מִצְוָה
mitsvâh · mits-vaw'
a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)
Lexicon
Derivation: from H6680 (צָוָה);
a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: (which was) commanded(-ment), law, ordinance, precept.
Letters
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
- צTsade90
Picture: a person lying on their side (or a fish hook)
- Concrete
- hook · trail · side · a man bowed
- Extended
- to hunt · to pursue · need · righteousness as a straight path
- וVav6
Picture: tent peg or hook
- Concrete
- nail · peg · hook
- Extended
- to fasten · to secure · to establish · and (joining)
- הHe5
Picture: a person with both arms raised
- Concrete
- a man calling out · a window · breath
- Extended
- behold! · revelation · to reveal · the (definite article)
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
water, chaos, the mighty deep › to pursue the straight path › to fasten and establish › to reveal, behold
Water, chaos, the mighty deep that works to pursue the straight path that works to fasten and establish that works to reveal, behold.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of מִצְוָה above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
182 occurrences · 182 OT · 0 NT · 95 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- his commandments18 · 13%
- my commandments17 · 13%
- the commandments12 · 9%
- thy commandments10 · 7%
- the commandment10 · 7%
- according to the commandment7 · 5%
- commandment7 · 5%
- all the commandments6 · 4%
- all his commandments5 · 4%
- all these commandments5 · 4%
- and his commandments5 · 4%
- of the commandments4 · 3%
- all my commandments4 · 3%
- and my commandments3 · 2%
- and the commandment3 · 2%
- from thy commandments2 · 1%
- unto thy commandments2 · 1%
- in his commandments2 · 1%
- and commandment2 · 1%
- unto the commandments2 · 1%
- from the commandment2 · 1%
- at the commandment2 · 1%
- commandments2 · 1%
- these are the commandments2 · 1%
- and commandments2 · 1%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.