Hebrew word · H4332

מִישָׁאֵל

misha'el

Mishael

The name is probably built from mî ('who?'), shā/she ('that which', a relative particle), and ʾēl ('God'), giving 'Who is what God is?' The question form expects the answer 'no one'. Some scholars suggest 'Who belongs to God?' or 'Who is from God?' The exact derivation is uncertain.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Dan.1.6; also called Meshach at Dan.1.7; 2.49; 3.12,13,14,16,19,20,22,23,26,28,29,30;

§ Mishael = "who is what God is"

1) the godly friend of Daniel who Nebuchadnezzar renamed Meshach; one of the three friends who with Daniel refused to make themselves unclean by eating food from the king's table which went against the dietary laws which God had given the Jews; also one of the three who were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to a graven image of Nebuchadnezzar and who were saved by the angel of the Lord

2) a son of Uzziel and a cousin of Moses and Aaron

3) one of those who stood at the left hand of Ezra when he read the law to the people

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 Exodus 6:22

Range of meaning

The name is probably built from mî ('who?'), shā/she ('that which', a relative particle), and ʾēl ('God'), giving 'Who is what God is?' The question form expects the answer 'no one'. Some scholars suggest 'Who belongs to God?' or 'Who is from God?' The exact derivation is uncertain.

Against the English

Every English version simply carries the name over.

Used elsewhere in the period

The name is borne by three people in the Hebrew Bible: this Levite (Exodus 6:22; Leviticus 10:4), a man who stood with Ezra (Nehemiah 8:4), and Daniel's companion whose Babylonian name was Meshach (Daniel 1:6–7). It belongs with names such as Michael ('Who is like God?') and Micaiah ('Who is like Yah?'), which praise God by asking a question no one can answer.

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 6:22 מִֽישָׁאֵ֥ל [were] Mishael

    The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

    Here: Uzziel's first son. The name is built on a question, probably 'Who is what God is?' and close in kind to Michael, 'Who is like God?' He appears again in Leviticus 10:4, carrying the bodies of Nadab and Abihu out of the camp.

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 10:4 מִֽישָׁאֵל֙ Mishael

    Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 8:4 וּמִֽישָׁאֵ֧ל and Mishael

    Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

Daniel · 4

  1. Daniel 1:6 מִֽישָׁאֵ֖ל Mishael

    Among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

  2. Daniel 1:7 וּלְמִֽישָׁאֵ֣ל and to Mishael

    The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

    Here: Mishael probably means "Who is what God is?", a question that expects the answer "no one" and so praises God as beyond compare. It contains ʾEl.

  3. Daniel 1:11 מִֽישָׁאֵ֖ל Mishael

    Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

  4. Daniel 1:19 מִֽישָׁאֵ֖ל Mishael

    And the king spoke with them, and among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king’s service.

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