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מַסְלוּל

𐤌𐤎𐤋𐤅𐤋

maçlûwl

H4547 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סלל to pile up, elevate, heap up, construct

Definition

A path or built roadway, especially one that is elevated or prepared for travel. Refers both to literal constructed highways and metaphorically to a prepared course or way, often emphasizing accessibility and smoothness for passage.

Semantic Range

built or raised road, constructed highway, pathway or thoroughfare (literal); route or course prepared for travel; metaphorical way made accessible, path of deliverance

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root סָלַל (salal), 'to pile up, lift, build up', referring originally to heaping up or raising earth. The form מַסְלוּל is a noun of place or result, indicating something that has been made raised or level, that is, a constructed or prepared roadway.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, מַסְלוּל appears chiefly in poetic or prophetic contexts (e.g., Isa 49:11), describing a path or roadway that is distinctly constructed or leveled, often in imagery about the return from exile or the removal of obstacles before groups of people. The word carries a sense of intentional preparation and public access, distinguishing it from less formal terms for a path (such as דֶּרֶךְ, derek, 'way') or local roads. In later Hebrew, the root comes to be associated with modern highways, but in the biblical period referred more narrowly to major thoroughfares or processional roads. English renderings such as 'highway,' 'roadway,' or 'causeway' capture some but not all nuances; 'highway' is traditional but can be misleading if read with modern connotations of paved monumental roads. Metaphorically, used in the prophetic literature for the way of return, deliverance, or divine preparation of a path for the people; in these contexts, not merely a physical road but a symbol of ease of passage and providential removal of barriers. Not to be confused with מְסִלָּה (mesillah), which can also mean highway, but more often emphasizes the route itself, sometimes without reference to construction or elevation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָלַל; a thoroughfare (as turnpiked); highway.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סלל (s-l-l) — to pile up, heap up, elevate, build up, construct

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4546 מְסִלָּה on the raised causeway
H5536 סַל in the woven basket
H5538 סִלָּא Silla
H5549 סָלַל one lifting himself up
H5550 סֹלְלָה the piled-up siege ramps

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4547-01 מַסְל֣וּל maselul HNcmsa highway raised roadway 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4547-01 Isaiah 35:8 מַסְל֣וּל maselul HNcmsa highway raised roadway
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