Rooted in a common Semitic stock shared with Akkadian madadu and Arabic madd ('to extend'), this verb fundamentally means to determine size, length, or quantity using a standard measure. Ezekiel's temple vision accounts for the bulk of its occurrences, where the angelic guide methodically measures every gate, wall, and court. The Nifal (passive) form appears in rhetorical contexts asserting God's immeasurable blessings: the sand of the sea 'cannot be measured' (Hos 1:10; Jer 33:22). A single Hitpael occurrence in 1 Kings 17:21 describes Elijah stretching himself upon the dead child.