H4371 H4371
Tax, tribute, levy; a proportional assessment on war spoils dedicated to the LORD and the Levites (Numbers 31 only).
A masculine noun meaning 'tax' or 'tribute,' appearing exclusively in Numbers 31:28-41, where it denotes the proportional levy exacted from the spoils of the Midianite war. Moses is commanded to 'separate a tribute for the LORD' from the warriors' half (one out of every five hundred persons, cattle, donkeys, and sheep) and from the congregation's half (one out of fifty). The word has cognates in Aramaic (מִכְסָא), Syriac, and even Arabic (مَكْسٌ, a loanword), all meaning 'tax' or 'customs duty.' Spanish tributo and English tribute consistently render the term.
Senses
1. tribute (levy/tax) — A proportional tax or levy on war spoils, dedicated to sacred purposes. All six occurrences cluster in Numbers 31:28-41, where God commands Moses to exact a מֶכֶס from the booty of the Midianite campaign: one out of five hundred from the warriors' portion (for the LORD via the priest, v. 28-29) and one out of fifty from the congregation's portion (for the Levites, v. 30). The term derives from a root meaning 'to compute, to assess' and has wide Semitic cognates: Aramaic מִכְסָא, Assyrian miksu, and Arabic مَكْسٌ (a recognized loanword), all denoting customs or tax. Spanish tributo, French tribute, and English tribute uniformly confirm the fiscal-levy semantics. 6×
AR["الضَّرِيبَةُ", "ضَرِيبَةً", "ضَرِيبَةَ", "وَضَرِيبَتُهُمْ"]·ben["এবং-তাদের-কর", "কর"]·DE["der-tribute", "tribute", "tribute-von", "und-ihr-tribute"]·EN["and-their-tribute", "the-tribute", "tribute", "tribute-of"]·FR["et-leur-tribute", "le-tribute", "tribute", "tribute-de"]·heb["ה-מכס", "ו-מכסם", "מכס"]·HI["और-कर-इनका", "कर"]·ID["dan-pajaknya", "pajak"]·IT["e-loro-tribute", "il-tribute", "tribute", "tribute-di"]·jav["lan-pajegipun", "pajeg"]·KO["그-세금이", "그리고-그것들의-세금은", "세금을"]·PT["e-seu-tributo", "o-tributo", "tributo", "tributo-de"]·RU["дань", "и-дань-их"]·ES["el-tributo", "tributo", "tributo-de", "y-su-tributo"]·SW["na-ushuru-wao", "ushuru", "ushuru-huo"]·TR["-vergi", "ve-vergisi-onların", "vergi", "vergisini"]·urd["اور-ان-کا-ٹیکس", "ٹیکس"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מֶ֫כ��ס n.m. computation, proportion to be paid, tax (Palm. מכסא ReckendorfZMG 1885, 379 ff.; NH מֶכֶס, Aramaic מִכְסָא, ܡܰܟܣܳܐ tax (hence Arabic مَكْسٌ as loan-word Frä283); Assyrian miksu, DlHWB 407 (√ מכס); NH מוֹכֵס tax-collector; so Assyrian makkasu, cf. Arabic مَكَّاسٌ )—Nu 31:28 וַהֲרֵמֹתָ֫ מ׳ לי׳ and thou shalt separate a tax (duty levied on the spoil) for י׳, v 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 (all P).