מַעֲשֶׂה

From the study of Proverbs 16:3

Range of meaning

A deed or act; work, labour, occupation; something made or produced; an undertaking. It comes from ʿāśāh, 'to do, make'.

Against the English

'Works' (KJV, BSB, NASB) can sound churchy or abstract to modern ears. 'Whatever you do' (NIV), 'your actions' (NLT) and 'your deeds' (WEB) bring out the everyday breadth. ESV's singular 'work' may suggest a job or vocation in particular, while the Hebrew plural covers all your doings.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used of human labour and crafts (Gen 5:29; Exod 23:16, 'the work of your hands' at harvest), of conduct ('their deeds', Exod 23:24), and of God's works in creation and history (Ps 8:3; 104:24).

From the study of Deuteronomy 27:15

Range of meaning

'Product of the hands of a craftsman.' Ḥārāš is any skilled artisan: carpenter, stonecutter, smith.

Against the English

English versions render this accurately. What readers can miss is that it is a pointed jab, not a neutral description.

Used elsewhere in the period

This is a standard line in Israel's polemic against idols: Deut 4:28 ('gods, the work of human hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear'); Isa 40:19–20; 44:9–20; Jer 10:3–9; Hos 8:6; 13:2; Ps 115:4; 135:15. In Mesopotamia, the 'mouth-washing' ritual (mīs pî) for bringing a new cult statue to life had the craftsmen ritually declare that they had not made it, and their tools were symbolically disposed of. The statue was then said to have been 'born in heaven'.

From the study of Isaiah 2:8

Range of meaning

'Work/product of the hands': anything made by craft or labour. In worship polemic it is a standard way to describe idols: carved, cast or overlaid objects.

Against the English

English versions all render it well ('the work of their hands'). What English readers may miss is that the phrase is a fixed formula, a ready-made argument that the first hearers knew.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 4:28 ('gods, the work of human hands, wood and stone, that neither see nor hear'); Ps 115:4; 135:15; Isa 17:8; 37:19; Jer 1:16; Hos 14:3. The closest parallel comes from Isaiah's contemporary Micah: 'you shall no longer bow down to the work of your hands' (Mic 5:13 [Eng. 5:13; Heb. 5:12]). The same phrase is used of God's own works: the heavens are 'the work of his hands' (Ps 19:1; cf. Ps 8:6).