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מִקְנֶה

𐤌𐤒𐤍𐤄

miqneh

H4735 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Domesticated livestock collectively owned or acquired, especially flocks and herds of sheep, goats, cattle, and sometimes camels; more generally, property acquired through purchase, primarily referring to mobile animals rather than immovable property. In specific legal and narrative contexts, denotes wealth or property made up chiefly of domesticated animals rather than land or goods. The semantic range encompasses both the concrete reference to animals and, by extension, the possessions or wealth represented by them.

Semantic Range

livestock, domesticated animals, flocks, herds, movable property, acquisition, wealth in animals, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, property acquired through purchase; in some cases, refers abstractly to 'acquisition' as wealth

Root / Etymology

From the root קנה (q-n-h), meaning 'to acquire, buy, get, obtain.' The noun מִקְנֶה (miqneh) is a formation with the mem-prefix, commonly indicating an instrument or result of the root's action: thus, 'that which is acquired' or 'acquired property.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מִקְנֶה refers nearly exclusively to living property—herds and flocks (sheep, goats, cattle, camels)—which represented primary wealth in the patriarchal and early monarchic periods. It rarely, if ever, denotes slaves or land, which are named by other terms. The term is prevalent in narratives concerning the patriarchs (Genesis), indicating status, prosperity, or migration patterns tied to animal husbandry. In legal texts, especially in the Covenant Code and Deuteronomic law, מִקְנֶה is used to define obligations or rights regarding livestock. Over time, a person's or group's מִקְנֶה signified not just material holdings but also the basis for economic and social status. English translations often render it as 'cattle,' 'livestock,' or 'herds,' but these may not fully capture that the word signifies movable property of various species. In post-biblical Hebrew, the term retains the general sense of acquired possessions, though later usage shifts further toward abstract 'acquisition.' The meaning should be distinguished from possessions in general (רְכוּשׁ) and specifically from terms for slaves (עֶבֶד) or land (אֲדָמָה, שָׂדֶה).

Translation Consistency

primary "livestock" 25 occurrences

Most occurrences and the primary semantic sense are domesticated animals (flocks, herds, cattle) and wealth expressed as animals. "Livestock" is the natural, specific English word that covers the typical concrete and collective uses of מִקְנֶה and can consistently render both the animals themselves and the idea of wealth constituted by them; broader alternatives like “property” or “possessions” are less specific and less frequent in the data.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"possessions" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from קָנָה; something bought, i.e. property, but only livestock; abstractly, acquisition; cattle, flock, herd, possession, purchase, substance.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

קנה (Miqeneyahu) — to acquire, to buy, to possess

Root קנה to acquire, to buy, to get, to possess
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4736 מִקְנָה the acquisition
H4737 מִקְנֵיָהוּ and Yahweh-has-acquired
H7014 קַיִן the Acquired-one
H7066 קְנָא you will buy
H7069 קָנָה I will acquire

Word Forms

25 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4735-09 מִקְנֶ֖ה miqeneh HNcmsa livestock acquired livestock livestock 24
H4735-14 מִקְנֵי/הֶ֛ם miqeneyhem HNcmsc/Sp3mp their livestock their acquired livestock their acquired livestock 8
H4735-11 מִקְנֵ֖/הוּ miqenehu HNcmsc/Sp3ms his livestock his acquired livestock his acquired livestock 6
H4735-20 וּ/מִקְנֶה֩ umiqeneh HC/Ncmsa and livestock and acquired livestock and livestock 6
H4735-04 הַ/מִּקְנֶ֣ה hamiqeneh HTd/Ncmsa the livestock the acquired livestock the acquired livestock 3
H4735-10 מִקְנֵ/הֶ֤ם miqenehem HNcmsc/Sp3mp their livestock their acquired livestock their livestock 3
H4735-12 מִקְנְ/ךָ֔ miqenekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your livestock your acquired livestock your acquired livestock 3
H4735-25 וּ/בְ/מִקְנֵ֥ה uvemiqeneh HC/R/Ncmsc and for the livestock of and in acquired livestock of and in livestock of 3
H4735-13 מִקְנֵ֜/נוּ miqenenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp our livestock our acquired livestock our livestock 2
H4735-23 וּ/מִקְנֵי/הֶ֨ם umiqeneyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their flocks their acquired livestock and their livestock 2

Occurrences in Scripture

76 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4735-09 Deuteronomy 3:19 מִקְנֶ֥ה miqeneh HNcmsa livestock acquired livestock livestock
H4735-24 Joshua 1:14 וּ/מִקְנֵי/כֶם֒ umiqeneykhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp2mp and your livestock and your acquired livestock and your livestock
H4735-06 Joshua 14:4 לְ/מִקְנֵי/הֶ֖ם lemiqeneyhem HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp for their livestock to their acquired livestock for their livestock
H4735-25 Joshua 22:8 וּ/בְ/מִקְנֶ֣ה uvemiqeneh HC/R/Ncmsa and with livestock and in acquired livestock of and in livestock of
H4735-23 Judges 6:5 וּ/מִקְנֵי/הֶ֨ם umiqeneyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and-their-livestock their acquired livestock and their livestock
H4735-04 Judges 18:21 הַ/מִּקְנֶ֛ה hamiqeneh HTd/Ncmsa the livestock the acquired livestock the acquired livestock
H4735-14 1 Samuel 23:5 מִקְנֵי/הֶ֔ם miqeneyhem HNcmsc/Sp3mp their livestock their acquired livestock their acquired livestock
H4735-04 1 Samuel 30:20 הַ/מִּקְנֶ֣ה hamiqeneh HTd/Ncmsa the livestock the acquired livestock the acquired livestock
H4735-24 2 Kings 3:17 וּ/מִקְנֵי/כֶ֖ם umiqeneykhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp2mp and your livestock and your acquired livestock and your livestock
H4735-15 Isaiah 30:23 מִקְנֶ֛י/ךָ miqeneykha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your livestock your acquired livestock your livestock
H4735-09 Jeremiah 9:9 מִקְנֶ֑ה miqeneh HNcmsa of cattle acquired livestock acquired livestock
H4735-14 Jeremiah 49:32 מִקְנֵי/הֶם֙ miqeneyhem HNcmsc/Sp3mp of their livestock their acquired livestock their acquired livestock
H4735-09 Ezekiel 38:12 מִקְנֶ֣ה miqeneh HNcmsa cattle acquired livestock acquired livestock
H4735-09 Ezekiel 38:13 מִקְנֶ֣ה miqeneh HNcmsa cattle acquired livestock acquired livestock
H4735-23 Psalms 78:48 וּ֝/מִקְנֵי/הֶ֗ם umiqeneyhem HC/Ncmsc/Sp3mp and their flocks their acquired livestock and their livestock
H4735-11 Job 1:3 מִ֠קְנֵ/הוּ miqenehu HNcmsc/Sp3ms his livestock his acquired livestock his acquired livestock
H4735-21 Job 1:10 וּ/מִקְנֵ֖/הוּ umiqenehu HC/Ncmsc/Sp3ms and his possessions and his acquired livestock and his possessions
H4735-09 Job 36:33 מִ֝קְנֶ֗ה miqeneh HNcmsa cattle/livestock/possession acquired livestock acquired livestock
H4735-09 Ecclesiastes 2:7 מִקְנֶה֩ miqeneh HNcmsa acquired livestock livestock
H4735-14 1 Chronicles 5:9 מִקְנֵי/הֶ֛ם miqeneyhem HNcmsc/Sp3mp their livestock their acquired livestock their acquired livestock
H4735-14 1 Chronicles 5:21 מִקְנֵי/הֶ֗ם miqeneyhem HNcmsc/Sp3mp their livestock their acquired livestock their acquired livestock
H4735-14 1 Chronicles 7:21 מִקְנֵי/הֶֽם miqeneyhem HNcmsc/Sp3mp livestock their acquired livestock their acquired livestock
H4735-20 1 Chronicles 28:1 וּ/מִקְנֶה֩ umiqeneh HC/Ncmsa and livestock and acquired livestock and livestock
H4735-09 2 Chronicles 14:14 מִקְנֶ֖ה miqeneh HNcmsa livestock acquired livestock livestock
H4735-09 2 Chronicles 26:10 מִקְנֶה miqeneh HNcmsa livestock acquired livestock acquired livestock
H4735-20 2 Chronicles 32:29 וּ/מִקְנֵה umiqeneh HC/Ncmsc and-possessions and acquired livestock and livestock
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