Hebrew word · H4642

מַעֲשַׁקָּה

ma'ashakot

oppression

Extortion, oppression, acts of exploitation. From ʿāšaq, 'to oppress, extort, defraud, withhold what is owed'. This verb is used for withholding a hired worker's wages (Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14), robbing the poor (Prov 14:31; 22:16), and fraud in general.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

extortionate deed, extortion

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 28:16

Range of meaning

Extortion, oppression, acts of exploitation. From ʿāšaq, 'to oppress, extort, defraud, withhold what is owed'. This verb is used for withholding a hired worker's wages (Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14), robbing the poor (Prov 14:31; 22:16), and fraud in general.

Against the English

KJV/BSB 'a great oppressor', YLT 'multiplieth oppressions', ESV 'a cruel oppressor', NLT 'will oppress his people'. 'Oppression' in modern English often suggests political tyranny or violence in general. The Hebrew points more specifically to economic squeezing: extortion, fraud, heavy exactions.

How it drifted

Modern English 'oppression' has broadened into a general word for systemic injustice or tyranny. The Hebrew root is concrete and economic.

Used elsewhere in the period

The noun occurs only here and in Isa 33:15, where the righteous person 'rejects the gain of extortions' (beṣaʿ maʿăšaqqôt), the same two ideas joined in this verse. Jer 22:17 condemns King Jehoiakim because his eyes are on nothing but 'your gain' (biṣʿekā) and 'oppression' (hāʿōšeq).

Where it appears

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 28:16 מַעֲשַׁקּ֑וֹת extortion<s>

    A leader who lacks judgment is also a great oppressor, but he who hates dishonest profit will prolong his days.

    Here: Concrete acts of economic exploitation: squeezing, defrauding, extorting. The plural points to repeated practices, not a single act. It ends with the same '-ôt' sound as 'understandings', so the two words echo each other.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 33:15 מַעֲשַׁקּ֗וֹת extortion<s>

    He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

    Here: 'Of extortions': the gain comes from squeezing, defrauding or exploiting the weak. A rare word, found only here and Proverbs 28:16.

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