מַשָּׂא
burden
‘burden’ is one of 4 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
9 verses where H4853 appears in the Construct state in the Book of Isaiah. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Isaiah
- Isaiah 13:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
- Isaiah 15:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of Moab. For in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to nothing; for in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to nothing.
- Isaiah 17:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
- Isaiah 19:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of Egypt. Behold, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
- Isaiah 21:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it comes from the wilderness, from an awesome land.
- Isaiah 21:11 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
- Isaiah 22:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you are wholly gone up to the housetops?
- Isaiah 23:1 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.
- Isaiah 30:6 מַשָּׂ֖א n c ms cs The burden of the animals of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit [them].
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
משא — transliterated massâʼ — is a Hebrew word carrying the sense “burden.” It is not a single-sense word — see its full sense range. Spanning 59 verses in 19 books, it ranks among the moderately common words of the Hebrew Bible. Debuting at Exodus 23:5, it then recurs through the corpus. From the same root come נשא, משא and משאה. See the sense tree, 59-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H4853 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 59
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 59 distinct verses.
- 19 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 19 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #597
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 597 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 59 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 59 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 35 verses · 59%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 12 verses · 20%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 12 verses · 20%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Burden 40×, All their burdens 2×, Burdens 2×
- American Standard Version†: Burden 34×, ' burden 2×, All their burden 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Burden 29×, Load 7×, Is the burden 5×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Burden 29×, Burden of 19×, Lifting up 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H4853 across 66† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 20 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H4853 across 66† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 26 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H4853 across 64† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 16 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H4853 across 70† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 14 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 6 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
משא I
- 1. ‘son’ of Ishmael Gn 25:14 = 1 Ch 1:30. 𝔊 Μασση, Μασσα, etc. e.g. Genesis 25:14
- 2. realm of king Lemuel Pr 31:1 De Now Str Wild.—Perhaps = N. Arabic Masʾu Schr COT Gn 25, 14; KGF 102, 262 ff., 364 DlPar 302 f. e.g. Proverbs 31:1
משא II
- 1. load, burden of ass Ex 23:5 (E), mules 2 K 5:17, camels 8:9, cf. Is 46:1, 2; hanging on a peg Is 22:25 (fig.); forbidden on Sabbath Je 17:21, 22, 24, 27 Ne 13:15, 19; fig. of people as burden Nu 11:11, 17 (JE), Dt 1:12, cf. הָיָה לְמ׳ עַל־ 2 S 15:33; 19:36 (אֶל־), also וָאֶהְיֶה עָלַי לְמַשָּׂא Jb 7:20; of iniquities ψ 38:5.—Ho 8:10 read מְשֹׁהַ, so 𝔊 We Now GASm. e.g. Exodus 23:5
- 2. n. verb., lifting, uplifting, only מ׳ נַפְשָׁם Ez 24:25 the uplifting of their soul, i.e. that to which they lift up their soul, their heart’s desire. e.g. Ezekiel 24:25
- 3. n. verb., bearing, carrying, Nu 4:24 (+ לַעֲבֹד) 2 Ch 20:25; 35:3 (בַּכָּתֵף), so prob. 1 Ch 15:22(×2), 27 (cf. Be Kau; > singing, uplifting of voice, e.g. Öt); especially of responsibility and duty of bearing sacred vessels (often ‖ עֲבֹדָה, פְּקֻדָּה) Nu 4:15, 19, 27(×2), 49, עֲבֹדַת מ׳ v 47, מִשְׁמֶרֶת מ׳ v 31, 32. e.g. Numbers 4:24
- 4. perhaps what is carried, brought, i.e. tribute כֶּסֶף מ׳ 2 Ch 17:11 silver as tribute (+ מִנְחָה; cf. נשׂא Qal; others, silver by the load, i.e. in great quantity).—i. מַשָּׂא v. supr. p. 601 b. e.g. 2 Chronicles 17:11
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.pr.gent. et terr.
III. n.m. ψ 38:5 load, burden, lifting, bearing, tribute;—מ׳ abs. Ne 13:19 +; cstr. 2 K 5:17 +; sf. מַשָּׂאוֹ Ex 23:5 + 2 times; מַשַּׂאֲכֶם Dt 1:12; מַשָּׂאָם Nu 4:27 + 2 times;—
IV. n.m. Is 14:28 utterance, oracle (cf. נשׂא 1 b (6); Gf Je 23:33);—מ׳ abs. Is 14:28 +; usually cstr. 13:1 +;—of prophetic utterance: 2 K 9:25 Is 14:28 Ez 12:10 2 Ch 24:27 (c. עַל); מ׳ בָבֶל Is 13:1, מ׳ מוֹאָב 15:1, cf. 17:1; 19:1; 21:1, 11; 22:1; 23:1; 30:6 Na 1:1; מ׳ בערב Is 21:13 is later ins. (Di); מ׳ = revelation, הַמּ׳ אֲשֶׁר חָזָה חֲבַקּוּק הַנָּבִיא Hb 1:1; מ׳ י׳ utterance of י׳ Je 23:33, 34, 36, 38(×3) (cf. 2 K 9:25), vid. also v 33b (read אַתֶּם הַמַּשָּׂא), with word-play,—sq. וְנָטַשְׁתִּי, v 36b; מ׳ דְבַר י׳ Zc 9:1 (+ בארץ), 12:1 (+ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל), Mal 1:1 (+ אֶל־יִשׂ׳).—Pr 31:1 v. i. מַשָּׂא, p. 601 supr.; in 30:1 read מִמַּשָּׂא from Massa (Mühlau, De), or הַמַּשָּׂאִי (Wild), which however is perhaps not original, but borrowed from 31:1 (cf. Wildad loc. FrankenbergSpr. p. 5; corrupt name of Agur’s home or tribe, Kau).
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from נשא (nâsâʼ) (H5375) — to lift.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
מְשָׁא
- , v. מְשֵׁי
מַשָּׂא
- m (b. h.;
- 1. carrying. Kel. I, 1 מטמאין במ׳ make the carrier unclean. Ib. 3 ששוה מַגָּעוֹ למַשָּׂאוֹ the touch of which has the same effect as the carrying of it; a. fr.
- 2. מ׳ ומַתָּן carrying and giving, business, dealings; worldly affairs; intercourse. Sabb. 120ᵃ במ׳ ומ׳ in worldly affairs, opp. בדברי תורה. Kidd. 35ᵃ איש דבר מ׳ ומ׳ a man (has the protection of the law) because he is engaged in business. Yoma 86ᵃ מַשָּׂאוֹ ומַתָּנוֹ וכ׳ his dealings with men; a. fr.—Kidd. 30ᵇ כל משאו ומתנו בך he (the tempter) will always be busy with thee.
- 3. burden. Tanḥ. B’midb. 2, v. מַשּׂוֹא.—Trnsf. burden of prophecy. Gen. R. s. 44 עשרה לשונות נקראת נבואה … מ׳ וכ׳ prophecy goes by ten names: ‘vision’ … ‘burden’ &c.; ib. רבנן אמרי מ׳ כמשמעו וכ׳ the Rabbis say, the severest of all is massa, as its name indicates (burden) &c.; Cant. R. to III, 4; a. e.—Pl. מַשָּׂאוֹת. Gitt. 71ᵃ מ׳ ומתנות business transactions.
מֵשָׁא
- , v. מֵישָׁא
משא
- , Pes. 111ᵇ כרו מ׳, v. כְּרוּמְשָׁא
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 32 distinct written forms H4853 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H4853, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- משא massôʼ H4856 partiality
- משאה massâʼâh H4858 uplifting
- משאת masʼêth H4864 burden
- מתנשא mithnassêʼ H4984 to exalt oneself
- נשא nᵉsâʼ H5376 to lift
- נשאת nissêʼth H5379 portion
- נשואה nᵉsûwʼâh H5385 load
- נשיא nâsîyʼ H5387 chief
- שאת sᵉʼêth H7613 exaltation
- שוא sôwʼ H7721 rising
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 14 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 57 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 59 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 23:5
- Numbers 4:15
- Deuteronomy 1:12
- 2 Samuel 15:33
- 2 Kings 5:17
- 1 Chronicles 15:22
- 2 Chronicles 17:11
- Job 7:20
- Psalms 38:4
- Proverbs 30:1
- Isaiah 13:1
- Jeremiah 17:21
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
