4749. miqshah
Lexical Summary
miqshah: hammered work

Original Word: מִקְשָׁה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: miqshah
Pronunciation: mik-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mik-shaw')
KJV: beaten (out of one piece, work), upright, whole piece
NASB: hammered work
Word Origin: [feminine of H4748 (מִקשֶׁה - well-set hair)]

1. rounded work, i.e. moulded by hammering (repousse)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beaten out of one piece, work, upright, whole piece

Feminine of miqsheh; rounded work, i.e. Moulded by hammering (repousse) -- beaten (out of one piece, work), upright, whole piece.

see HEBREW miqsheh

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as miqsheh
Definition
perhaps hammered work
NASB Translation
hammered work (9).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. מִקְשָׁה noun feminine perhaps hammered work, only of metals (originally turner's work?); — absolute ׳מ, of cherubim in tabernacle Exodus 25:18; Exodus 37:7, lampstand Exodus 25:31,36; Exodus 37:17,22; Numbers 8:4 (twice in verse), clarions Numbers 10:2. — I.׳מֹ see קשׁא.

Topical Lexicon
Artisan Hammerwork in the Tabernacle

Miqshah first appears within the instructions for constructing the Tabernacle, describing metal that is beaten or hammered into a single, seamless piece. The emphasis on one-piece craftsmanship underscores both permanence and purity: no joints, no welds, no admixture—only gold or silver submitted to the craftsman’s mallet until it embodies the pattern Moses saw on the mountain. This “hammered work” required not only skill but also patience, symbolizing the meticulous care with which God’s dwelling among His people was to be prepared (Exodus 25:9, 40).

The Cherubim of the Mercy Seat

Exodus 25:18 and Exodus 37:7 specify that the two cherubim which overshadowed the atonement cover were formed “of hammered gold”. Fashioned from one piece with the mercy seat itself, they visually declared the inseparability of divine mercy and divine presence. The unbroken gold hinted at the unbroken fellowship God intended to restore through atonement, a reality ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ who is Himself both propitiation and place of meeting (Romans 3:25).

The Golden Lampstand (Menorah)

Six occurrences of miqshah concern the lampstand (Exodus 25:31, 25:36; Exodus 37:17, 37:22; Numbers 8:4 [twice]). The reads, “The lampstand shall be made of hammered work” (Exodus 25:31). Beaten from a single talent of pure gold, the Menorah’s central shaft and six branches formed an organic unity—buds, calyxes, and blossoms all flowing from the same source. Its daily-trimmed flames represented the perpetual light of revelation (Leviticus 24:2-4), a motif resonating in the New Testament when Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Symbolic Unity and Indivisibility

Because miqshah objects were wrought of one piece, they proclaimed unity:
• Unity of revelation—the pattern was heavenly, not human (Exodus 25:40).
• Unity of worship—the lampstand, cherubim, and trumpets served distinct functions yet shared the same divine workmanship.
• Unity of the covenant community—Israel was to be “one” before the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4), just as the Tabernacle furnishings were one continuous piece.

Guidance and Worship: The Silver Trumpets

Numbers 10:2 records, “Make two trumpets of hammered silver for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.” When blown by the priests, these miqshah trumpets signaled worship, warfare, and journeying. Their piercing tones reminded Israel that movement and battle were under divine directive; obedience to the sound was obedience to God’s voice (1 Corinthians 14:8).

Contrast with Idolatry: Jeremiah’s Cucumber Patch

Jeremiah 10:5 employs miqshah in a different sense—“Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak.” The prophet mocks idols as lifeless, immobile fixtures amid a garden. By using the same word that elsewhere describes living, functional objects of worship, Jeremiah exposes the impotence of man-made gods. The living LORD fashions instruments that serve; human craftsmen fashion statues that must be served.

Theological Reflections

1. Divine initiative: Every miqshah article originated from a revealed pattern, illustrating the principle that true worship begins with God, not human creativity.
2. Costly devotion: Whether gold or silver, the materials were precious, reflecting the worthiness of the One they honored (1 Peter 1:18-19).
3. Christological focus: The seamless unity of miqshah prefigures the perfect, undivided person and work of Christ—“in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).

Application for Ministry Today

• Serve with excellence: Miqshah challenges modern servants to craftsmanship—sermons, music, and acts of mercy shaped by prayerful precision.
• Preserve unity: As the lampstand’s branches were one piece, so the church must maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
• Sound a clear trumpet: Faithful proclamation should guide and rally God’s people, just as the silver trumpets directed Israel’s march.
• Reject lifeless substitutes: The allure of man-centered worship or cultural idols is still a “scarecrow in a cucumber patch.” Only the living God deserves the hammer-forged devotion of His people.

Forms and Transliterations
מִקְשָׁ֖ה מִקְשָׁ֞ה מִקְשָׁ֣ה מִקְשָׁ֥ה מִקְשָׁה֙ מקשה mikShah miq·šāh miqšāh
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Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 25:18
HEB: כְּרֻבִ֖ים זָהָ֑ב מִקְשָׁה֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֔ם
NAS: make them of hammered work at the two
KJV: [of] gold, [of] beaten work shalt thou make
INT: cherubim of gold of hammered make the two

Exodus 25:31
HEB: זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר מִקְשָׁ֞ה תֵּעָשֶׂ֤ה הַמְּנוֹרָה֙
NAS: are to be made of hammered work; its cups,
KJV: gold: [of] beaten work shall the candlestick
INT: gold of pure of hammered are to be made the lampstand

Exodus 25:36
HEB: יִהְי֑וּ כֻּלָּ֛הּ מִקְשָׁ֥ה אַחַ֖ת זָהָ֥ב
NAS: of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure
KJV: shall be of the same: all it [shall be] one beaten work [of] pure
INT: become all of hammered shall be one gold

Exodus 37:7
HEB: כְרֻבִ֖ים זָהָ֑ב מִקְשָׁה֙ עָשָׂ֣ה אֹתָ֔ם
NAS: he made them of hammered work at the two
KJV: [of] gold, beaten out of one piece made
INT: cherubim of gold of hammered made the two

Exodus 37:17
HEB: זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר מִקְשָׁ֞ה עָשָׂ֤ה אֶת־
NAS: the lampstand of hammered work, its base
KJV: gold: [of] beaten work made
INT: gold of pure of hammered made the lampstand

Exodus 37:22
HEB: הָי֑וּ כֻּלָּ֛הּ מִקְשָׁ֥ה אַחַ֖ת זָהָ֥ב
NAS: of it [was] a single hammered work of pure
KJV: were of the same: all of it [was] one beaten work [of] pure
INT: become the whole hammered of it a single gold

Numbers 8:4
HEB: מַעֲשֵׂ֤ה הַמְּנֹרָה֙ מִקְשָׁ֣ה זָהָ֔ב עַד־
NAS: of the lampstand, hammered work
KJV: of the candlestick [was of] beaten gold,
INT: was the workmanship of the lampstand hammered of gold against

Numbers 8:4
HEB: עַד־ פִּרְחָ֖הּ מִקְשָׁ֣ה הִ֑וא כַּמַּרְאֶ֗ה
NAS: hammered work of gold;
KJV: thereof, unto the flowers thereof, [was] beaten work: according unto the pattern
INT: to its flowers work he to the pattern

Numbers 10:2
HEB: חֲצֽוֹצְרֹ֣ת כֶּ֔סֶף מִקְשָׁ֖ה תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֑ם
NAS: of silver, of hammered work you shall make
KJV: of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make
INT: trumpets of silver of hammered shall make shall use

Jeremiah 10:5
HEB: כְּתֹ֨מֶר מִקְשָׁ֥ה הֵ֙מָּה֙ וְלֹ֣א
KJV: They [are] upright as the palm tree,
INT: A scarecrow They upright and they cannot

10 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4749
10 Occurrences


miq·šāh — 10 Occ.

4748
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