† מַשּׂוֹר n.m. saw;—abs. Is 10:15. H4883
saw; a cutting tool used for woodworking
This tool appears in one of Isaiah's most striking rhetorical questions, where the prophet asks whether the saw can boast against the one who uses it, or the axe magnify itself against the woodcutter. The image is part of a larger oracle against Assyria, comparing the empire to a tool in God's hand. The saw represents human agency wrongly assuming autonomy apart from the divine craftsman who wields it.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A woodworking saw mentioned in Isaiah 10:15 as part of a rhetorical question about tools claiming superiority over their users. The prophet uses this everyday implement to illustrate the folly of Assyria's pride—just as a saw cannot claim credit for the work of the carpenter's hand, so Assyria cannot boast as if it acts independently of God's purposes. The parallel with 'axe' in the same verse confirms this as a cutting tool used in construction or woodworking. 1×
AR["الْمِنْشَارُ"]·ben["-করাত"]·DE["[המשור]"]·EN["the-saw"]·FR["[המשור]"]·heb["ה-משור"]·HI["आरी"]·ID["-gergaji"]·IT["[המשור]"]·jav["gergaji"]·KO["톱이"]·PT["a-serra"]·RU["пила"]·ES["la-sierra"]·SW["msumeno"]·TR["testere"]·urd["آری"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַשּׂוֹר n.m. saw;—abs. Is 10:15.