H4864 H4864
A rising up; hence a portion or gift, a fire-signal, a tax or tribute, a burden or oracle, or the lifting of hands.
Mas'et derives from the root nasa' ('to lift, carry') and preserves a remarkable range of meanings all unified by the idea of something raised up. A column of smoke rising from Gibeah is a mas'et — a fire-signal (Judg 20:38). Portions of food 'lifted' from Joseph's table and sent to his brothers are mas'ot (Gen 43:34). A tax 'raised' from the people is a mas'et (2 Chr 24:6). Even a prophetic oracle — a 'burden' lifted upon the prophet's shoulders — falls under this same word (Lam 2:14). The multilingual evidence is fascinating: Spanish splits the range into columna ('column' for the smoke signal), porcion ('portion' for the gift), and tributo ('tribute' for the tax), while French offrande ('offering') recurs across several senses, hinting at an underlying unity that the Romance languages struggle to capture in a single term.
Senses
1. portion, gift, present — A portion, gift, or present — the most frequent sense at seven occurrences. Joseph sends portions (mas'ot) from his own table to his brothers, with Benjamin receiving five times as much (Gen 43:34). Esther distributes gifts at her coronation feast (Esth 2:18). The underlying image is of food or goods 'lifted up' and carried to a recipient. Spanish porcion and German Portionen both select gift/allotment vocabulary, and the plural mas'ot in Genesis confirms that these are countable, concrete portions rather than abstract 'liftings.' 7×
AR["حَمْلَاتِكُمْ","حِصَصًا","حِصَّةُ","عَطَايَا","عَنْ-حِصَصِ","هَدِيَّةُ","وَ-هَدِيَّةً"]·ben["উপহার","এবং-উপহার","থেকে-পরিবেশনের","পরিবেশন","সমস্ত"]·DE["Portionen","[ומשאת]","[משאותיכם]","[משאת]","als-die-Portionen","die-Portion","ein-Anteil-von"]·EN["a-portion-of","and-a-gift","gifts","offerings-your","portion-of","portions","than-portions-of"]·FR["[ומשאת]","[משאותיכם]","[משאת]","portion-de","portions","que-portions-de","un-part-de"]·heb["ו-משאת","מ-משאת","משאותיכם","משאת"]·HI["उपहार","और-उपहार","तुम्हारे-भेंट","भाग","भागों-से","भेंट"]·ID["dan-pemberian","dari-hidangan-hidangan","hadiah","hidangan","hidangan-hidangan","pemberian","persembahan-persembahanmu"]·IT["[ומשאת]","[משאותיכם]","[משאת]","di-portions-di","portions","porzione-di","un-porzione-di"]·jav["bagean","bagean-bagean","lan-bebungah","pisungsung","pisungsung-panjenengan","saking-bagean-bagean"]·KO["그리고-선물을","너희의-예물들을","몰","몰들보다","몰들을","선물을","선물이"]·PT["a-porção-de","de-porções-de","e-presente","porção-de","porções","presentes","vossas-ofertas"]·RU["больше-порций","дар","и-подарок","порции","порция","со-всеми"]·ES["de-porciones-de","porciones","porción-de","regalo","vuestros-dones","y-regalo"]·SW["matoleo-yenu","na-zawadi","ya-Binyamini","zawadi","zawadi-ya","zawadi-zao"]·TR["hediyeler","hediyesi","payları","paylarından","payı","taşımalarınızın","ve-hediye"]·urd["اور-تحفہ","تحائف","تحفہ","حصہ","حصے","سے-حصوں","پیشکشیں-تمہاری"]
2. tax, tribute, levy — A tax, tribute, or compulsory levy — three occurrences (2 Chr 24:6, 9; Amos 5:11), all in contexts of institutionalized collection. Joash reinstates 'the tax of Moses' for the tabernacle (2 Chr 24:6); Amos condemns those who exact 'levies of grain' from the poor. The Phoenician/Punic cognate mas'at meaning 'payment, tax' (noted by BDB) confirms this as a well-established Semitic fiscal term. Spanish tributo and French offrande both gesture toward obligatory contribution, though the latter softens the compulsory edge. 3×
AR["جِزْيَةَ","وَ-حمْلَ-"]·ben["ও-ভার","কর-"]·DE["[ומשאת]","[משאת]"]·EN["and-tribute-of-","tax-of"]·FR["[משאת]","et-offrande"]·heb["וּ-משׂאת-","משאת"]·HI["और-भार-","कर"]·ID["dan-pajak-","pungutan"]·IT["[ומשאת]","[משאת]"]·jav["lan-beban","pajegipun"]·KO["그리고-많은-양의","세금을"]·PT["e-tributo-de-","tributo-de"]·RU["и-дань-","подать"]·ES["tributo-de","y-tributo-de-"]·SW["kodi-ya","na-ushuru-wa"]·TR["ve-yükü-","vergisini"]·urd["اور-ٹیکس-","ٹیکس"]
3. signal, fire-signal column — A signal, specifically a rising column of smoke or fire — three occurrences concentrated in the Gibeah narrative (Judg 20:38, 40) and Jeremiah 6:1. The appointed signal for the Israelite ambush at Gibeah is a mas'et of smoke rising from the city. Spanish columna de humo ('column of smoke') and senyal ('signal') both capture the visual-communicative function. The etymology is transparent: the signal is literally 'that which rises up' from the burning city. 3×
AR["إِشَارَةً","عَمُودَ","وَ-الْ-عَلَامَةُ"]·ben["এবং-মেঘ","মেঘ","সংকেত"]·DE["[משאת]","rising-von","und-der-signal"]·EN["and-the-signal","rising-of","signal"]·FR["[משאת]","et-le-signal","levant-du"]·heb["ו-ה-משאת","משאת"]·HI["और-बादल","बादल","संकेत"]·ID["Dan-tanda","pengangkatan","tanda-api"]·IT["[משאת]","e-il-signal","sorgere-di"]·jav["Lan-keluk","gendera","keluk"]·KO["그리고-신호가","불-신호를","신호를"]·PT["E-a-elevação","elevação-de","sinal"]·RU["и-столб","сигнал","столб"]·ES["Y-la-columna","columna-de","señal"]·SW["Na-nguzo","ishara-ya-moto","nguzo"]·TR["Ve-sütun","işaret","sütunu"]·urd["اور-بادل","بادل","نشان"]
4. burden, prophetic oracle — A burden or prophetic oracle — two occurrences (Lam 2:14; Zeph 3:18). In Lamentations, false prophets have seen 'worthless oracles' (mas'ot) for Jerusalem — using the same word that elsewhere means 'burden' (cf. the related massa'). Zephaniah 3:18 speaks of those who bear 'the burden of reproach.' Spanish carga ('burden') and oraculos ('oracles') both appear, reflecting the double sense. The prophetic-oracle meaning likely developed from the idea of a weighty message 'lifted up' and proclaimed, closely related to the noun massa' from the same root. 2×
AR["أَحْمَالًا","حَمْلُ"]·ben["বোঝা"]·DE["[משאות]","[משאת]"]·EN["a-burden","oracles"]·FR["[משאות]","offrande"]·heb["משאות","משאת"]·HI["बोझ","भविष्यवाणियां"]·ID["beban","nubuat-nubuat"]·IT["[משאות]","[משאת]"]·jav["momotan","pangandika"]·KO["짐","짐들-을"]·PT["carga","oráculos-de"]·RU["несущие","пророчества"]·ES["carga","oráculos-de"]·SW["mzigo","ujumbe"]·TR["yük-","yükler"]·urd["بوجھ","پیشگوئیاں"]
5. lifting up, raising — The lifting up of hands in prayer — a single occurrence at Psalm 141:2, where the psalmist asks that 'the lifting up of my hands' be as the evening sacrifice. Spanish alzar ('to raise') preserves the root's core physical meaning with perfect transparency. This is the most etymologically primitive sense of the noun: the simple act of raising, here ritualized into a gesture of worship. French offrande ('offering') interprets the gesture by its purpose rather than its physical form, but the Hebrew retains the kinetic image of upraised palms. 1×
AR["رَفْعُ"]·ben["তোলা-"]·DE["lifting-up-of"]·EN["lifting-up-of"]·FR["de-offrande"]·heb["משאת"]·HI["उठाना"]·ID["terangkatnya"]·IT["[משאת]"]·jav["pangangkating"]·KO["들어-올림-이"]·PT["o-erguer"]·RU["воздеяние-"]·ES["alzar-de"]·SW["kuinua"]·TR["kaldırışı"]·urd["اٹھانا"]
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×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)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×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַשְׂאֵת n.f. uprising, utterance, burden, portion (on format. cf. Ol§ 109 a Sta§ 272 b Köii. 1, 183; Ph. (Pun) has משאת = payment, tax v. Lzb 326);—abs. מ׳ Ju 20:40 +; cstr. מַשְׂאַת Gn 43:34 +; pl. abs. מַשְׂאֹת Gn 43:34, + (prob.) מַשְׂאוֹת La 2:14 (v. infr.); cstr. מַשְׂאֹת Gn 43:34;— 1. that which rises, uprising, uplifting: a. מ׳ הֶעָשָׁן Ju 20:38 uprising of smoke, cf. (הֶע׳ om.) v 40.…