machashava · plan, thought; design

What it means

machashava (מַחֲשָׁבָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “plan, thought; design”.

Thought, plan, what someone intends; also an artistic design.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. What one has in mind and intends.
2. What one devises; or a trap against someone.
3. Ingenious artwork.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Thought, plan, purpose: what someone conceives in his mind in order to do it; also an artist’s design. It comes from חָשַׁב (‘think, devise’, H2803).

• The thoughts of the human heart Genesis 6:5Proverbs 19:21Psalms 94:11
• YHWH’s thoughts, higher Psalms 92:5Psalms 33:11Psalms 40:5
• Plans against someone Psalms 56:5Jeremiah 49:20
• Let the wicked abandon his thoughts Isaiah 55:7
• Artistic designs; invention Exodus 31:42 Chronicles 26:15

How we translate it

“Thoughts” 30 times; “plans” 13 and “plan” 2 when it is a purpose one intends to carry out; “plot” 3 and “scheme”, “schemes” when the plan is against someone (Esther 8:3; Jeremiah 11:19); “designs” and “design” in the work of Bezalel (Exodus 31:4; 35:32); “invention” in 2 Chronicles 26:15. יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבוֹת is “inclination of the thoughts”, as in Genesis 6:5.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• thoughts ×30
• plans ×13
• designs ×3
• plot ×3
• design ×2
• plan ×2
• invention ×1
• scheme ×1
• schemes ×1

Where it appears

• Genesis×1
• Exodus×4
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Chronicles×2
• 2 Chronicles×2
• Esther×3
• Job×2
• Psalms×6
• Proverbs×8
• Isaiah×9
• Jeremiah×12
• Lamentations×2
• Ezekiel×1
• Daniel×2
• Micah×1

• Genesis 6:5

  And YHWH saw that the wickedness of the human being was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the day.

• Exodus 31:4

  to devise designs, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze,

• Exodus 35:32

  and to devise designs, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze,

• Exodus 35:33

  and in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every work of design.

• Exodus 35:35

  He has filled them with wisdom of heart to do all the work of the engraver, and of the designer, and of the embroiderer in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, doers of every work and devisers of designs.

• 2 Samuel 14:14

  For we will surely die, and we are like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up; but Elohim does not take away life, and he devises plans so that the banished one may not remain banished from him.

• 1 Chronicles 28:9

  And you, Solomon my son, know the Elohim of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing soul; for YHWH seeks out all hearts and understands every inclination of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

• 1 Chronicles 29:18

  YHWH, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever as the inclination of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and establish their heart toward you.

• 2 Chronicles 2:14

  the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre; he knows how to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, and in wood, in purple, in blue, in fine linen, and in crimson, and to engrave any engraving and to devise any design that may be assigned to him, with your wise men and the wise men of my lord David your father.

• 2 Chronicles 26:15

  He made in Jerusalem devices, the invention of an inventor, to be on the towers and on the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. And his name went out far, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

• Esther 8:3

  And Esther spoke again before the king, and fell before his feet, and wept and implored him to take away the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plot that he had plotted against the Jews.

• Esther 8:5

  and she said, “If it seems good to the king, and if I have found favor before him, and the matter is right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to turn back the letters, the plot of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote to make perish the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.

• Esther 9:25

  But when she came before the king, he said with the letter that his evil plot, which he had plotted against the Jews, should return on his own head; and they hanged him and his sons on the pole.

• Job 5:12

  who frustrates the thoughts of the crafty, so that their hands do not achieve success;

• Job 21:27

  Look, I know your thoughts, and the plans with which you do me violence.

• Psalms 33:10

  YHWH has annulled the counsel of the nations; he has frustrated the thoughts of the peoples.

• Psalms 33:11

  The counsel of YHWH stands firm forever, the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.

• Psalms 40:5

  Many things you have done, you, YHWH my Elohim, your wonders and your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with you; were I to declare and speak of them, they are too many to count.

• Psalms 56:5

  All the day they twist my words; against me are all their thoughts for evil.

• Psalms 92:5

  How great are your works, YHWH! Very deep are your thoughts.

• Psalms 94:11

  YHWH knows the thoughts of human beings, that they are vapor.

• Proverbs 6:18

  a heart that plots thoughts of wickedness, feet that hurry to run to evil,

• Proverbs 12:5

  The thoughts of the righteous are justice; the guidance of the wicked is deceit.

• Proverbs 15:22

  Plans are frustrated where there is no counsel, but with an abundance of counselors they stand.

• Proverbs 15:26

  An abomination to YHWH are the thoughts of the evil man, but pure are pleasant sayings.

• Proverbs 16:3

  Commit to YHWH your works, and your thoughts will be established.

• Proverbs 19:21

  Many are the plans in the heart of a man, but the counsel of YHWH, it will stand.

• Proverbs 20:18

  Plans are established by counsel, and with guidance make war.

• Proverbs 21:5

  The thoughts of the diligent lead only to profit, but everyone who hurries only to want.

• Isaiah 55:7

  Let the wicked abandon his way, and the man of wickedness his thoughts; and let him return to YHWH, and he will have compassion on him; and to our Elohim, for he will abound in forgiving.”

• Isaiah 55:8

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” declares YHWH.

• Isaiah 55:9

  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are higher my ways than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

• Isaiah 59:7

  Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness; devastation and shattering are on their highways.

• Isaiah 65:2

  I have spread out my hands all the day to an obstinate people, who walk in the way that is not good, after their thoughts;

• Isaiah 66:18

  And I, their works and their thoughts— the time is coming to gather all the nations and tongues; and they will come and see my glory.

• Jeremiah 4:14

  Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will your thoughts of wickedness lodge within you?

• Jeremiah 6:19

  Hear, earth; look, I am bringing evil upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts, for to my words they have not paid attention, and my instruction, they have rejected it.

• Jeremiah 11:19

  But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter, and I did not know that against me they devised schemes: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will not be remembered anymore.”

• Jeremiah 18:11

  And now, say, please, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Thus says YHWH: Look, I am forming against you evil, and devising against you a plan. Turn back, please, each one from his evil way, and make good your ways and your deeds.’

• Jeremiah 18:12

  But they will say: ‘It is hopeless! For after our own plans we will walk, and each one the stubbornness of his evil heart we will do.’

And 16 more times.