Hebrew word · H4186

מוֹשָׁב

moshav

seat

Seat; place of sitting; dwelling or residence; and also a sitting body or session, i.e. a group gathered and seated together. It comes from yāshav, 'sit, dwell'.

Appears 44 times in 43 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) seat, assembly, dwelling-place, dwelling, dwellers

1a) seat, sitting, those sitting, sitting company or assembly

1b) dwelling place, dwelling

1c) situation, location

1d) time of dwelling

1e) those dwelling, dweller

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 Psalm 1:1

Range of meaning

Seat; place of sitting; dwelling or residence; and also a sitting body or session, i.e. a group gathered and seated together. It comes from yāshav, 'sit, dwell'.

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB and ESV say 'seat'. NIV's 'company' brings out the social, assembly sense. NLT's 'join in with' keeps the social idea but drops the image.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 107:32: 'praise him in the assembly (môshav) of the elders', meaning the seated council of a town's leaders. Elders and men of standing sat at the city gate to deliberate and judge (Ruth 4:1–2; Job 29:7). The Mishnah's reading of 'seat of scoffers' as a gathering (Avot 3:2) shows the social sense was how early Jewish readers understood it.

From the study of Ezekiel 28:2

Range of meaning

Both words come from the root yashav, 'to sit, dwell, remain'. Moshav means a seat or throne, a dwelling or settlement, or a 'sitting' in the sense of an assembly in session (Ps 1:1; 107:32).

Against the English

KJV and BSB: 'seat'. YLT: 'habitation'. NIV and NLT: 'throne'. Each picks one part of the range. The Hebrew can mean a throne, a residence, or a place in the gods' seated council all at once.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ancient Near Eastern texts commonly picture the gods enthroned in assembly (Ps 82; 1 Kgs 22:19; Ugaritic 'assembly of the sons of El'). Isa 14:13 has the parallel boast of Babylon's king: 'I will sit on the mount of assembly.'

From the study of Ezekiel 37:23

Range of meaning

môšāb means a seat, dwelling, settlement or place where one lives (Gen 27:39; Num 31:10; Ezek 6:6, 14 'your dwelling places'). məšûbâ, from šûb ('turn'), means a turning away, apostasy or backsliding. It is a Jeremiah word (Jer 2:19; 3:6–22; 14:7) and also appears in Hosea 11:7; 14:4.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT and NASB keep 'dwelling places' (MT). BSB 'apostasies', NIV 'sinful backsliding', ESV 'backslidings' and NLT 'apostasy' follow the conjectured reading.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint: 'from all their lawless deeds (anomiōn) in which they sinned'. This is usually taken as evidence that its translators read məšûbōtêhem or interpreted the line that way. Some witnesses of Symmachus and the Syriac also point toward 'apostasies'. The Vulgate ('de universis sedibus', 'from all their dwellings') appears to follow the consonants of the MT. Compare Jeremiah 3:22: 'I will heal your məšûbōtêkem'.

Where it appears

Genesis · 3
  1. Genesis 10:30 מוֹשָׁבָ֖ם dwelling place their

    Their territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

  2. Genesis 27:39 מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ dwelling your

    His father Isaac answered him: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above.

  3. Genesis 36:43 לְמֹֽשְׁבֹתָם֙ to dwelling places their

    Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

Exodus · 4
  1. Exodus 10:23 בְּמוֹשְׁבֹתָֽם׃ in dwelling places their

    No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

  2. Exodus 12:20 מוֹשְׁבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם dwelling places your

    You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

  3. Exodus 12:40 וּמוֹשַׁב֙ and [the] dwelling of

    Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years.

  4. Exodus 35:3 מֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם dwelling places your

    Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”

Leviticus · 9
  1. Leviticus 3:17 מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם dwelling places your

    This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”

    Here: 'Your dwelling-places': wherever Israelites live, so at home and in their towns as well as at the sanctuary where the sacrifice of 3:1–16 takes place.

  2. Leviticus 7:26 מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם dwelling places your

    You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings.

  3. Leviticus 13:46 מוֹשָׁבֽוֹ׃ ס dwelling his

    As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

  4. Leviticus 23:3 מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ פ dwelling places your

    For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

    Here: Wherever Israelites live or settle, not only at the sanctuary. The Sabbath binds every home and village, unlike the pilgrimage feasts, which centred on the sanctuary.

  5. Leviticus 23:14 מֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ ס dwelling places your

    You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

  6. Leviticus 23:17 מִמּוֹשְׁבֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם from dwelling places your

    Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.

  7. Leviticus 23:21 מוֹשְׁבֹ֥תֵיכֶ֖ם dwelling places your

    On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come.

  8. Leviticus 23:31 מֹֽשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ dwelling places your

    You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

  9. Leviticus 25:29 מוֹשַׁב֙ dwelling of

    If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed.

Numbers · 4
  1. Numbers 15:2 מוֹשְׁבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם dwelling places your

    “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land that I am giving you as a home

  2. Numbers 24:21 מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ dwelling your

    Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your nest is set in a cliff.

  3. Numbers 31:10 בְּמ֣וֹשְׁבֹתָ֔ם in dwelling places their

    Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,

  4. Numbers 35:29 מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ dwelling places your

    This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.

1 Samuel · 3
  1. 1 Samuel 20:18 מוֹשָׁבֶֽךָ׃ seat your

    Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

  2. 1 Samuel 20:25 מ֨וֹשָׁב֜וֹ מוֹשַׁב֙ seat his, [the] seat of

    He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.

    Here: 'His seat.' The word comes from the same root as 'sat' (yāšav). It means his assigned place at the table, the place that belongs to the king.

2 Samuel · 1
  1. 2 Samuel 9:12 מוֹשַׁ֣ב <the> resident of

    And Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.

1 Kings · 1
  1. 1 Kings 10:5 וּמוֹשַׁ֣ב and [the] seating of

    the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.

2 Kings · 1
  1. 2 Kings 2:19 מוֹשַׁ֤ב [the] location of

    Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”

    Here: From the verb 'to sit, dwell.' It means where the town sits: its site and setting. Jericho had a famous setting, a spring-fed oasis by the Jordan ford.

1 Chronicles · 3
  1. 1 Chronicles 4:33 מוֹשְׁבֹתָ֔ם [was] dwelling places their

    and all their surrounding villages as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record:

  2. 1 Chronicles 6:54 מוֹשְׁבוֹתָ֔ם [were] dwelling places their

    Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:

  3. 1 Chronicles 7:28 וּמֹ֣שְׁבוֹתָ֔ם and dwelling places their

    Their holdings and settlements included Bethel and its villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as Ayyah and its villages.

2 Chronicles · 1
  1. 2 Chronicles 9:4 וּמוֹשַׁ֣ב and [the] seating of

    the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants, the attire of his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.

Job · 1
  1. Job 29:7 מוֹשָׁבִֽי׃ seat my

    When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,

Psalms · 6
  1. Psalm 1:1 וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב and in [the] seat of

    Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

    Here: 'And in the seat of'. The word means a place of sitting, which can be a dwelling or a sitting group such as a council or circle (compare 'the assembly of the elders', Ps 107:32). It points to settled membership in a company.

  2. Psalm 107:4 מ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב dwelling

    Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no path to a city in which to dwell.

  3. Psalm 107:7 מוֹשָֽׁב׃ dwelling

    He led them on a straight path to reach a city where they could live.

    Here: "Dwelling" or "settlement." From the verb "to sit, stay, live." A "city of dwelling" is an inhabited city, a place where you can stop and stay, the opposite of the uninhabited wasteland.

  4. Psalm 107:32 וּבְמוֹשַׁ֖ב and in [the] seat of

    Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.

  5. Psalm 107:36 מוֹשָֽׁב׃ dwelling

    He causes the hungry to settle there, that they may establish a city in which to dwell.

  6. Psalm 132:13 לְמוֹשָׁ֥ב to a dwelling place

    For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:

    Here: From yāšaḇ, "to sit, to dwell". It can mean a place to live or a seat, including a place where someone sits enthroned. Here it carries both senses: Zion is where Yahweh lives and where he sits as king.

Ezekiel · 7
  1. Ezekiel 6:6 מוֹשְׁב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם dwelling places your

    Wherever you live, the cities will be laid waste and the high places will be demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and desecrated, your idols smashed and obliterated, your incense altars cut down, and your works blotted out.

    Here: From yashav, 'to sit, settle'. These are the places where Israel had settled in the land. 'Your' is plural, so the people as a whole are addressed.

  2. Ezekiel 6:14 מוֹשְׁבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם dwelling places their

    I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

  3. Ezekiel 8:3 מוֹשַׁ֔ב [the] location of

    He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes jealousy was seated.

    Here: 'The station/setting of,' the place where the statue was fixed or installed. It does not have to mean the statue was sitting.

  4. Ezekiel 28:2 מוֹשַׁ֧ב [the] seat of

    “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.

    Here: 'The seat/dwelling of'. A place where one sits: a throne, a residence, or a seated assembly (Ps 1:1, 'seat of scoffers'; Ps 107:32, 'seat of elders').

  5. Ezekiel 34:13 מוֹשְׁבֵ֥י [the] habitable places of

    I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land.

    Here: Places where people sit, settle, live; the inhabited areas. The land will be lived in again, not left desolate.

  6. Ezekiel 37:23 מוֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיהֶם֙ dwelling places their

    They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

    Here: As written, 'their dwelling places', meaning the places they lived and practised idolatry. Many scholars think the original was the near-identical 'their backslidings' (məšûbōtêhem). Either way, God rescues them from the setting or habit of their sin.

  7. Ezekiel 48:15 לְמוֹשָׁ֖ב for dwelling place

    The remaining area, 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for common use by the city, for houses, and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of it

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