H4217 H4217
The east as a cardinal direction; also the rising of the sun, often in the phrase 'mizrach hashemesh.'
Derived from the root zarach ('to rise, shine'), mizrach names the east by its most visible daily phenomenon — the place where the sun comes up. In most of its 56 directional uses, it functions as a pure compass point for tribal allotments, camp positions, and boundary descriptions (Num 2:3; 34:15). In 18 passages, however, the construct phrase mizrach hashemesh ('rising of the sun') preserves the word's etymological vividness, evoking the sunrise itself as a cosmic marker. The phrase 'from the rising of the sun to its setting' (Ps 113:3; Mal 1:11) became a powerful idiom for universal scope — everywhere on earth.
Senses
1. east, cardinal direction — The cardinal direction east, used absolutely or with directional heh to indicate location, orientation, or geographic boundary. This sense dominates with 56 occurrences, confirmed by translations using straightforward directional terms: Spanish 'al oriente/hacia el este,' French 'orient/vers l'est,' German 'Osten.' The tabernacle entrance faced eastward (Num 3:38), tribal territories were assigned 'on the east side' (Num 2:3; 32:19), and Ezekiel's temple vision orients toward the east gate (Ezek 43:1-2; 47:1-2). 56×
AR["الشَّرْقِيَّةُ", "شَرْقاً", "شَرْقًا", "مَشْرِقًا"]·ben["পূর্ব-দিকে", "পূর্বদিকে", "পূর্বে", "পূর্বে-"]·DE["Osten", "eastward"]·EN["eastward"]·FR["eastward", "orient", "vers-l'est"]·heb["מזרח-ה", "מזרחה", "מזרחה-ה"]·HI["पूरब", "पूरब-की-ओर", "पूर्व", "पूर्व-ओर", "पूर्व-की-ओर", "पूर्व-दिशा", "पूर्व-दिशा-को", "पूर्व-दिशा-में"]·ID["di-timur", "ke-timur", "timur"]·IT["eastward", "oriente", "verso-est", "verso-oriente"]·jav["arah-wétan", "mangwétan", "sisih-wétan", "wetan", "wétan"]·KO["동쪽-으로", "동쪽으로", "해-뜨는-쪽으로"]·PT["ao-oriente", "leste", "para-leste", "para-o-leste", "para-o-oriente"]·RU["востоком", "восточную", "на-восток", "на-востоке"]·ES["al-oriente", "hacia-el-este", "hacia-el-oriente", "hacia-este"]·SW["mashariki", "na-bahari"]·TR["doğuda", "doğuya"]·urd["سورج-نکلنے-کی", "مشرق کی طرف", "مشرق-میں", "مشرق-کی-طرف", "مشرقی-طرف"]
2. rising of the sun — The rising of the sun — the etymological sense preserved in the construct phrase mizrach hashemesh. Across 18 occurrences, translations reflect the sunrise imagery: Spanish 'desde la salida de' ('from the going-out of'), French 'de levant du' ('from the rising of'). Moses set apart cities of refuge 'toward the sunrise' (Deut 4:41), and the merism 'from the rising of the sun to its setting' expresses universal extent (Ps 50:1; 113:3; Mal 1:11). God calls a bird of prey 'from the east' — literally 'from the sunrise' (Isa 41:2; 46:11). 18×
AR["شَرْقَ", "شَرْقِيَّ", "شُروقِ", "مَشْرِقَ", "مِن-مَشرِق-", "مِن-مَشرِقِ-", "مِن-مَشْرِق-", "مِن-مَشْرِقِ", "مِنْ-مَشْرِقِ", "مِنْ-مَشْرِقِ-", "وَ-مِنْ-مَشْرِقِ-"]·ben["-এবং-উদয়-থেকে", "-সূর্যোদয়-থেকে-", "উদয়", "উদয়-থেকে", "পূর্ব-থেকে-", "পূর্ব-দিক-থেকে-", "পূর্ব-দিকে", "পূর্বদিকে", "পূর্বে", "পূর্বে-থেকে", "সূর্যোদয়-থেকে-", "হইতে-উদয়-"]·DE["[ממזרח]", "rising-von", "sunrise-von", "und-vom-Osten", "vom-Osten", "von-der-rising-von", "von-rising-von", "von-rising-von-", "zu-aufsteigend-von", "zu-rising-von", "zu-sunrise"]·EN["and-from-the-rising-of", "from-rising-of", "from-rising-of-", "from-the-rising", "from-the-rising-of", "rising-of", "sunrise-of", "toward-rising-of", "toward-sunrise"]·FR["de-levant-du-", "de-lever", "de-l’orient", "de-rising-de", "et-de-l’orient", "levant-du", "lever", "sunrise-de", "vers-levant-du", "vers-rising-de", "vers-se-levant-de", "vers-sunrise"]·heb["ו-מ-מזרח-", "מ-מזרח", "מ-מזרח-", "מזרח", "מזרחה"]·HI["-सूर्योदय-की-ओर", "उगते-सूरजसे", "उदय", "उदय-से", "उदय-से-", "और-पूरब-से", "पूर्व", "पूर्व-की-ओर", "पूर्व-से", "मिज्रख", "से-उदय-", "से-पूर्व", "से-पूर्व-"]·ID["(ke)-timur", "dan-dari-terbit", "dari-sebelah-timur", "dari-sebelah-timur-", "dari-terbit-", "dari-terbitnya", "dari-terbitnya-", "ke-terbit", "ke-timur", "matahari-terbit", "sebelah-timur", "terbitnya"]·IT["da-rising-di", "da-sorgere-di-", "e-oriente", "levante", "oriente", "sorgere-di", "sunrise-di", "verso-alzandosi-di", "verso-rising-di", "verso-sorgere-di", "verso-sunrise"]·jav["Saking-wétan-", "bumi", "lan-saking-wetan-", "mangwétan", "ngétan", "saking-jumedhulipun-", "saking-wétan-", "sisih-wetan", "wetan", "wétan", "wétan-"]·KO["-떠오름-에서", "그리고-동쪽에서-", "동쪽", "동쪽-으로", "동쪽에서", "동쪽으로", "에서-동쪽", "에서-떠오름-의", "에서-해-돋는-", "에서-해돋이-", "해-돋는-곳-에서", "해-뜨는-곳", "해-뜨는-쪽"]·PT["Desde-o-nascer", "ao-nascer-de", "de-nascente-de-", "desde-o-nascer-do", "do-nascente-de-", "do-nascer-de", "do-nascer-do", "do-nascer-do-", "e-do-nascer-do-", "nascer-de", "nascer-do"]·RU["От-восхода-", "восход", "восхода", "и-от-восхода-", "к-восходу", "на-восход", "на-восходе", "от-восхода", "от-восхода-"]·ES["Desde-la-salida-de", "al-naciente-de", "al-oriente-de", "desde-el-oriente-de", "desde-oriente-de-", "desde-salida-de", "desde-salida-de-", "hacia-el-oriente-de", "salida-de", "salida-del", "y-desde-el-oriente-del-"]·SW["kutoka-kuchomoza-kwa", "kutoka-macheo-ya", "kutoka-mashariki", "kutoka-mashariki-ya", "kutoka-mashariki-ya-", "kutoka-mawio-ya", "mashariki", "mashariki-ya", "mwelekeo-wa", "na-kutoka-mashariki", "upande-wa-mashariki"]·TR["-doğudan", "-doğuşundan-", "dogudan-", "doğuda-", "doğusu", "doğusuna", "doğusunda", "doğusunda-", "doğusundan", "doğusundan-", "doğuşundan-", "ve-dogusundan-"]·urd["اور-مشرق-سے", "طلوع", "طلوع-سے", "طلوعِ-", "مشرق", "مشرق-", "مشرق-سے", "مشرق-سے-", "مشرق-کی-طرف", "مِن-طلوع"]
Num 21:11, Deut 4:41, Deut 4:47, Josh 1:15, Josh 12:1, Josh 13:5, Josh 19:12, Josh 19:27, Josh 19:34, Judg 11:18, Judg 20:43, 2 Kgs 10:33 (+6 more)
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×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מִזְרָח n.[m.] place of sunrise, east—abs. מ׳ Jos 11:3 + 21 times; cstr. מִזְרַח Nu 21:10 + 19 times, c. ה loc. מִזְרָ֫חָה Ex 27:13 + 28 times, cstr. מִזְרְחָה Dt 4:41 Jos 12:1 Ju 21:19 (not in Gn Lv Sa Ez etc.);— 1. sunrise, always of quarter of the heavens = east מ׳ (ה)שׁמשׁ Nu 21:11 (P), Dt 4:41, 47 Jos 1:15; 12:1; 13:5 (all D), 19:12, 27, 34 (all P), Ju 20:43; 21:19 2 K 10:33 Is 41:25;…