מְחִיר
price, payment, wages
Definition
The Hebrew noun מְחִיר (mᵉchîyr) primarily denotes the price or payment given in exchange for something, often in commercial transactions. It can refer to the purchase price of land (as in 1 Kings 21:2, where Naboth refuses to sell his vineyard for a price), the cost of acquiring goods (1 Kings 10:28), or the wages earned for labor (Deuteronomy 23:18). In a more abstract sense, it signifies value or worth, as seen in Job 28:15, where wisdom is said to be beyond purchase and cannot be weighed against gold. The word encompasses the entire concept of compensation, whether monetary or in kind.
Biblical Usage
מְחִיר is used in various contexts across narrative, poetic, and legal books of the Old Testament. In historical books, it often appears in accounts of commercial exchange or royal procurement (2 Samuel 24:24; 2 Chronicles 1:16). In wisdom literature, it is used metaphorically to discuss the inestimable value of wisdom (Job 28:15; Proverbs 17:16). A legal usage forbids bringing the 'price' of a dog or a prostitute into the house of God (Deuteronomy 23:18). It also appears in a lament context, where God's people are 'sold for a price' to their enemies (Psalm 44:12).
Etymology
מְחִיר derives from an unused Hebrew root (חרר) generally understood to mean 'to acquire by purchase' or 'to buy.' It is related to the verb לִכְרוֹת (likrôt, H3772), which means 'to cut' or 'to make a covenant,' suggesting the ancient concept of a transaction being 'cut' or finalized. The noun form specifically denotes the result of that action—the price paid.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it frames concepts of value, redemption, and covenant in economic terms. In passages like Psalm 44:12, being sold for a 'price' underscores the feeling of being devalued and abandoned by God, which contrasts with God's ultimate valuation of His people. The refusal of a price in 2 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Kings 21:2 highlights integrity and the sacredness of what belongs to God or one's inheritance. Understanding מְחִיר enriches reading by revealing how biblical writers used marketplace language to discuss spiritual worth, covenantal faithfulness, and the cost of disobedience or wisdom.
In ancient Israel's primarily agrarian and barter economy, a 'price' (מְחִיר) was not always a standardized coinage but could be a negotiated value in silver, goods, or services. Transactions for land, as with Naboth's vineyard, carried deep cultural weight, tying economic value to family inheritance and covenant promises from God (Leviticus 25:23-28). The concept was more holistic than a simple modern purchase, often involving social and religious obligations.
כֶּסֶף (keseph, H3701) — Specifically 'silver' or 'money,' the medium often used as the price. עֶרְכְּךָ (ʿerkecha, H6187) — 'Value' or 'assessment,' often used in ritual or tax contexts (Leviticus 27). שָׂכָר (sākhār, H7939) — 'Wages' or 'reward,' more specifically for labor or service.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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