Hebrew word · H4924

מִשְׁמָן

umishmanei

fatness

Fatness, meaning the richest portion of something. It is used of the 'fatness of the earth' (Gen 27:28, 39: rich, fertile land), of 'the richest places of the province' (Dan 11:24), and of robust, well-fed men (Ps 78:31). Fatness is a sign of blessing, health and strength.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1a) stout, vigorous

1b) fertile spots or places

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 Isaiah 10:16

Range of meaning

Fatness, meaning the richest portion of something. It is used of the 'fatness of the earth' (Gen 27:28, 39: rich, fertile land), of 'the richest places of the province' (Dan 11:24), and of robust, well-fed men (Ps 78:31). It comes from the root shmn, 'to be fat, oily', the family of shemen (olive oil). Fatness is a sign of blessing, health and strength.

Against the English

KJV/WEB/YLT 'his fat ones' keeps the literal image but sounds insulting or comic to modern ears. BSB/ESV/NASB 'stout warriors' and NIV 'sturdy warriors' interpret it as the army. NLT 'proud troops' shifts from physical vigor to attitude.

How it drifted

In modern English 'fat' is mostly negative (obesity, laziness). In an agrarian world where food was scarce, fatness meant prosperity and strength, so 'fat ones' praises the troops rather than mocking them.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 78:31 is the closest parallel. God's anger 'killed among their fat ones (bemishmannehem) and struck down the young men of Israel'. It has the same word, the same preposition, and the same sense of the strongest fighting men. Genesis 27:28 and 39 use the word for fertile land, and Daniel 11:24 for the richest districts.

From the study of Genesis 27:28

Range of meaning

Plural of mishman/mashman, 'fatness, fat parts, richest portions.' From the root sh-m-n, 'to be fat, rich,' which also gives shemen, 'oil.' Used for fertile land (here and 27:39), 'the richest parts of the province' (Dan 11:24), the sturdiest men (Ps 78:31; Isa 10:16), and rich food (Neh 8:10, mashmannim).

Against the English

KJV and ESV say 'fatness,' which is literal but now sounds like a negative bodily word. BSB and NIV say 'richness,' which gets the sense right but loses the picture of oil and fat, and the plural 'fat places.'

How it drifted

In older English 'fat' could mean fertile or rich (as in 'the fat of the land,' Gen 45:18 KJV). Today it mostly means body fat and carries a negative judgment. In Hebrew culture fat was the best part, the portion offered to God (Lev 3:16, 'all the fat is the LORD's').

Used elsewhere in the period

Same phrase in 27:39, in Esau's blessing. Gen 45:18, 'the fat (ḥelev) of the land.' Ugaritic šmn arṣ, 'oil/fat of the earth,' paired with 'dew of heaven' (KTU 1.3). Deut 32:13–14 piles up 'oil,' 'fat,' and 'grain' as images of the land's richness.

Where it appears

Genesis · 2

  1. Genesis 27:28 וּמִשְׁמַנֵּ֖י and some of [the] fatness<es> of

    May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine.

    Here: Plural: 'the rich parts, the fat places' of the land, its most fertile soil. It comes from the same root as *shemen*, 'olive oil.' Fat and oil meant richness and the best of something, not something unhealthy.

  2. Genesis 27:39 מִשְׁמַנֵּ֤י away from [the] fatness<es> of

    His father Isaac answered him: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 8:10 מַשְׁמַנִּ֜ים fat foods

    Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

    Here: This word appears only here in the Bible. It comes from the root for "fat, rich". It means the best and richest food, the kind kept for feast days, not literal lumps of fat. In that world fat meant abundance and blessing.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 78:31 בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶ֑ם among vigorous ones their

    God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 10:16 בְּמִשְׁמַנָּ֖יו on fat ones his

    Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.

    Here: 'Into/among his fat ones': the well-fed, robust men of Assyria, meaning its picked troops. In Hebrew, fat means vigor and prosperity, not flabbiness.

  2. Isaiah 17:4 וּמִשְׁמַ֥ן and [the] fatness of

    “In that day the splendor of Jacob will fade, and the fat of his body will waste away,

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 11:24 וּבְמִשְׁמַנֵּ֣י and in [the] fertile places of

    In a time of peace, he will invade the richest provinces and do what his fathers and forefathers never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will plot against the strongholds—but only for a time.

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