H4209 H4209
Purpose or plan (neutral); discretion or prudence (positive, in Proverbs); wicked scheme or device (negative, in Psalms/Prophets).
The noun mezimmah is one of Hebrew's most morally flexible words — capable of describing godly wisdom and satanic cunning with equal ease. In Proverbs, it stands alongside knowledge and understanding as a positive intellectual virtue: the 'discretion' that guards the young from folly (Prov 1:4; 2:11; 3:21). But in the Psalms and Prophets, the same word darkens into 'wicked schemes' and 'evil devices' hatched against the righteous (Ps 10:2; 21:11; 37:7). Spanish navigates this polarity with discrecion versus maquinaciones, while German shifts between Besonnenheit (prudence) and Raenke (scheming). The neutral middle ground appears when mezimmah describes God's own sovereign purposes — plans that are neither good nor evil in themselves but simply the outworking of divine intention (Job 42:2; Jer 23:20; 51:11).
Senses
1. evil scheme, wicked device — An evil scheme, wicked device, or malicious plot hatched against the innocent — the negative pole of mezimmah's moral range. Nine occurrences cluster in Psalms and wisdom complaint: 'the wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised' (Ps 10:2). See also Ps 21:11 and Ps 139:20, where enemies lift up God's name for evil purpose. Spanish maquinaciones and tramas, French dessein (in pejorative context), and German Raenke all mark this as cunning turned malevolent. 9×
AR["المَكَائِدَ","بِ-مَكَائِدَ","لِـ-مَكْرٍ","مَكائِدَ","مَكايِدَ","مَكِيدَةً","وَ-مُكَايَدَاتِكُمْ"]·ben["এবং-পরিকল্পনা","চক্রান্ত","দুষ্ট-পরিকল্পনার","পরিকল্পনাগুলিতে-","যন্ত্র","ষড়যন্ত্র","ষড়যন্ত্রে;","ষড়যন্ত্রের"]·DE["Raenke","[המזמתה]","ein-scheme","für-Bosheit","in-der-plant","plant","und-Raenke"]·EN["a-scheme","and-schemes","evil-devices","for-wickedness","in-the-schemes","schemes","the-evil-schemes"]·FR["[המזמתה]","dans-dessein","de-dessein","dessein","et-dessein","à-dessein"]·heb["ב-מזימות","ה-מזימתה","ו-מזימות","ל-מזימה","מזימה","מזימות"]·HI["और-योजनाएँ","चालों-का","ज़ुर्म-से","दुष्ट-योजनाओं-वाला","में-योजनाओं","युक्ति","योजना","षड्यन्त्र"]·ID["dalam-rencana-rencana","dan-tipu-daya","dengan-niat-jahat","dengan-rencana-jahat","rencana-jahat","tipu-muslihat"]·IT["da-scelleratezza","disegno","e-disegno","insidia","macchinazione"]·jav["ing-reka-daya","kang-ngrancang-ala","kanthi-rencana-duraka","lan-rancangan","rancangan-awon","reka-daya","rencana-jahat"]·KO["계략들-에","계획-들-의","계획-을","그리고-계식들을","악한-계획-으로","음모들-을","음모들-의","음모를"]·PT["a-maquinação","e-tramas","intenções-más","maquinão","maquinções","nas-intrigas","para-a-maldade","planos","planos-maus"]·RU["в-замыслах","замысел","замыслов","злые-замыслы","злых-замыслов","и-замыслы","коварство","козней","со-злом"]·ES["en-tramas","la-maldad","maquinaciones","para-maldad","plan","y-las-intrigas"]·SW["hila","katika-hila","kwa-hila","mipango-ya","na-mipango","wa-hila"]·TR["düzen","düzenler","düzenlerle-","entrikaların","entrikayı","kötü-niyetlerin","kötülükle","planların","ve-planları"]·urd["-چالوں-میں","اور-سازشیں","برائی-کے-لیے","بری-تدبیروں-کا","بُری-تدبیریں","تدبیروں-کا","سازش","سازشوں-کا"]
2. discretion, prudence — Discretion, prudence, or the faculty of wise deliberation — the positive pole, concentrated entirely in Proverbs' wisdom vocabulary. Five occurrences pair mezimmah with knowledge (da'at, Prov 1:4; 5:2), understanding (tevunah, Prov 2:11), and resourcefulness (tushiyyah, Prov 3:21). The sage commends discretion as a protective virtue: 'Discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you' (Prov 2:11). Spanish discrecion, French discernement, and German Besonnenheit all deploy dedicated wisdom vocabulary here, distinguishing this sense clearly from the scheming of sense 1. 5×
AR["التَّدْبِيرَاتِ","الْحَصَافَةُ","حَصَافَةٍ","وَ-تَدْبِيرًا","وَ-حَصَافَةً"]·ben["ও-বিচক্ষণতা","বিচক্ষণতা","বিবেচনার"]·DE["Besonnenheit","Raenke","und-Besonnenheit"]·EN["and-discretion","discretion"]·FR["dessein","et-dessein"]·heb["ו-מזימה","מזימה","מזימות"]·HI["और-योजना","योजना","योजनाएँ","योजनाओं-का"]·ID["Kebijaksanaan","dan-kebijaksanaan","dan-perencanaan","kebijaksanaan","rencana-rencana"]·IT["disegno","e-disegno"]·jav["kawicaksanan","lan-kawicaksanan"]·KO["그리고-근신-을","근신-들-을","근신-들-의","근신-이"]·PT["Discrição","discrições","e-discricao","e-discrição","planos"]·RU["Рассудительность","и-рассудительности.","и-рассудительность.","рассудительности","рассудительность,"]·ES["Discreción","discreciones","pensamientos","y-discreción"]·SW["Busara","busara","na-busara","ya-busara"]·TR["ihtiyatın","sağduyu","sağduyuyu","ve-ihtiyatı","ve-sağduyu"]·urd["اور-تدبیر","تدبیر","تدبیروں-کا","تدبیریں"]
3. purpose, plan, thought — A purpose, plan, or considered intention — morally neutral, describing the deliberate designs of God or humans without inherent ethical judgment. Five occurrences include Job's confession, 'no purpose of yours can be thwarted' (Job 42:2), and Jeremiah's prophetic formula where God's wrath accomplishes 'the purposes of his heart' (Jer 23:20; 30:24; 51:11). Spanish pensamientos and planes, French dessein (neutral), and German Vorhaben reflect the cognitive-planning sense without moral coloring. 5×
AR["أَفْكَارِهِ","قَصْدُهُ","مَقَاصِدَ","مَقْصَدٌ."]·ben["তাঁর-উদ্দেশ্য","তার-পরিকল্পনাগুলিতে","পরিকল্পনা","পরিকল্পনাগুলি"]·DE["Besonnenheit","[מזמות]","[מזמתו]","sein-Gedanken"]·EN["any-purpose","his-plan","his-thoughts","purposes-of"]·FR["[מזמות]","[מזמתו]","de-dessein","dessein"]·heb["מזימה","מזימות","מזימותיו","מזימתו"]·HI["उसकी-युक्ति-है","उसकी-योजनाओं-में","कोई-योजना","योजनाओं","योजनाओं-को"]·ID["rancangan-rancangan","rencana","rencana-Nya","rencana-rencana","rencana-rencananya"]·IT["disegno","insidia","macchinazione"]·jav["rancangan","rancangan-Nipun","rancangan.","reka-daya-ipun"]·KO["계획들을","계획이","계획이-그의","생각들-에","의-계획들을"]·PT["intentos-de-","o-seu-pensamento","propósito.","seu-propósito"]·RU["замысел","замысел-Его","замыслы","помышления-его"]·ES["pensamiento","pensamientos-de","planes-de","su-propósito","sus-pensamientos"]·SW["kusudi","makusudio-ya","mawazo-yake","mipango-ya","mpango-wake"]·TR["düşünceleri","plan","planlarını","tasarısı-O'nun"]·urd["اُس-کا-منصوبہ-ہے","اُس-کی-سوچوں-میں","منصوبے","کوئی-منصوبہ"]
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×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)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×)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×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מְזִמָּה n.f. purpose, discretion, device (Je and WisdLt), מְזִמָּה Jb 42:2 + 5 times; הַמְּזִמָּ֫תָה Je 11:15 (but read for המ׳ רַבִּים with 𝔊 הַמְּזִמֹּת הַֽנְדָרִים); altogether עָֽשְׂתָה מְזִמֹּת הַֽנְדָרִים וּבְשַׂר קֹדֶשׁ יַעֲבִרוּ מֵעָלַיִךְ רָעָתֵךְ. מְזִמָּתוֹ Je 51:11; pl. abs. מְזִמּוֹת ψ 37:7 + 7 times; cstr. id. Je 23:20; 30:24; sf. מְזִמּוֹתָיו ψ 10:4;— 1. of י׳’s purposes Jb…