H4043 H4043
Shield or buckler used in warfare; metaphorically, God as protector; rarely, an armed man or a ruler/patron.
Magen is the warrior's personal defense — a small, round shield carried into battle, distinct from the larger tsinnah. It appears across battle narratives from the Song of Deborah ('Was there a shield seen among forty thousand?' Judg 5:8) to Ezekiel's apocalyptic armies (38:4-5; 39:9). Yet its most enduring resonance is theological: 'I am your shield' (Gen 15:1), God's self-declaration to Abraham, echoed throughout the Psalms (Ps 3:3; 7:10; 18:2). Spanish escudo, French bouclier, Arabic ad-dir', and German Schild all serve both the martial and metaphorical registers. Proverbs twice uses magen for an armed assailant (6:11; 24:34), and Hosea 4:18 extends it to 'rulers' — those who shield a community by governing it.
1. shield, defensive weapon — The dominant sense across 60 occurrences: a defensive shield or buckler used in combat, and by metaphorical extension, God as the believer's protector and defense. Concrete military uses span Judges 5:8, 2 Samuel 1:21, Nahum 2:3, and the arsenal passages in Chronicles. The metaphorical register — 'The LORD is my shield' (Gen 15:1; Ps 3:3; 18:2, 30; 28:7; 33:20; 84:11; 115:9-11) — is pervasive in the Psalter. Spanish escudo, French bouclier, Arabic ad-dir', German Schild, and Korean bangpae all cover both the physical weapon and the divine-protector image. 60×
AR["التُّرْسَ","الـ-وَاحِدِ","المِجَنِّ","تُرسٍ","تُرْسًا","تُرْسٌ","تُرْسَ","تُرْسُ","مِجَنٍّ","مِجَنُّ"]·ben["-ছোট-ঢাল","ছোট-ঢালে","ঢাল","ঢালের"]·DE["Schild","Schild-von","bin-ein-Schild","der-Schild","der-Schild-","ein-Schild"]·EN["a-shield","buckler","shield","shield-of","the-shield","the-shield-of"]·FR["bouclier","bouclier-de","de-jardin","le-bouclier","un-bouclier"]·heb["ה-מגן","הַ-מָּגֵן","מגן"]·HI["छोटी-ढाल-पर","ढाल","धल","मागेन"]·ID["perisai"]·IT["il-scudo","scudo","scudo-di","un-scudo"]·jav["tameng","tamèng"]·KO["그-방패","그-작은-방패","방패","방패(접)","방패-가","방패-를","방패-와","방패-이시니","방패가","방패다","방패를","방패이다","작은-방패와"]·PT["escudo","escudo-de","o-escudo","és-escudo"]·RU["Щит","щит","щит -"]·ES["el-escudo","el-escudo-pequeño","escudo","escudo-de"]·SW["ngao","ngao-ndogo","ngao-ya","ni-ngao"]·TR["kalkan","kalkani","kalkanı","kalkanım","kalkanını","küçük-kalkan","siper"]·urd["ڈھال"]
Gen 15:1, Deut 33:29, Judg 5:8, 2 Sam 1:21, 2 Sam 1:21, 2 Sam 22:3, 2 Sam 22:31, 2 Sam 22:36, 1 Kgs 10:17, 1 Kgs 10:17, 1 Kgs 14:26, 1 Kgs 14:27 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. armed man, shield-bearer — In Proverbs 6:11 and 24:34, magen appears to mean an armed man or shield-bearer — poverty comes upon the sluggard 'like an armed man' (ke'ish magen). Here the shield metonymically represents the warrior who carries it. Spanish armado ('armed one') and the English rendering 'an armed man' treat magen as a personal agent rather than a piece of equipment, a compact metonymy where the weapon stands for the fighter. 2×
AR["مُسَلَّحٍ"]·ben["ঢাল","সশস্ত্র"]·DE["Schild"]·EN["a-shield","shields"]·FR["bouclier"]·heb["מגן"]·HI["ढालधारी","हथियारधारी-के"]·ID["bersenjata"]·IT["scudo"]·jav["bersenjata","kang-bersenjata"]·KO["무장한"]·PT["armado","escudo"]·RU["вооружённый","вооружённый."]·ES["armado","de-escudo"]·SW["mwenye-silaha"]·TR["silahlı"]·urd["ڈھال-والے","ڈھالدار"]
3. ruler, protector — A single occurrence in Hosea 4:18 where maginneha ('her shields') is understood as 'her rulers' or 'protectors' — the leaders who are supposed to shield the community but instead love shame. The metaphor extends from physical defense to political patronage. Spanish sus escudos preserves the ambiguity, while the contextual sense clearly points to governing figures. This usage parallels the Psalmic epithet of God as magen but applies it to human authorities who fail in their protective role. 1×
AR["حُماتُها"]·ben["তার-ঢালগুলি"]·DE["[מגניה]"]·EN["her-rulers"]·FR["bouclier"]·heb["מגיניה"]·HI["ढालों-उसके"]·ID["perisai-perisai-mereka"]·IT["scudo"]·jav["pangayoman"]·PT["escudos-dela"]·RU["защитники-её"]·ES["sus-escudos"]·SW["walinzi-wake"]·TR["koruyucuları"]·urd["ڑھالوں-اُس-کے"]
Related Senses
H2719 1. sword, weapon of war (410×)H4196 1. altar (place of sacrifice) (403×)H7393 1. chariot, chariotry (117×)H7198 1. bow (weapon) (72×)H7979 1. table (71×)H7782 1. ram's horn trumpet (69×)H4294 2. staff, rod, scepter (63×)H0646 1. ephod (priestly garment) (49×)H8504 1. blue (violet-blue yarn/fabric) (49×)H2595 1. spear, lance (48×)H2671 1. arrow, projectile weapon (46×)G4143 1. boat, small fishing vessel (45×)H4818 1. chariot, war-chariot (44×)H3658 1. lyre, harp (stringed instrument) (42×)H1537 1. Gilgal (place name) (41×)H0713 1. purple (fabric/dye) (38×)H0905 3. poles, staves (37×)H7392 1. Qal participle: rider, charioteer (37×)H4501 1. cultic lampstand (menorah) (36×)H0212 1. wheel (35×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מָגֵן n.m. 1 K 14:27, & f. 1 K 10:17, shield (Arabic مِجَنٌّ, Aramaic מְגִנָּא, ܡܓܶܢܳܐ )—מָגֵן Gn 15:1 + 33 times (also cstr. Dt 33:29 Na 2:4); sf. מָגִנִּי ψ 7:11 + 5 times; מָגִנֵּנוּ ψ 33:20 + 3 times; מָגִנָּם ψ 115:9, 10, 11; pl. מָגִנִּים 1 K 10:17 + 6 times; מָגִנּוֹת 2 Ch 23:9; cstr. מָגִנֵּי 1 K 14:26 + 4 times; sf. מָגִנָּיו Jb 15:26; מָגִנֶּיהָ Ho 4:18;—shield, buckler, carried by…