מָ֫וֶת161 H4194
Death — the event of dying, the state of being dead, death personified as a cosmic power, and death as judicial penalty or standard of comparison
Mavet is far more than a clinical term for biological cessation. In Hebrew Scripture it functions as event, state, power, and penalty all at once. As event, it marks the moment life ends (Deut 19:6); as state, it names the shadowy realm from which the psalmist cries for deliverance (Ps 116:15); as personified force, it becomes a covenant partner for the wicked (Isa 28:15) and a rival to love itself (Song 8:6). Arabic mawt preserves the same breadth, while Korean jug-eum and Swahili mauti each capture different slices. The plural motei in Ezek 28:10 — 'deaths of the uncircumcised' — hints at death as something that can be multiplied, an intensified or violent plural that pushes even further beyond mere biology.
Senses
1. [split] death (event of dying) — Death as the physical event or process of dying — ceasing to live. This is the dominant sense (107x), covering natural death, violent death, and references to the deaths of named individuals. Arabic mawt and Korean jug-eum both center on the concrete cessation of life. Key constructions include yom mavet ('day of death,' Gen 27:2), shenat mavet ('year of death,' Isa 6:1), ad mavet ('until death,' Num 35:25), and the pivotal deuteronomistic formula setting 'life and death' before Israel (Deut 30:15, 19). From Deuteronomy's capital punishment laws (Deut 21:22; 22:26) to the narratives of royal and prophetic deaths, this sense anchors the word in human mortality. 0×
AR["المَوتَ", "المَوتِ", "المَوْتَ", "المَوْتِ", "الْمَوْتِ", "مَوْتٌ", "مَوْتٍ"]·ben["মৃত্যু", "মৃত্যুর"]·DE["Tod", "starb"]·EN["death"]·FR["mort", "mourir"]·heb["מוות", "מות"]·HI["मृत्यु", "मृत्यु-का", "मृत्यु-की", "मृत्यु-के", "म्रित्यु-क"]·ID["Maut", "kematian", "mati", "maut"]·IT["morte"]·jav["Pejah", "pejah"]·KO["사망의", "좽음", "좽음-의", "좽음-이", "좽음을", "죽음-으로", "죽음-의", "죽음의"]·PT["da-morte", "de-morte", "morte"]·RU["смерти", "смерть"]·ES["la-muerte", "muerte", "¡Muerte"]·SW["kifo", "mauti", "wewe", "ya-kifo"]·TR["olum", "ölüm", "ölüme", "ölümü", "ölümün"]·urd["موت", "موت کے", "موت-کا", "موت-کی", "موت-کے"]
Deut 19:6, Deut 21:22, Deut 22:26, 1 Sam 5:11, 1 Sam 20:31, 1 Sam 26:16, 2 Sam 12:5, 2 Sam 19:28, 2 Sam 22:5, 2 Sam 22:6, 1 Kgs 2:26, 2 Kgs 2:21 (+38 more)
1. death as event/process (dying) — Split from sense 110553. Criteria: The act or moment of dying: 'day of death,' 'year of death,' 'until death,' death of specific persons 95×
AR["المَوت", "المَوتَ", "المَوتُ", "المَوتِ", "المَوْت", "المَوْتَ", "المَوْتِ", "الْمَوْتَ", "الْمَوْتِ", "مَوْتٌ", "مَوْتٍ"]·ben["দড়ি", "মৃত্যু", "মৃত্যুকে", "মৃত্যুর"]·DE["Tod", "starb"]·EN["death"]·FR["mort", "mourir"]·heb["מוות", "מות"]·HI["मृत्यु", "मृत्यु-की", "मृत्यु-के"]·ID["Maut", "kematian", "maut"]·IT["morte"]·jav["Pejah", "amargi", "bodho", "kula-sedaya-ndadosaken-manis", "pati", "pejah"]·KO["사망-의", "좽음", "좽음-의", "좽음-이", "좽음을", "죽음-으로", "죽음-을", "죽음-의", "죽음의"]·PT["a-morte", "da-morte", "de-morte", "morte"]·RU["смерти", "смерть"]·ES["la-muerte", "muerte", "¡Muerte"]·SW["(iwaangukie)", "kifo", "mauti", "vya-mauti"]·TR["(ölüm)", "olum", "ölüm", "ölüme", "ölümü", "ölümün"]·urd["موت", "موت کے", "موت-کا", "موت-کی", "موت-کے", "مَوت"]
2. death (state or realm of the dead) — Death as a state, condition, or realm — the ongoing domain of the dead from which one may be delivered or in which one is trapped. Arabic fi-l-mawt ('in death') and French dans la mort confirm the locative/stative reading. Appears 15 times in contexts like Job's plea to be hidden in Sheol (Job 5:20 'he shall redeem you from death'), the Psalms' imagery of death's snares and cords (Ps 18:4-5), and the legal purity contexts where death-contact produces contamination (Lev 11:31-32; Num 6:7). Where sense 1 is punctiliar, this sense is durative — death as a place one inhabits. 15×
AR["بِ-المَوتِ", "بِ-مَوْتِهِمْ", "فِي-المَوْتِ", "فِي-مَوْتِهِمْ", "مِن-المَوتِ", "مِنَ-", "مِنَ-المَوت", "مِنَ-المَوتِ", "مِنَ-المَوْتِ", "مِنَ-الْمَوْتِ", "مِنْ-الْمَوْتِ"]·ben["-মৃত্যু-থেকে", "তাদের-মৃত্যুতে", "মৃত্যু-থেকে", "মৃত্যুতে", "মৃত্যুতে-", "মৃত্যুর-চেয়ে"]·DE["in-Tod", "in-ihr-Tod", "in-starb", "von-Tod", "von-starb"]·EN["from-death", "in-death", "in-the-death", "in-their-death", "than-death"]·FR["dans-leur-mort", "dans-mourir", "de-mort", "de-mourir", "mort"]·heb["ב-מוות", "ב-מתם", "מ-מוות"]·HI["मरने-में-उनके", "मृत्यु-में", "मृत्यु-से", "में-उनके मरने", "से-मृत्यु"]·ID["dalam-kematian", "dari-kematian", "ketika-kematian-mereka", "ketika-matinya"]·IT["da-morte", "in-loro-morte", "morte", "nel-morte"]·jav["Panjenengan", "ing-pejah", "nalika-pejah-ipun", "naléka-pejah", "saking-pati", "saking-pejah", "tinimbang-pejah"]·KO["그들-의-죽음에", "그들의-죽음-에", "보다-좽음", "부터-죽음의", "사망-에서", "에서", "에서-좽음", "좽음-에서", "죽음-에서", "죽음에서"]·PT["ao-morrerem-deles", "da-morte", "de-morte", "na-morte", "na-morte-deles", "que-a-morte"]·RU["в-смерти", "в-смерти-их", "от-смерти", "смерти -", "смертью"]·ES["de-la-muerte", "de-muerte", "en-la-muerte", "en-morir-ellos", "en-su-muerte", "más-que-muerte"]·SW["Bmtm", "kuliko-mauti", "kutoka-kifo", "kutoka-mauti", "kwa-mauti", "mautini", "wakati-wa-kufa-kwao"]·TR["-den-ölümden", "olumden", "öldüklerinde", "ölümde", "ölümde-", "ölümden", "ölümden-", "ölümlerinde-"]·urd["-موت-سے", "-موت-میں", "اُن-کی-موت-میں", "سے-موت", "موت-سے", "موت-میں", "مِن-موت", "مِن-مَوت", "میں-مرنے-اُن-کے"]
3. death (personified or as power) — Death personified as a cosmic power or force, often in poetic and prophetic texts. Arabic al-mawt (with the definite article marking personification) and the consistent use of definite forms in the target languages confirm the rhetorical elevation. Appears 14 times: Pharaoh begging Moses to remove 'this death' as though it were a living agent (Exod 10:17), the famous deuteronomistic pair 'life and death' presented as rival powers (Deut 30:15, 19), Ruth's oath 'if anything but death parts me from you' (Ruth 1:17), and supremely Song 8:6 where 'love is strong as Death' — the only time mavet stands as an equal to the most powerful human emotion. 14×
AR["المَوت", "المَوْتَ", "المَوْتِ", "الْ-مَوْتَ", "الْمَوْتَ", "الْمَوْتِ", "فِي-يَوْمِ", "وَ-المَوتُ", "وَ-مَوْتًا", "وَالْمَوْتَ", "وَيَوْمُ"]·ben["-তাঁর-বিশ্বস্তদের", "-মৃত্যুকে", "-মৃত্যুর", "-মৃত্যুর।", "এই-মৃত্যু", "এবং-মৃত্যু", "এবং-সেই-মৃত্যু", "মৃত্যুর", "মৃত্যুর-ঘুমে", "সেই-মৃত্যু"]·DE["Tod", "der-Tod", "der-starb", "und-der-Tod", "und-starb"]·EN["and-Death", "and-death", "and-the-death", "death", "is-the-death", "the-death"]·FR["et-le-mort", "et-mort", "le-mort", "le-mourir"]·heb["ה-מוות", "ה-מוותה", "ה-מות", "ו-ה-מוות", "ו-מוות"]·HI["और-मृत्यु", "और-मृत्यु।", "मृत्यु", "मृत्यु-का", "मृत्यु-की-नींद", "मृत्यु-के", "मृत्यु-को", "म्रित्यु-कि", "म्रित्यु-के"]·ID["dan-kematian", "dan-maut", "kematian", "maut"]·IT["e-il-morte", "e-morte", "il-morte", "morte"]·jav["ing-pejah", "kang-pejah", "lan-pejah", "pejah", "pejahipun"]·KO["그-죽음을", "그-죽음의", "그-죽음이", "그리고-그-죽음을", "그리고-죽음을", "그리고-죽음이", "사망을", "이-죽음을", "좽음-의", "죽음-을", "죽음-이라", "죽음의"]·PT["a-morte", "e-a-morte", "e-morte", "o-sono-da-morte", "é-a-morte"]·RU["и-смерть", "смерти", "смерти;", "смерть", "смертью", "сном-смерти"]·ES["la-muerte", "y-Muerte", "y-la-muerte", "y-muerte"]·SW["kifo", "kifo-cha", "mauti", "na-kifo", "na-mauti", "wa-kifo", "watoto-wa-kiume", "ya-kufa"]·TR["-ölüm", "-ölümün", "olumu", "olumun", "ve-ölüm", "ve-ölümü", "ölümü", "ölümün"]·urd["-موت-کی", "اور-موت", "موت", "موت-کا", "موت-کو", "موت-کی", "موت-کے", "موت-کے۔"]
Exod 10:17, Deut 30:15, Deut 30:19, Ruth 1:17, 1 Sam 15:32, 1 Sam 20:3, Job 28:22, Ps 13:3, Ps 116:15, Prov 26:18, Eccl 7:1, Eccl 8:8 (+2 more)
4. death (as penalty or fate) — Death as a judicial penalty, destined fate, or appointed consequence — being 'put to death' or consigned to death by divine or royal decree. Spanish a la muerte and German fuer Tod mark the purposive-judicial dimension. Appears 14 times in contexts of capital sentencing (2 Sam 15:21 'whether in death or in life'), divine deliverance from execution (Ps 68:20 'to God belong the issues from death'), and the paradox of desiring death as escape (Job 3:21). Ps 118:18 captures the theological tension: 'The LORD has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.' 14×
AR["إِلَى-الْمَوْتِ", "المَوْتَ", "لِ-الْمَوْتِ", "لِ-لمَوْتِ", "لِ-مَوْتِهِمْ", "لِـ-الْمَوْتِ", "لِلمَوتِ-", "لِلْمَوْتِ", "لِمَوْتِهِ", "وَ-لِلمَوت"]·ben["-মৃত্যুতে", "-মৃত্যুর-জন্য", "তাদের-মৃত্যুতে", "তার-মৃত্যুর-জন্য", "মৃত্যুতে", "মৃত্যুর-কাছে", "মৃত্যুর-জন্য", "যাহ"]·DE["Tod", "bei-ihr-Tod", "fuer-Tod", "und-zu-Tod", "zum-Tod"]·EN["at-their-death", "belong-from-death", "but-to-death", "for-death", "for-the-death", "the-death", "to-death", "to-his-death", "to-the-death"]·FR["et-à-mourir", "mort", "pour-mort", "à-mort", "à-mourir", "à-son-mort-lui"]·heb["ו-ל-מוות", "ל-מוות", "ל-מות", "ל-מותו", "ל-מותם"]·HI["उनकी-मृत्यु-में", "और-मृत्यु-के-लिए", "के-लिए-मौत", "को-मृत्यु", "मृत्यु-की-ओर", "मृत्यु-के-लिए", "मृत्यु-को", "मृत्युको"]·ID["dari-kematian", "kematian", "kepada-maut", "kepada-maut,", "menuju-kematiannya", "pada-kematian-mereka", "tetapi-kepada-kematian", "untuk-kematian", "untuk-mati"]·IT["al-morte", "e-morte", "morte", "per-morte", "per-morte-suo"]·jav["dhateng-pati", "dhateng-pejah", "dhumateng-pejah", "kangge-pati", "kanggé-pejah", "kanggé-pejah-ipun", "nanging-dhateng-pejah", "sampun-ngantos"]·KO["그-의-좽음-을-위한-것이다", "그들-의-죽음-에", "그리고-사망-에", "에게-죽음", "에게-죽음에게", "좽음-에", "죽음-에", "죽음-에게", "죽음-으로", "죽음에", "죽음에-", "죽음에게-", "죽음에게-속한-자는", "죽음으로"]·PT["da-morte", "mas-à-morte", "para-a-morte", "para-a-morte,", "para-a-morte;", "para-morte", "para-morte-dele", "para-morte;", "para-sua-morte", "pela-morte", "à-morte"]·RU["-к-смерти", "в-смерти-их", "для-смерти", "к-смерти", "к-смерти-своей", "на-смерть", "но-смерти", "от-смерти", "смерти"]·ES["a-la-muerte", "la-muerte", "para-la-muerte", "para-muerte", "para-muerte-de-él", "para-su-muerte", "pero-a-la-muerte"]·SW["katika-kifo-chao", "kifo", "kutoka-mauti", "kwa-kifo", "kwa-mauti", "kwenye-kifo", "lakini-kwa-mauti", "mauti", "ni-kwa-mauti-yake"]·TR["için-ölüm", "olume-", "ve-ölüme", "ölüm-için", "ölüm-için-", "ölüme", "ölüme-", "ölümlerinde-onların", "ölümü", "ölümüne-onun"]·urd["لِ-اُن-کی-موت-کو", "لِ-ہَ-موت-سے", "لیکن-موت-کے-حوالے", "موت-اپنی-کے-لیے", "موت-تک", "موت-کا", "موت-کو", "موت-کی-طرف", "موت-کے-لیے"]
2 Sam 15:21, Job 3:21, Ps 68:20, Ps 73:4, Ps 118:18, Prov 11:19, Prov 24:11, Isa 53:12, Jer 15:2, Jer 15:2, Jer 18:23, Jer 43:11 (+2 more)
5. death (comparative, like death) — Death as a standard of comparison in similes and analogies — something being 'like death' or measured against death. Korean jug-eum-gwa gat-i ('like death') and the consistent use of comparative particles (ke-, kemo-) in Hebrew mark the figurative register. Appears 7 times: Num 16:29 asks whether the rebels will die 'the death of all men' (death as norm), Nabal's heart 'became like stone' — dead within him (1 Sam 25:37-38), Ecclesiastes' bitter observation that human and animal death are alike (Eccl 3:19), and the Song's climactic comparison (Song 8:6). These usages treat death not as event or power but as a measuring rod for extremity. 7×
AR["عِنْدَ-مَوْتِ", "كَ-المَوتِ", "كَالْمَوْتِ", "كَمَوْتِ", "هَلْ-كَ-مَوْتِ"]·ben["-মৃত্যুর-মতো", "কি-মৃত্যুর-মতো", "মতো-", "মৃত্যুর-মত", "মৃত্যুর-মতো", "যখন-মারা-গেল", "যেমন-মৃত্যু"]·DE["wann-starb", "wie-Tod-von", "wie-starb"]·EN["as-death-of", "is-like-death", "like-death", "like-death-of", "when-died"]·FR["comme-la-mort", "comme-mort", "comme-mort-de", "mort", "quand-mourut"]·heb["ה-כ-מות", "כ-כמות", "כ-מוות", "כ-מות"]·HI["क्या-जैसे-मृत्यु", "जैसी-मृत्यु", "जैसे-मरता-है", "जैसे-मृत्यु", "बलवान", "मरने-पर", "मृत्यु-की-तरह"]·ID["ketika-mati", "seperti-kematian", "seperti-mati", "seperti-maut"]·IT["come-il-morte", "come-morte", "come-morte-di", "morte", "quando-morì"]·jav["Kadosdene-sédanipun", "kados-pejah", "kados-pejahipun", "naléka-sedanipun"]·KO["(의문)같이", "같이-좽음", "사망-같아서", "좽음-같네", "죽음-같이", "죽음-처럼"]·PT["como-a-morte", "como-morte", "como-morte-de", "quando-morreu"]·RU["как-смерть", "как-смертью", "когда-умер"]·ES["como-la-muerte", "como-muerte-de", "cuando-murió", "¿Como-muerte-de"]·SW["baada-ya-kifo-cha", "je-kama-kifo-cha", "kama-kifo", "kama-kufa", "kama-mauti"]·TR["de-olum", "olum-gibi", "olumu-gibi", "ölüm-gibi", "ölümü-gibi"]·urd["جیسی-موت", "مرنے-پر", "موت-کی-طرح", "کیا-مرنے-کی-طرح"]
5. death as judicial penalty — Split from sense 110553. Criteria: Capital punishment, execution: Deuteronomic death-penalty laws (Deut 21:22; 22:26), legal formulae prescribing death 12×
AR["المَوتِ", "الْمَوْتِ", "مَوْتٍ"]·ben["মৃত্যুতে", "মৃত্যুর"]·DE["Tod", "starb"]·EN["death"]·FR["mort"]·heb["מוות", "מות"]·HI["मृत्यु-का", "मृत्यु-के", "म्रित्यु-क"]·ID["kematian", "mati", "maut"]·IT["morte"]·jav["nenèman-nipun", "pati", "pejah"]·KO["사망의", "좽음의", "죽음-의", "죽음의"]·PT["de-morte", "morte", "morte;"]·RU["смерти", "смертью"]·ES["muerte"]·SW["kifo", "mauti", "wewe", "ya-kifo"]·TR["ölüm", "ölümün"]·urd["موت-کا", "موت-کی", "موت-کے"]
6. sense 6 — The plural construct motei ('deaths of') in Ezek 28:10, describing the ignominious 'deaths of the uncircumcised.' Spanish muertes de and English 'deaths of' preserve the plural form. This rare plural intensifies the concept — not merely one death but a quality of dying associated with shame and divine judgment against the prince of Tyre. The plural may be an abstract-intensive ('a death-like death') or a genuine plural indicating the accumulated deaths of the disgraced. It stands alone as the only plural occurrence, marking the outer boundary of the word's morphological range. 1×
AR["مِيتَةَ"]·ben["মৃত্যুতে"]·DE["Tod"]·EN["deaths-of-"]·FR["mort"]·heb["מותי"]·HI["मौतें"]·ID["Kematian-"]·IT["morte"]·jav["Pejah"]·KO["죽음들을-"]·PT["Mortes-de"]·RU["смертью"]·ES["Muertes-de"]·SW["Kifo-cha"]·TR["ölümü"]·urd["موتیں-"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מָ֫וֶת161 n.m. Ex 10:17 death;—abs. מ׳ Dt 19:6 +; מָֽ֫וְתָה ψ 116:15; cstr. מוֹת Gn 25:11 +; sf. מוֹתִי Gn 27:2 +; pl. cstr. מוֹתֵי Ez 28:10; sf. בְּמֹתָיו Is 53:9;— 1. death, opp. life, Dt 30:15, 19 2 S 15:21; †מ׳ כל האדם the death of all men (that all go to) Nu 16:29 (J), as distinguished from violent death; יוֹם מ׳ day of death Gn 27:2 (J) Ju 13:7 1 S 15:35 +; שְׁנַת מ׳ Is 6:1; 14:28; עד מ׳ Nu…