Lexical Summary meleah: Fullness, abundance Original Word: מְלֵאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance first of ripe fruit, fullness Feminine of male'; something fulfilled, i.e. Abundance (of produce) -- (first of ripe) fruit, fulness. see HEBREW male' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom male Definition fullness, full produce NASB Translation all the produce (1), full produce (1), harvest (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְלֵאָה noun feminine fulness, full produce; — ׳מ Numbers 18:27; Deuteronomy 22:9; מְלֵאָֽתְךָ Exodus 22:28; = full produce of field Exodus 22:28, הַזֶּרַע ׳מ the full produce of the seed Deuteronomy 22:9; of winepress Numbers 18:27. Topical Lexicon OverviewThe term denotes that which is “full,” whether of material produce, moral quality, or overwhelming activity. In its eight occurrences Scripture employs the word to describe agricultural plenty, civic character, and the crushing weight of sin and judgment. The breadth of usage portrays fullness as either God-given blessing or human-brought burden. Covenantal Worship and Firstfruits Exodus 22:29 and Numbers 18:27 place the concept squarely in Israel’s cultic life. The grain-filled granary and wine-filled vat belong first to the LORD; withholding them is unfaithfulness to the covenant of provision. By commanding the giving of the “fullness,” God reminds His people that every harvest is His gift and that worship includes tangible gratitude. Pastoral application: faithful stewardship of material increase remains an act of worship that acknowledges divine ownership. Agricultural Imagery of Abundance Deuteronomy 22:9 extends the thought to purity of increase. The verse warns that mixing seed defiles “the produce of the vineyard.” Abundance is desirable, but not at the expense of holiness. The idea anticipates Paul’s call to avoid unequal yoking (2 Corinthians 6:14); fullness compromised by syncretism loses its sanctifying purpose. Battlefield Provision and Deliverance In 2 Samuel 23:11 Shammah stands his ground in a “plot of ground full of lentils.” What others viewed merely as a field of crops, Shammah recognized as God’s provision for the nation. His defense of that fullness secures food for the people and displays that divine abundance is worth protecting even against overwhelming odds. Ministry insight: safeguarding God’s gifts—physical or spiritual—often requires courageous perseverance. Moral and Spiritual Fullness Isaiah twice uses the word to diagnose Jerusalem’s condition. Isaiah 1:21 laments, “She was once full of justice… but now murderers.” The city’s moral fullness has been emptied and replaced by violence. Isaiah 22:2 observes her as “full of commotion,” a revelry masking looming judgment. True fullness is measured not by noise or activity but by righteousness that reflects God’s character. Nahum 3:1 echoes the prophetic theme: “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder—never without prey.” Here the term intensifies the indictment of Nineveh; abundance of sin draws certain wrath. The same principle applies pastorally: accumulation without godliness invites divine reckoning. The Crushing Weight of Sin Amos 2:13 supplies a vivid image: “Behold, I will crush you in your place as a cart full of grain crushes.” Fullness becomes heaviness. What should have been blessing turns into the very means by which God presses the unrepentant. The verse warns that gifts enjoyed apart from gratitude and obedience become instruments of discipline. Eschatological Hope The prophets’ denunciations imply a future reversal. If cities once “full of justice” can become corrupt, then under the Messiah they can again be filled with righteousness (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). Scripture’s trajectory moves from corrupted fullness to ultimate, Spirit-wrought abundance in the new heavens and new earth. Christological Significance Colossians 2:9 declares, “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily.” The imperfect fullnesses of Israel’s history find their consummation in Jesus Christ, who embodies undiminished plenitude. Believers, therefore, “have been made complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10). The Old Testament word prepares the way for this revelation: true, incorruptible fullness is found only in the Son. Practical Ministry Applications 1. Steward the fullness God entrusts—time, resources, gifts—as acts of worship. Summary From threshing floors to city streets, the Hebrew concept underscores God as the giver, regulator, and fulfiller of all abundance. Whether material, moral, or spiritual, fullness becomes either a channel of blessing or the weight of judgment, depending on humanity’s response to the covenant Lord. Forms and Transliterations הַֽמְלֵאָ֤ה הַֽמְלֵאָ֥ה המלאה וְכַֽמְלֵאָ֖ה וכמלאה מְלֵאֲתִ֣י מְלֵאָ֔ה מְלֵאָ֗ה מְלֵאָ֣ה מְלֵאָתְךָ֥ מלאה מלאתי מלאתך ham·lê·’āh hamlê’āh hamleAh mə·lê·’ā·ṯə·ḵā mə·lê·’ă·ṯî mə·lê·’āh məlê’āh məlê’āṯəḵā məlê’ăṯî meleAh meleateCha meleaTi vechamleAh wə·ḵam·lê·’āh wəḵamlê’āhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 22:29 HEB: מְלֵאָתְךָ֥ וְדִמְעֲךָ֖ לֹ֣א NAS: You shall not delay [the offering from] your harvest and your vintage. KJV: Thou shalt not delay [to offer] the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: INT: your harvest and your vintage shall not Numbers 18:27 Deuteronomy 22:9 2 Samuel 23:11 Isaiah 1:21 Isaiah 22:2 Amos 2:13 Nahum 3:1 8 Occurrences |
    |