H4731 H4731
Rod, staff, or stick; a cut branch used as a walking aid, shepherd's tool, symbol of authority, or weapon
A versatile Hebrew noun denoting a piece of wood cut from a tree and put to various uses. In Jacob's famous breeding stratagem (Gen 30:37-41), the word appears repeatedly for the peeled rods placed before the flocks — Spanish 'varas' and German 'Stäben' capture the stripped-stick sense well. Elsewhere it names the traveler's walking staff (Gen 32:10), the shepherd's club David carried against Goliath (1 Sam 17:40), and Jeremiah's visionary almond branch (Jer 1:11). The range from botanical branch to weapon of war (Ezek 39:9) shows how a single piece of wood could serve many purposes in the ancient Near East.
Senses
1. rods or sticks — Rods or sticks used for a specific practical purpose, most prominently the peeled wooden rods Jacob set before the watering troughs to influence the markings of his flocks (Gen 30:37-41). Spanish consistently renders these as 'varas' (rods) while German uses 'Stäben,' both highlighting their function as crafted implements rather than natural branches. The plural form מַקְלוֹת dominates this sense, emphasizing sets of prepared sticks. 8×
AR["أَمَامَ","اثْنَتَيْنِ","الْعِصِيَّ","الْعِصِيِّ","بِـ-العِصِيِّ","عُصِيَّ","عِنْدَ-الْعِصِيِّ"]·ben["-ডালগুলি","-ডালের","-ডালের-সামনে","ডাল","লাঠি","লাঠিগুলি-দিয়ে"]·DE["[מקלות]","bei-den-Stäben","den-Stäben","den-Stäben-war","die-Stäbe","einen-Stab","mit-sticks"]·EN["among-the-rods","rod-of","staffs","the-rods","with-sticks"]·FR["[מקלות]","avec-sticks","le-rods","parmi-le-rods","verge-de"]·heb["ב-ה-מקלות","ב-מקלות","ה-מקלות","מקל","מקלות"]·HI["लअथि-से","लाठियाँ","लाठियां","लाठियों","लाठियों-में","लाठी"]·ID["dengan-tongkat","di antara-tongkat-tongkat","tongkat","tongkat-tongkat","tongkat-tongkat-"]·IT["bastone","con-bastoni","fra-il-rods","il-rods","verga-di"]·jav["mawi-teken","teken","tongkat","wonten-tongkat"]·KO["그-막대기들로","그-막대들","그-막대들에서","그-막대들을","그-막대들의","막대를","지팡이를"]·PT["as-varas","cajados","com-os-paus","pelas-varas","vara-de"]·RU["посоха","прут","прутьев","прутья","прутьях","с-палками","у-прутьев"]·ES["cayados","con-los-palos","las-varas","por-las-varas","vara-de"]·SW["fimbo","kwa-fimbo","kwenye-fimbo"]·TR["-dallara","-dalları","-dalların","dal","değnek","sopalarla"]·urd["لاٹھیاں","لاٹھیوں-سے","چھڑیاں","چھڑیوں","چھڑیوں-پر","چھڑیوں-کے"]
2. staff or rod — A staff or rod carried by a person as a personal implement — a shepherd's club, a pilgrim's walking stick, or a symbol of authority and office. Jacob recalls crossing the Jordan with only his staff (Gen 32:10), the Israelites eat Passover with staff in hand (Exod 12:11), and Jeremiah laments the breaking of Moab's 'staff of strength' (Jer 48:17). Spanish 'cayado/báculo' and French 'bâton' consistently distinguish this carried-staff sense from the plural rods above. 8×
AR["بِ-الْعَصَا","بِ-عَصا-ي","عَصَاهُ","عَصَايَ","عُكَّازُ","وَ-عُصِيُّكُمْ","وَعَصاهُ"]·ben["আমার-লাঠি","আমার-লাঠি-দিয়ে","এবং-তার-লাঠি","এবং-তোমাদের-লাঠি","তার-লাঠি","লাঠি","লাঠি-দিয়ে"]·DE["[ומקלו]","[מקל]","[מקלי]","mit-der-staff","mit-meinem-Stab","staff-sein","und-dein-Stab"]·EN["and-their-staff","and-your-staff","my-staff","staff-his","staff-of","with-my-staff","with-the-staff"]·FR["[מקל]","avec-le-bâton","avec-mon-bâton","bâton-son","et-son-bâton","et-ton-bâton","mon-bâton"]·heb["ב-ה-במקל","ב-מקלי-י","ו-מקלו","ו-מקלכם","מקל","מקל-ו","מקלי"]·HI["अपनि-लअथि","अपनी-लाठी-से","और-लाठी-उसकी","और-लाठी-तुम्हारी","छड़ी","लाठी-मेरी","लाठी-से"]·ID["dan-tongkat-mereka","dan-tongkatmu","dengan-tongkat","dengan-tongkat-ku","tongkat","tongkat-Ku","tongkatnya"]·IT["bastone","bastone-suo","con-il-bastone","con-mio-bastone","e-bastone","e-tuo-bastone","i-miei-bastoni"]·jav["kalayan-teken-kawula","lan-dhadhungipun","lan-tekenipun-panjenengan-sedaya","mawi-tongkat","teken","teken-ipun","teken-kula"]·KO["그리고-너희의-지팡이가","그리고-막대기-그의-가","그의-지팡이를","나의-지팡이","나의-지팡이만으로","막대기가","안-에-그-지팡이"]·PT["cajado-de","cajado-meu","com-bordão-meu","com-o-bordão","e-bordão-vosso","e-vara-dele","seu-cajádo"]·RU["и-посох-ваш","и-посох-его","палкой","посох","посох-мой","посох-свой","с-посохом-моим"]·ES["báculo-de","cayado-suyo","con-cayado-mío","con-el-palo","mi-cayado","y-su-vara","y-vuestro-bastón"]·SW["fimbo-yake","fimbo-yangu","kwa-fimbo","kwa-fimbo-yangu","mkongojo","na-fimbo-yake","na-fimbo-zenu"]·TR["değnekle","değneği","değneğimi","değneğimle","değneğini","ve-asanız","ve-değneği"]·urd["اور-عصا-تمہارا","اور-لاٹھی-اُس-کی","اپنی-لاٹھی","لاٹھی","لاٹھی-سے","لاٹھی-سے-اپنی"]
3. branch of a tree — A branch or shoot still connected to or freshly cut from a tree, emphasizing its botanical origin. In Jeremiah's inaugural vision (Jer 1:11), God shows the prophet a מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד — an almond branch — as a wordplay on divine watchfulness (שֹׁקֵד). Here the botanical sense is primary; French and German leave the Hebrew untranslated, recognizing the difficulty of capturing both the object and the pun. 1×
AR["غُصْنَ"]·ben["লাঠি"]·DE["[מקל]"]·EN["a-branch"]·FR["[מקל]"]·heb["מקל"]·HI["डंडा"]·ID["Tongkat"]·IT["bastone"]·jav["rantingan"]·KO["지팡이-를"]·PT["vara-de"]·RU["ветвь"]·ES["rama-de"]·SW["fimbo-ya"]·TR["dalı"]·urd["چھڑی"]
4. club or weapon — A club or heavy stick wielded as a weapon of war. In Ezekiel 39:9, among the military equipment burned after Gog's defeat, the מַקֵּל appears alongside shields, bows, and spears. Spanish 'bastón de' (war-club) and English 'war-club' mark this distinctly martial usage, setting it apart from the peaceful shepherd's staff. 1×
AR["وَبِالْعَصَا"]·ben["ও-ডান্ডায়"]·DE["[ובמקל]"]·EN["and-with-war-club"]·FR["[ובמקל]"]·heb["ו-ב-מקל"]·HI["और-से-डंडे"]·ID["dan-dengan-gada"]·IT["e-bastone"]·jav["lan-kanthi-teken"]·KO["그리고-막대기-"]·PT["e-com-bastão-de"]·RU["и-палицей"]·ES["y-con-bastón-de"]·SW["na-fimbo"]·TR["ve-sopayla"]·urd["اور-لاٹھیوں"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מקֵּל n.m. Zc 11:7 (appar. f. Gn 30:37, where בָּהֶן, but Sam. בָּהֶם) rod, staff (√ dub.; Thes assumes √ מקל sprout; Schwally ZAW xi. 1891, 170 f. from קלל=shake, with ref. to oracle of the lot (cf. קִלְקַל בַּחִצִּים Ez 21:26); Ba ZMG xii. 1887, 616 gives √ קל, and comp. قُلَةٌ stick driven by another, in sport; Frä ZA iii. 52, comp. Ethiopic በቀልት growth, stem, palm-tree (interchange of ב and…