Hebrew word · H4106

מָהִיר

mahir

quick

From the root מהר, 'to hurry, be quick'. As an adjective it means 'quick, prompt', and from that 'practised, adept, expert': the speed that comes from mastery. It occurs four times. Psalm 45:1 (Heb. 45:2) has 'the pen of a ready (mahir) scribe'. Proverbs 22:29 is the fourth.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

quick, prompt, skilled, ready

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 22:29

Range of meaning

From the root מהר, 'to hurry, be quick'. As an adjective it means 'quick, prompt', and from that 'practised, adept, expert': the speed that comes from mastery. It occurs four times. Psalm 45:1 (Heb. 45:2) has 'the pen of a ready (mahir) scribe'. Ezra 7:6 calls Ezra 'a scribe skilled (mahir) in the law of Moses'. Isaiah 16:5 speaks of a ruler 'swift (mahir) in righteousness'. Proverbs 22:29 is the fourth.

Against the English

KJV has 'diligent', which today suggests hard work and perseverance. YLT's 'speedy' keeps the root but loses the sense of expertise. BSB, ESV, NASB and NIV have 'skilled' or 'skillful', and NLT has 'competent'. Those capture the expertise but lose the note of quickness and fluency.

How it drifted

In 1611 'diligent' was closer to 'attentive, prompt, careful'. Modern English narrowed it to 'hard-working'. Many readers now take the verse as a reward for effort, when the Hebrew praises mastery.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is closely tied to scribes. Psalm 45:1 and Ezra 7:6 both pair it with 'scribe'. The Aramaic Ahiqar story from Elephantine in Egypt (5th c. BC) is commonly cited as calling Ahiqar 'a wise and skilled (mhyr) scribe'. A related Semitic loanword, mahir, appears in the Egyptian Papyrus Anastasi I for an expert scout or officer. In the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope, the closing saying that most scholars see behind this verse speaks of 'the scribe who is skilled (experienced) in his office' (Lichtheim's translation). The ancient translations stress quickness: the Greek has oxys 'sharp, swift' and the Latin velox 'swift'.

From the study of Psalm 45:1

Range of meaning

From māhar, 'to hurry.' It means quick, and from that, practiced, adept, expert: someone who works fast because they know the craft. Isa 16:5 ('swift to do justice'); Prov 22:29 ('a man skilled in his work will stand before kings'); Ezra 7:6 ('a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses').

Against the English

KJV 'ready.' YLT 'speedy.' BSB/NIV/WEB 'skillful.' ESV 'ready.' 'Ready' meant 'quick, adept' in 1611 but now sounds like 'prepared, standing by.' 'Speedy' keeps the root but loses the skill. 'Skillful' keeps the skill but loses the speed.

How it drifted

In early modern English 'ready' meant prompt and adept ('a ready wit', 'a ready writer' meaning a fluent penman). Modern English has narrowed it to 'prepared.'

Used elsewhere in the period

The Aramaic Proverbs of Ahiqar, found at Elephantine in Egypt (5th century BC), introduce Ahiqar as 'a wise and skilled scribe' (spr ḥkym wmhyr), using the same word for the ideal court scribe in a closely related language. Proverbs 22:29 likewise links this skill with service before kings.

From the study of Isaiah 16:5

Range of meaning

Quick, swift. Also ready, practised, skilled: "a ready/skilled scribe" (Ezra 7:6; Psalm 45:1), "a man skilled in his work" (Proverbs 22:29).

Against the English

KJV/YLT "hasting", BSB "hastening", ESV/WEB "swift to do", NASB "prompt in". These keep the speed but lose the sense of skill.

Used elsewhere in the period

Its uses in Ezra, Psalms and Proverbs show the meaning "skilled". The Septuagint has speudōn ("hastening"). The underlying verb mahar means "hurry".

Where it appears

Ezra · 1

  1. Ezra 7:6 מָהִיר֙ skilled

    this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.

    Here: Literally "quick". It describes the fluency of a trained expert who handles his material quickly and surely. It was the stock praise for a first-class scribe.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 45:1 מָהִֽיר׃ skilled

    For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

    Here: From a root meaning 'to hurry.' It describes the fast, sure hand of a practiced expert, so it means 'skilled' more than simply 'fast.' Ezra is a 'skilled scribe' (Ezra 7:6), and a man 'skilled in his work' stands before kings (Prov 22:29).

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 22:29 מָ֘הִ֤יר skilled

    Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

    Here: Comes from the verb 'to hurry'. It describes the quick, sure hand of an expert who has mastered his craft. Elsewhere it is used for a 'ready scribe' (Psalm 45:1; Ezra 7:6). The word combines speed and skill, not effort alone.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 16:5 וּמְהִ֥ר and [one] prompt of

    in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.

    Here: "And quick at / practised in." Mahir means swift and also ready or skilled, as with the "skilled scribe" of Ezra 7:6 and the man "skilled in his work" of Proverbs 22:29. The ruler is prompt in doing right, without the delays that left the poor waiting, and he is expert at it.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.