mincha · offering, gift

What it means

mincha (מִנְחָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “offering, gift”.

Offering, a gift presented to someone greater. Offered to God it can be of animals or of produce; in the later laws it means above all the grain offering. Also tribute.

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. A gift for an important person.
2. What a conquered people must pay the king who rules them.
3. An offering to God.
4. The grain offering.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

A gift, a present brought to another, above all to a superior. BDB: a donation; euphemistically, tribute; especially a sacrificial offering, usually bloodless and voluntary.

• The offering of Cain and that of Abel Genesis 4:3Genesis 4:4
• A gift for a superior Genesis 32:13
• The tribute of a subject people 2 Samuel 8:22 Chronicles 17:11
• The grain offering of the laws Leviticus 2:1Numbers 7:13
• The evening offering 1 Kings 18:36Psalms 141:2

Historical and cultural background

In Genesis 4 the word names both Cain's offering, from the fruit of the ground, and Abel's, from the firstborn of the flock. Leviticus 2 describes the grain offering: fine flour with oil and frankincense; the priest burns a handful on the altar and the rest belongs to Aaron and his sons.

How we translate it

“Grain offering” 140 times, “offering” 34, “tribute” 19, “gift” 14. This edition's glossary sets “offering”, and “grain offering” in the ritual; between persons, “tribute” or “gift”. It is kept apart from תְּרוּמָה, “contribution”.

How it is translated

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

• grain offering ×140
• offering ×34
• tribute ×19
• gift ×14
• grain offerings ×3
• offerings ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×12
• Exodus×3
• Leviticus×36
• Numbers×62
• Joshua×2
• Judges×7
• 1 Samuel×6
• 2 Samuel×2
• 1 Kings×6
• 2 Kings×10
• 1 Chronicles×5
• 2 Chronicles×6
• Ezra×2
• Nehemiah×3
• Psalms×6
• Isaiah×8
• Jeremiah×4
• Ezekiel×15
• Daniel×2
• Hosea×1
• Joel×3
• Amos×2
• Zephaniah×1
• Malachi×7

• Genesis 4:3

  And it happened at the end of some days that Cain brought from the fruit of the ground an offering to YHWH.

• Genesis 4:4

  And Abel also brought, he too, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat. And YHWH regarded Abel and his offering,

• Genesis 4:5

  but Cain and his offering he did not regard. And Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

• Genesis 32:13

  He spent the night there that night, and he took from what had come into his hand a gift for Esau his brother:

• Genesis 32:18

  then you shall say, ‘They are your servant’s, Jacob’s. It is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau; and look, he too is behind us.’”

• Genesis 32:20

  And you shall say, ‘Also, look, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he said to himself, “I will appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”

• Genesis 32:21

  So the gift passed on ahead of him, while he spent the night that night in the camp.

• Genesis 33:10

  And Jacob said, “No, please! If indeed I have found favor in your eyes, then take my gift from my hand, since I have seen your face as one sees the face of Elohim, and you have received me favorably.

• Genesis 43:11

  Israel their father said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choicest products of the land in your containers and carry down to the man a gift: a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and ladanum, pistachios and almonds.

• Genesis 43:15

  The men took this gift, and they took double silver in their hand, and Benjamin; and they got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

• Genesis 43:25

  They prepared the gift until Joseph came at noon, for they had heard that they would eat bread there.

• Genesis 43:26

  When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift that was in their hand, into the house, and bowed down to him to the ground.

• Exodus 29:41

  The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, with the same grain offering as the morning and with the same libation you shall offer with it, for a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to YHWH.

• Exodus 30:9

  You shall not offer on it strange incense, or burnt offering or grain offering, and a libation you shall not pour on it.

• Exodus 40:29

  And the altar of burnt offering he put at the entrance of the dwelling, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Leviticus 2:1

  When a person presents a grain offering to YHWH, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it.

• Leviticus 2:3

  What is left of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and for his sons; it is a most holy thing among the fire offerings of YHWH.

• Leviticus 2:4

  When you present a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers smeared with oil.

• Leviticus 2:5

  And if your offering is a grain offering on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, mixed with oil, unleavened.

• Leviticus 2:6

  You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

• Leviticus 2:7

  And if your offering is a grain offering of the pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

• Leviticus 2:8

  You shall bring the grain offering that is made from these things to YHWH, and he shall present it to the priest, and he shall bring it near to the altar.

• Leviticus 2:9

  The priest shall take up from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar, a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

• Leviticus 2:10

  What is left of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and for his sons; it is a most holy thing among the fire offerings of YHWH.

• Leviticus 2:11

  No grain offering that you present to YHWH shall be made leavened, for any leaven and any honey— you shall not offer up in smoke any of it as a fire offering to YHWH.

• Leviticus 2:13

  Every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; and you shall not leave out the salt of the covenant of your Elohim from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall present salt.

• Leviticus 2:14

  If you present a grain offering of first-ripe fruits to YHWH, you shall present as the grain offering of your first-ripe fruits fresh ears roasted in the fire, crushed new grain.

• Leviticus 2:15

  You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

• Leviticus 5:13

  So the priest shall make expiation for him for his sin that he has committed in any of these, and he will be forgiven. And the rest shall be for the priest, as with the grain offering.”

• Leviticus 6:14

  This is the instruction for the grain offering: the sons of Aaron shall present it before YHWH, in front of the altar.

• Leviticus 6:15

  He shall take up from it in his handful some of the fine flour of the grain offering and of its oil, and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and offer it up in smoke on the altar as a pleasing aroma, its memorial portion to YHWH.

• Leviticus 6:20

  “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons that they shall present to YHWH on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a continual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.

• Leviticus 6:21

  It shall be made on a griddle with oil; you shall bring it well mixed; you shall present the baked pieces of a grain offering of pieces as a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

• Leviticus 6:23

  Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned; it shall not be eaten.”

• Leviticus 7:9

  And every grain offering that is baked in the oven, and every one made in the pan or on a griddle, shall belong to the priest who presents it, to him.

• Leviticus 7:10

  And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, each one like his brother.

• Leviticus 7:37

  This is the instruction for the burnt offering, for the grain offering, for the sin offering, for the guilt offering, for the ordination, and for the sacrifice of peace,

• Leviticus 9:4

  and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before YHWH, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today YHWH will appear to you.’”

• Leviticus 9:17

  He presented the grain offering, filled his palm from it, and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

• Leviticus 10:12

  Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that is left from the fire offerings of YHWH, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is a most holy thing.

And 171 more times.