Hebrew word · H4748
מִקְשֶׁה
miksheh
hairstyle
Elsewhere a technical term for metal 'hammered (or turned) work', used of the gold lampstand and cherubim (Exod 25:18, 31, 36; Num 8:4; 10:2). Here, with maʿăśeh ('work of'), it means artfully set hair. Some lexicons list it as a separate homonym.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) turned work, well-dressed hair, well-set hair, turner's work
1a) meaning uncertain; possible referring to artistry of the hairdo
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
- Range of meaning
Elsewhere a technical term for metal 'hammered (or turned) work', used of the gold lampstand and cherubim (Exod 25:18, 31, 36; Num 8:4; 10:2). Here, with maʿăśeh ('work of'), it means artfully set hair. Some lexicons list it as a separate homonym.
- Against the English
KJV 'well set hair', BSB 'styled hair', YLT 'curled work'. All capture the hairdo; none can carry the craftsmanship overtone the Hebrew borrows from the goldsmith's workshop.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Only here in this sense. Elaborate braided and curled hairstyles for elite women are well attested in Near Eastern art of the period, including Assyrian and Phoenician ivories.
Where it appears
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 3:24 מִקְשֶׁה֙ well-set hair
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame.
Here: Related to the word for hammered or turned metalwork (the tabernacle lampstand, Exod 25:31). Here it means an elaborate hairstyle: curls, braids, ringlets, set and shaped like a jeweller's piece.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.