Hebrew word · H4514

מַנְעוּל

man'ulav

bolt

Bolt or locking mechanism, from na'al, 'to bolt, shut'.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

bolt

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 Nehemiah 3:3

Range of meaning

Bolt or locking mechanism, from na'al, 'to bolt, shut'.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'locks'. BSB, WEB and most modern versions have 'bolts'.

How it drifted

'Lock' now suggests a compact metal device worked by a key. The ancient man'ul was a sliding wooden or metal bolt, though some bolts could be worked by a large wooden key (compare the key in Judg 3:25).

Used elsewhere in the period

Song 5:5 ('the handles of the bolt'); Neh 3:3, 6, 13, 14, 15; Deut 33:25 has a related noun (min'al).

From the study of Nehemiah 3:13

Range of meaning

manʿûl: a locking device, from the root n-ʿ-l 'to lock, bolt' (Judg 3:23–24; 2 Sam 13:17–18). It was probably a sliding bolt with some kind of fastening, perhaps the pin-tumbler wooden locks worked with a large key known from the ancient Near East. bərîaḥ: a bar, the long beam of wood or metal laid across closed gate leaves into sockets in the jambs.

Against the English

KJV and YLT say 'locks', while BSB, ESV, NIV and WEB say 'bolts'. Both are reasonable guesses at a word that is rare. 'Bars' for bərîaḥ is accurate.

How it drifted

KJV's 'locks' can suggest a modern metal lock with a key. The ancient device was a bolt-and-fastening mechanism, usually wooden.

Used elsewhere in the period

manʿûl occurs only in Neh 3:3, 6, 13, 14, 15 and Song 5:5 ('the handles of the bolt'). bərîaḥ is frequent: Deut 3:5 (cities 'with high walls, gates and bars'), Judg 16:3 (Samson carrying off a city gate, bar and all), 1 Kgs 4:13, and Ps 147:13.

Where it appears

Nehemiah · 5

  1. Nehemiah 3:3 מַנְעוּלָ֖יו bolts its

    The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.

    Here: From a root meaning 'to bolt or lock'. This was the sliding bolt mechanism that fastened the leaves. It is not a modern keyed lock.

  2. Nehemiah 3:6 וּמַנְעֻלָ֖יו and bolts its

    The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.

  3. Nehemiah 3:13 מַנְעֻלָ֖יו bolts its

    The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it, installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

    Here: A locking device, from the root n-ʿ-l, 'to lock'. It was probably a wooden bolt mechanism that could be secured. The word occurs only in Nehemiah 3 and Song 5:5.

  4. Nehemiah 3:14 מַנְעֻלָ֖יו bolts its

    The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.

    Here: 'Its bolts': the locking mechanism that fastened the leaves. These were probably sliding bolts that could be worked with a large key.

  5. Nehemiah 3:15 מַנְעֻלָ֖יו bolts its

    The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.

    Here: The fastening devices that secured the doors, probably wooden bolts with pins that could be worked by a key. Hence KJV's 'locks'.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 5:5 הַמַּנְעֽוּל׃ the bolt

    I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt.

    Here: "The bolt": the sliding wooden bar that fastened a door from inside, from the verb naʿal, "to lock, bar". It is the last thing standing between them.

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