Hebrew word · H4703

מִצְעָד

mitz'adei-

step

A noun from the verb tsaʿad, "to step, stride, march." It means a step or stride, the act of walking forward. It appears only in Psalm 37:23, Proverbs 20:24, and Daniel 11:43 ("at his steps," meaning following in his train). The more common related noun is tsaʿad, "step."

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

step

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 20:24

Range of meaning

A noun from the verb tsaʿad, "to step, stride, march." It means a step or stride, the act of walking forward. It appears only in Psalm 37:23, Proverbs 20:24, and Daniel 11:43 ("at his steps," meaning following in his train). The more common related noun is tsaʿad, "step."

Against the English

"Steps" (BSB, WEB, ESV) is accurate. KJV's "goings" is archaic but captures the movement. NIV adds "are directed by" and NASB "ordained by," which spell out what the bare Hebrew "from the LORD" implies. That is a fair reading, but it narrows a verbless sentence into one specific action.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 37:23 uses almost the same words: mē-YHWH mitsʿădê-geḇer kônānû, "From the LORD a man's steps are made firm." Proverbs 20:24 may draw on a stock saying shared with Israel's psalm tradition. Jeremiah 10:23 expresses the same idea with the related noun tsaʿad: "it is not in man who walks to direct his steps."

From the study of Daniel 11:43

Range of meaning

Step or footstep, and so a person's course or way of going. It occurs only three times: Psalm 37:23 ('a man's steps are established by the LORD'), Proverbs 20:24, and here.

Against the English

KJV 'at his steps' is literal but unclear to a modern reader. WEB 'follow his steps' and ESV 'follow in his train' get the image. BSB 'submit to him' and NIV 'in submission' give the political meaning but drop the marching picture.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrew has a close equivalent, 'at someone's feet' (be-raglav), for people who follow a leader. Examples are Judges 4:10 (ten thousand men went up 'at his feet'), Exodus 11:8 ('all the people who are at your feet') and 1 Samuel 25:42. The Old Greek reportedly renders it 'in his throng'.

From the study of Psalm 37:23

Range of meaning

A step or footfall. In the plural it means a person's course or progress on foot. It is a rare noun from tsaʿad, "to step, march" (used of God marching out in Judg 5:4 and Ps 68:7).

Against the English

Every English version gives "steps" (Coverdale's Psalter has "going"). This is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 20:24 ("a man's steps are from the LORD; how then can a man understand his way?"); Dan 11:43 ("at his steps," meaning in his train).

Where it appears

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 37:23 מִֽצְעֲדֵי־ [the] steps of

    The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

    Here: A rare word for the individual footfalls of someone walking or marching, from a verb meaning "to step, stride." It points to the concrete, step-by-step movement of a life, not to a general life direction.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 20:24 מִצְעֲדֵי־ [the] steps of

    A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?

    Here: A rare word (three times in the Bible) for the actual strides of someone walking. Plural: not just the general direction of life but the step-by-step progress along it.

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 11:43 בְּמִצְעָדָֽיו׃ [will be] in footsteps his

    He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Cushites will also submit to him.

    Here: 'In his steps', meaning following behind him in his train. It is a picture of peoples who now march where he leads, whether as subject allies, tribute-payers or troops. It parallels 'at his feet' in Judges 4:10 and Exodus 11:8.

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