מְזַמְּרָה
a tweezer (only in the plural)
Definition
The Hebrew noun מְזַמְּרָה (mᵉzammᵉrâh) refers to a specific tool used in the ancient Israelite temple: a pair of snuffers or tweezers. It is only used in its plural form (מְזַמְּרוֹת, mᵉzammᵉrôth), indicating a set of these instruments. In the biblical context, these were essential implements for maintaining the sacred lamps in the tabernacle and temple, specifically used to trim the wicks of the lampstands (1 Kings 7:50, 2 Chronicles 4:22). The same word is also used for the tools taken as plunder when the Babylonians looted the temple (2 Kings 25:14, Jeremiah 52:18).
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in descriptions of the temple's furnishings and its plunder. All five occurrences are found in historical books detailing the construction and later looting of Solomon's Temple. It appears in the inventory lists of finely crafted bronze items made for the temple (1 Kings 7:50, 2 Chronicles 4:22) and again in the lists of items the Babylonians carried away into exile (2 Kings 12:13, 2 Kings 25:14, Jeremiah 52:18). The usage is consistently technical and liturgical.
Etymology
The noun מְזַמְּרָה derives from the root זָמַר (zāmar, H2168), which primarily means 'to prune, trim, or cut.' This root is also the source for words related to music (e.g., 'psalm'), likely from the idea of 'plucking' strings. For מְזַמְּרָה, the sense developed specifically into an instrument for 'trimming' or 'cutting off,' perfectly describing its function of trimming lamp wicks.
Semantic Range
While a practical tool, the מְזַמְּרָה holds theological significance as part of the divinely ordained equipment for maintaining the perpetual light in God's dwelling place (Exodus 27:20-21). Its presence among the temple vessels underscores the care, order, and continual worship required in God's house. Its listing among the plundered items (Jeremiah 52:18) poignantly symbolizes the disruption of worship and God's judgment, making the loss of even this minor tool a sign of the temple's desecration.
In the ancient Near East, maintaining a constant lamp flame before a deity was a common religious practice. The temple snuffers were not common household items but specialized, ritually significant tools made of precious bronze. Their sole purpose was the meticulous care of the sacred lamps, ensuring the 'light before the LORD' (Leviticus 24:2-4) never went out. This reflects a culture where every detail of worship, down to the maintenance tools, was considered holy.
מַחְתָּה (maḥtâh, H4289) — A 'firepan' or 'censer,' another tool for handling coals and embers in the temple, but not for trimming wicks.
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.
Full methodology & sources →