Lexical Summary
mahir: Quick, skillful, prompt
Original Word:מָהִיר
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:mahiyr
Pronunciation:mah-HEER
Phonetic Spelling:(maw-here')
KJV: diligent, hasty, ready
NASB:skilled, prompt, ready
Word Origin:[fromH4116 (מָהַר - quickly)]
1. quick
2. (hence) skilful
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
diligent, hasty, ready
Or mahir {maw-here'}; frommahar; quick; hence, skilful -- diligent, hasty, ready.
see HEBREWmahar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
maharDefinitionquick, prompt, ready, skilled
NASB Translationprompt (1), ready (1), skilled (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; —
Psalm 45:2;
Ezra 7:6;
Proverbs 22:29; construct
Isaiah 16:5prompt in justice.
Topical Lexicon
Core Emphases of the Wordמָהִיר depicts one whose actions or abilities are marked by readiness, promptness, and practiced skill. It highlights a cultivated capacity to meet a task without delay or deficiency, whether intellectual, manual, judicial, or moral.
Occurrences and Narrative Contexts
•Ezra 7:6 casts Ezra as “a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses,” whose preparedness qualified him as a reformer of post-exilic Judah; the word accents both his expert competence and his spiritual agility to respond to divine commission.
•Psalm 45:1 exalts the inspired psalmist: “my tongue is the pen of a skilled writer,” underscoring the Spirit-given facility to capture and communicate royal majesty and, by extension, Messianic glory.
•Proverbs 22:29 links diligent craftsmanship with elevation: “a man skilled in his work… will stand before kings,” teaching that cultivated proficiency opens doors to influence and testimony.
•Isaiah 16:5 foretells a Davidic ruler who will “hasten righteousness”; governmental authority is portrayed as actively advancing justice, a preview of the Messiah whose decisions are swift, sure, and right.
Theological Significance
1. Stewardship of Gifts: מָהִיר demonstrates that aptitude is not innate brilliance alone but husbanded talent honed for God’s purposes (compare1 Timothy 4:14-15).
2. Prompt Obedience: In redemptive history, delays often bring peril; the term commends immediacy in executing revealed duty (Genesis 22:3;Matthew 4:20).
3. Divine Enablement: Each occurrence attributes readiness to divine favor—“the hand of the LORD his God was upon him” (Ezra 7:6)—reminding that true competence is God-sourced.
Ministry Applications
• Teaching and Preaching: Like Ezra, ministers are to be literate, practiced, and ready scribes, able to expound Scripture accurately and speedily when need arises (2 Timothy 2:15;Titus 1:9).
• Worship Arts:Psalm 45 models artistic excellence devoted to the King; musicians, poets, and media servants should pursue mastery that magnifies Christ, not self.
• Marketplace Witness:Proverbs 22:29 sanctions vocational excellence as a platform for testimony, urging believers to pursue superior workmanship that commands the ear of cultural gatekeepers.
• Leadership and Justice:Isaiah 16:5 instructs civil and ecclesial leaders to expedite righteousness, refusing bureaucratic inertia where moral issues are clear.
Christological and Eschatological Hints
Psalm 45 andIsaiah 16 project the ultimate Skillful One—Christ—whose words “never fail” and whose reign will “hasten righteousness.” His earthly ministry modeled instant, flawless responsiveness to the Father (John 5:19), and His return will be “quickly” (Revelation 22:20), echoing the same theme of promptness.
Counsel for Today
Cultivate disciplined readiness: heart, mind, and hand prepared for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Seek the Spirit’s empowerment, marry it to rigorous practice, and step forward without procrastination. In so doing, believers embody מָהִיר, becoming instruments through which God swiftly advances His purposes in a waiting world.
Forms and Transliterations
וּמְהִ֥ר ומהר מָ֘הִ֤יר מָהִֽיר׃ מָהִיר֙ מהיר מהיר׃ mā·hîr maHir māhîr ū·mə·hir umeHir ūməhir
Links
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Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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