically removed. In both cases, the idea is not generic clothing but an intentional covering, either of the face or of the nations. The semantic field thus overlaps with, but is not identical to, words for 'veil' such as צָעִיף (tsa‘if, Gen 24:65) used for women's veils. English translations often default to 'veil', but the nuance of an intentional concealment, sometimes for spiritual or social reasons, is important. Later interpretive traditions (e.g., in Greek and Christian texts) read symbolic or theological meanings into Moses' veil, but the term's basic meaning is material and functional. The exact fabric or method of wearing is unspecified in the Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
apparently from an unused root meaning to cover; a veil; vail.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סוה (s-w-h) — to cover, to conceal
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5497 | סוּת | his covering-wrap |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4533-01 |
הַ/מַּסְוֶ֖ה | hamaseveh | HTd/Ncmsa |
the veil | the face-covering | 2 |
H4533-02 |
מַסְוֶֽה | maseveh | HNcmsa |
a veil | face-covering veil | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4533-02 |
Exodus 34:33 | מַסְוֶֽה | maseveh | HNcmsa |
a veil | face-covering veil |
H4533-01 |
Exodus 34:34 | הַ/מַּסְוֶ֖ה | hamaseveh | HTd/Ncmsa |
veil | the face-covering |
H4533-01 |
Exodus 34:35 | הַ/מַּסְוֶה֙ | hamaseveh | HTd/Ncmsa |
the veil | the face-covering |