mishkal · weight

What it means

mishkal (מִשְׁקָל) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “weight”.

Weighing.

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. The amount of weight by which something is measured, above all gold and metals.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Weight: what something weighs and the act of weighing it. It comes from the verb שָׁקַל, ‘weigh’, from which also comes the shekel, the measure of weight. By weight one paid and measured the value of metals.

• The weight of objects of gold, silver and bronze Genesis 24:22Numbers 7:131 Kings 10:14
• Weapons of great weight 1 Samuel 17:52 Samuel 21:16
• “By weight”: what is given counted 1 Chronicles 28:14Ezra 8:34
• Bread by weight: scarcity Leviticus 26:26Ezekiel 4:16
• Just weights Leviticus 19:35

Historical and cultural background

The offerings of the chiefs in Numbers 7 are given with their weight in shekels “of the sanctuary”. Leviticus 26:26 announces famine as bread given back “by weight”.

How we translate it

“Weight” 33 times and, when the Hebrew says ‘its weight was’, “weighing” (15: “one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty {shekels}”, Numbers 7:13). The phrase ‘without weight’ is rendered “beyond weighing” (1 Chronicles 22:3), because of the abundance of bronze.

How it is translated

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

• weight ×33
• weighing ×15
• weigh ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Leviticus×2
• Numbers×12
• Joshua×1
• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×1
• 2 Samuel×3
• 1 Kings×2
• 2 Kings×1
• 1 Chronicles×13
• 2 Chronicles×3
• Ezra×3
• Job×1
• Jeremiah×1
• Ezekiel×2

• Genesis 24:22

  When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring of half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels of gold in weight,

• Genesis 43:21

  And when we came to the lodging place and opened our bags, look, each man’s silver was in the mouth of his bag, our silver in its full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.

• Leviticus 19:35

  You shall not do injustice in judgment, in measure of length, in weight, or in measure of capacity.

• Leviticus 26:26

  When I break for you the staff of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven and give back your bread by weight, and you will eat and not be satisfied.

• Numbers 7:13

  And his offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:19

  He presented his offering: one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:25

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:31

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:37

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:43

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:49

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:55

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:61

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:67

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:73

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Numbers 7:79

  His offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

• Joshua 7:21

  I saw among the spoil one fine cloak from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and one tongue of gold whose weight was fifty shekels; and I coveted them and took them. And look, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under it.”

• Judges 8:26

  The weight of the earrings of gold that he requested was a thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescents, the pendants, and the garments of purple that were on the kings of Midian, and besides the necklaces that were on the necks of their camels.

• 1 Samuel 17:5

  A helmet of bronze was on his head, and with a coat of scales he was clothed; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

• 2 Samuel 12:30

  He took the crown of their king from his head (its weight was a talent of gold, and it had a precious stone), and it was on the head of David. And the spoil of the city he brought out, a very great amount.

• 2 Samuel 21:16

  And Ishbi-benob, who was one of the descendants of Rapha —the weight of his spear was three hundred shekels in weight of bronze, and he was girded with a new sword— said that he would strike David.

• 1 Kings 7:47

  And Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because of the exceedingly great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not investigated.

• 1 Kings 10:14

  And the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty and six talents of gold,

• 2 Kings 25:16

  The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of YHWH: there was no weight for the bronze of all these utensils.

• 1 Chronicles 20:2

  David took the crown of their king from his head, and he found it to weigh a talent of gold, and on it was a precious stone; and it was on the head of David. And the spoil of the city he brought out, a very great amount.

• 1 Chronicles 21:25

  David gave Ornan for the site six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

• 1 Chronicles 22:3

  David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and bronze in abundance beyond weighing,

• 1 Chronicles 22:14

  Look, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of YHWH a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for it is in abundance. And timber and stones I have prepared; and to them you will add.

• 1 Chronicles 28:14

  for the gold, by weight, for the things of gold, for all the utensils for each service; for all the utensils of silver by weight, for all the utensils for each service;

• 1 Chronicles 28:15

  and the weight for the lampstands of gold and their lamps of gold, by the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and for the lampstands of silver, by weight, for each lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand;

• 1 Chronicles 28:16

  and the gold by weight for the tables of the row, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver;

• 1 Chronicles 28:17

  and the forks, the bowls, and the jars of pure gold; and for the cups of gold, by weight for each cup; and for the cups of silver, by weight for each cup;

• 1 Chronicles 28:18

  and for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and for the pattern of the chariot, the cherubim of gold that spread out and cover over the ark of the covenant of YHWH.

• 2 Chronicles 3:9

  The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And the upper rooms he covered with gold.

• 2 Chronicles 4:18

  Solomon made all these utensils in very great abundance, for the weight of the bronze was not investigated.

• 2 Chronicles 9:13

  The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

• Ezra 8:30

  And the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver and the gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our Elohim.

• Ezra 8:34

  by number, by weight, for everything; and all the weight was written down at that time.

• Job 28:25

  When he made a weight for the wind, and regulated the waters by measure;

• Jeremiah 52:20

  The two pillars, the one Sea, and the twelve bronze oxen that were under the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of YHWH: there was no weight for their bronze, of all these utensils.

And 9 more times.