5909. akbar
Lexical Summary
akbar: Mouse

Original Word: עַכְבָּר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `akbar
Pronunciation: ahk-bar
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-bawr')
KJV: mouse
NASB: mice, mouse
Word Origin: [probably from the same as H5908 (עַכָּבִישׁ - spider's) in the secondary sense of attacking]

1. a mouse (as nibbling)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
mouse

Probably from the same as akkabiysh in the secondary sense of attacking; a mouse (as nibbling) -- mouse.

see HEBREW akkabiysh

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a mouse
NASB Translation
mice (5), mouse (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עַכְבָּר noun masculine1Samuel 6:4 mouse (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic עַכְבְּרָא; Syriac (in Lexicons) , (PS22); Arabic plural mares murum Frey (Kam), compare also HomAs 338; Arabic of jerboa RSK 302; see TristrNHB 122 FFP10ff.); — absolute ׳הָע unclean Leviticus 11:29 (H), Isaiah 66:17 (compare RSSem i. 275, 2nd ed. 293); plural construct עַכְבְּרֵי (ה)זָהָב 1 Samuel 6:4,11,18; suffix צַלְמֵי עַכְבְּרֵיכֶם 1 Samuel 6:5.

Topical Lexicon
Creature Identification and Biblical Distribution

The word appears six times, always denoting a small rodent, commonly rendered “mouse” or “rat.” References: Leviticus 11:29; 1 Samuel 6:4, 1 Samuel 6:5, 1 Samuel 6:11, 1 Samuel 6:18; Isaiah 66:17.

Clean-Unclean Distinction (Leviticus 11:29)

Under the dietary code the mouse is classed among “the creatures that move along the ground” and is declared unclean. The legislation protected Israel both physically and spiritually: physically by discouraging contact with vermin that commonly carry disease, and spiritually by reinforcing the call to be set apart from the surrounding nations whose cultic practices often involved unclean animals. The category reminds believers that holiness touches even the mundane choices of food and environment.

Agent of Divine Judgment and Repentance (1 Samuel 6)

The Philistines captured the Ark, and the LORD struck them with a dual affliction: tumors and an infestation of rodents. In response the Philistine diviners counseled,

“Make images of your tumors and of the mice that are ravaging the land, and give glory to the God of Israel” (1 Samuel 6:5).

Five golden rodents, one for each lord of Philistia, accompanied the Ark as a guilt offering. The episode underscores several truths:
• The sovereignty of God over pagan nations.
• The inevitability of judgment when holy things are profaned.
• The necessity of propitiation; even pagans sensed that guilt must be atoned.
• The futility of idolatry—golden images of the very agents of judgment could not remove guilt apart from submission to the LORD.

Symbol of Idolatry and Apostasy (Isaiah 66:17)

In the closing oracle of Isaiah, those who “consecrate and purify themselves, to enter the groves following their priestess, eating the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things” are condemned. The consumption of the unclean rodent becomes a marker of rebellion against God’s covenant. The context is eschatological, reminding readers that final judgment will differentiate between genuine worshippers and those who mix syncretistic rites with self-made sanctity.

Historical and Cultural Notes

Rodent plagues were common in the ancient Near East, often devastating grain stores. Archaeology from Philistia and Egypt records outbreaks linked to famine and disease, lending historical plausibility to 1 Samuel 6. Images of mice in bronze or gold have been recovered from the region, likely votive objects crafted to appease deities during such outbreaks.

Theological Reflections

1. Holiness and Separation: The mouse teaches that covenant holiness extends to the smallest details of life (Leviticus 11:44-45).
2. Judgment and Mercy: Rodents in 1 Samuel 6 function both as scourge and as catalyst for repentance, illustrating Romans 2:4 in seed form: “God’s kindness leads you to repentance.”
3. Eschatological Warning: Isaiah 66:17 anticipates the final separation of the righteous and the wicked, echoed in Revelation 22:14-15, where the impure remain outside the city.

Ministry Application

• Personal purity: Believers ought to examine seemingly minor compromises that can defile conscience and witness.
• Stewardship of creation: While rodents symbolize impurity, the Creator still commands responsible dominion, avoiding cruelty yet recognizing boundaries He has set.
• Evangelism among syncretistic settings: Isaiah’s warning equips the church to address mixed worship with grace and truth, calling people to the exclusive sufficiency of Christ.

Christological Foreshadowing

Every unclean creature ultimately points to humanity’s need for a Redeemer who is perfectly clean. Unlike the impotent golden rodents of Philistia, Jesus Christ “became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), bearing the plague of our iniquity and providing the only effective guilt offering.

Conclusion

Though mentioned only six times, the mouse serves as a multifaceted symbol—of impurity, divine judgment, and the pressing call to holiness. Its appearances reinforce the consistent biblical message that God desires a people separated from sin and set apart for His glory.

Forms and Transliterations
וְהָעַכְבָּ֑ר וְהָעַכְבָּ֖ר וְעַכְבְּרֵ֣י והעכבר ועכברי עַכְבְּרֵ֣י עַכְבְּרֵיכֶ֗ם עכברי עכבריכם ‘aḵ·bə·rê ‘aḵ·bə·rê·ḵem ‘aḵbərê ‘aḵbərêḵem achbeRei achbereiChem veachbeRei vehaachBar wə‘aḵbərê wə·‘aḵ·bə·rê wə·hā·‘aḵ·bār wəhā‘aḵbār
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Englishman's Concordance
Leviticus 11:29
HEB: הָאָ֑רֶץ הַחֹ֥לֶד וְהָעַכְבָּ֖ר וְהַצָּ֥ב לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃
NAS: the mole, and the mouse, and the great lizard
KJV: the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise
INT: the earth the mole and the mouse and the great kinds

1 Samuel 6:4
HEB: זָהָ֔ב וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה עַכְבְּרֵ֣י זָהָ֑ב כִּֽי־
NAS: golden mice [according to] the number
KJV: golden mice, [according to] the number
INT: golden and five mice golden for

1 Samuel 6:5
HEB: ק) וְצַלְמֵ֣י עַכְבְּרֵיכֶ֗ם הַמַּשְׁחִיתִם֙ אֶת־
NAS: and likenesses of your mice that ravage
KJV: and images of your mice that mar
INT: stronghold and likenesses of your mice ravage the land

1 Samuel 6:11
HEB: הָאַרְגַּ֗ז וְאֵת֙ עַכְבְּרֵ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב וְאֵ֖ת
NAS: with the golden mice and the likenesses
KJV: and the coffer with the mice of gold
INT: the cart and the box mice the golden and the likenesses

1 Samuel 6:18
HEB: וְעַכְבְּרֵ֣י הַזָּהָ֗ב מִסְפַּ֞ר
NAS: and the golden mice, [according] to the number
KJV: And the golden mice, [according to] the number
INT: mice and the golden the number

Isaiah 66:17
HEB: הַחֲזִ֔יר וְהַשֶּׁ֖קֶץ וְהָעַכְבָּ֑ר יַחְדָּ֥ו יָסֻ֖פוּ
NAS: detestable things and mice, Will come to an end
KJV: and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed
INT: swine's detestable and mice together will come

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5909
6 Occurrences


‘aḵ·bə·rê — 2 Occ.
‘aḵ·bə·rê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
wə·‘aḵ·bə·rê — 1 Occ.
wə·hā·‘aḵ·bār — 2 Occ.

5908
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