מֵצַח
mêtsach · may'-tsakh
the forehead (as open and prominent)
Lexicon
Derivation: from an unused root meaning to be clear, i.e. conspicuous;
the forehead (as open and prominent)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: brow, forehead, [phrase] impudent.
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
- חHet8
Picture: courtyard wall or enclosure
- Concrete
- wall · fence · tent wall
- Extended
- to separate · protection · the inside vs. the outside · private
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
water, chaos, the mighty deep › to pursue the straight path › to separate and protect
Water, chaos, the mighty deep that works to pursue the straight path that works to separate and protect.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of מֵצַח 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
13 occurrences · 13 OT · 0 NT · 12 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- in his forehead3 · 23%
- forehead2 · 15%
- upon his forehead1 · 8%
- into his forehead1 · 8%
- and thy brow1 · 8%
- are impudent1 · 8%
- and thy forehead1 · 8%
- their foreheads1 · 8%
- thy forehead1 · 8%
- upon the foreheads1 · 8%
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.