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מַקֵּל

𐤌𐤒𐤋

maqqêl

H4731 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מקל to sprout, to shoot forth, to grow in a branch-like way

Definition

A branch, stick, or staff, typically of wood, serving as a physical implement for support, guidance, striking, or as a symbol of authority. In some contexts, a maqqêl can refer more specifically to a walking staff, a shepherd's rod for driving or guiding livestock, a tool for corrective action (such as punishment), or an object in ritual use. Occasionally, it is simply a shoot or sprout from a tree, emphasizing its origin as a living branch or offshoot.

Semantic Range

branch, shoot (of a plant or tree); stick; staff; shepherd’s rod; walking staff; implement for striking or guiding; object for ritual or symbolic use

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root מקל (m-q-l), possibly related to the idea of sprouting or shooting forth, indicating a branch or twig. Although the root is unattested in other forms in biblical Hebrew, related Semitic languages show roots connoting 'to sprout, to grow.' The word thus derives from the sense of something that grows out as a shoot or branch and by extension becomes a stick or staff through use.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מַקֵּל is most often used for physical sticks or staffs, whether in the hands of patriarchs (e.g., Jacob in Genesis 30) or as shepherds' equipment. It is distinct from שֵׁבֶט (šêvet), which more commonly denotes a staff or rod as a symbol of authority or rule, and from מַטֶּה (matteh), which can indicate both a staff and, metonymically, a tribe or clan (as in the staff of tribal leadership). מַקֵּל retains a literal, utilitarian sense—an ordinary stick or staff with minimal symbolic meaning—though it may be used instrumentally (for beating, guiding, etc.) or ritually (as in Jacob’s manipulation of the flocks). English translations often render מַקֵּל as 'rod,' 'staff,' or 'stick,' but may obscure the term’s original nuance as a simple natural implement rather than a marker of rule or lineage. In later Hebrew, it continues to mean any stick or staff, often without symbolic reference.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (feminine) מַקְּלָה; from an unused root meaning apparently to germinate; a shoot, i.e. stick (with leaves on, or for walking, striking, guiding, divining); rod, (hand-)staff.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מקל (m-q-l) — to sprout, to shoot forth, to grow as a branch

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4732 מִקְלוֹת and Mikloth

Word Forms

12 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4731-03 הַ/מַּקְלֽוֹת hamaqelot HTd/Ncmpa the rods the branch-staffs the branch-staffs 4
H4731-02 בַּ/מַּקְלֽוֹת bamaqelot HRd/Ncmpa among the rods in the branch-staffs with staffs 2
H4731-05 מַקֵּ֥ל maqel HNcmsc a rod branch-staff of staff 2
H4731-06 מַקְלִ/י֙ maqeli HNcmsc/Sp1cs my staff my staff my staff 2
H4731-01 בַּ/מַּקֵּֽל bamaqel HRd/Ncmsa with the staff with the branch-staff with the staff 1
H4731-10 וּ/מַקְל֖/וֹ umaqelo HC/Ncmsc/Sp3ms and his staff and his branch-staff and his staff 1
H4731-11 וּ/בְ/מַקֵּ֥ל uvemaqel HC/R/Ncmsc and with clubs and with branch-staff of and with staff 1
H4731-04 מַקַּ֥ל maqal HNcmsc rod branch-staff of branch-staff 1
H4731-12 בְ/מַקְלִ֗/י vemaqeli HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs with my staff with my staff with my staff 1
H4731-07 מַקְל֜/וֹ maqelo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his staff his sprouted staff his staff 1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4731-04 Genesis 30:37 מַקַּ֥ל maqal HNcmsc rod branch-staff of branch-staff
H4731-03 Genesis 30:37 הַ/מַּקְלֽוֹת hamaqelot HTd/Ncmpa the rods the branch-staffs the branch-staffs
H4731-03 Genesis 30:38 הַ/מַּקְלוֹת֙ hamaqelot HTd/Ncmpa rods the branch-staffs the branch-staffs
H4731-03 Genesis 30:39 הַ/מַּקְל֑וֹת hamaqelot HTd/Ncmpa the rods the branch-staffs the branch-staffs
H4731-03 Genesis 30:41 הַ/מַּקְל֛וֹת hamaqelot HTd/Ncmpa the rods the branch-staffs the staff-rods
H4731-02 Genesis 30:41 בַּ/מַּקְלֽוֹת bamaqelot HRd/Ncmpa among the rods in the branch-staffs among the staff-rods
H4731-12 Genesis 32:11 בְ/מַקְלִ֗/י vemaqeli HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs with my staff with my staff with my staff
H4731-09 Exodus 12:11 וּ/מַקֶּלְ/כֶ֖ם umaqelekhem HC/Ncmsc/Sp2mp and your staff and your branch-staff and your staff
H4731-01 Numbers 22:27 בַּ/מַּקֵּֽל bamaqel HRd/Ncmsa with the staff with the branch-staff with the staff
H4731-07 1 Samuel 17:40 מַקְל֜/וֹ maqelo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his staff his sprouted staff his staff
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