Lexical Summary
mul: To circumcise, to cut off
Original Word:מוּל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:muwl
Pronunciation:mool
Phonetic Spelling:(mool)
KJV: circumcise(-ing), selves), cut down (in pieces), destroy, X must needs
NASB:circumcised, circumcise, cut off, circumcising, shafts, surely be circumcised
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to cut short, i.e. curtail (specifically the prepuce, i.e. to circumcise)
2. (by implication) to blunt
3. (figuratively) to destroy
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
circumcising, selves, cut down in pieces, destroy, must needs
A primitive root; to cut short, i.e. Curtail (specifically the prepuce, i.e. To circumcise); by implication, to blunt; figuratively, to destroy -- circumcise(-ing), selves), cut down (in pieces), destroy, X must needs.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto circumcise
NASB Translationcircumcise (4), circumcised (25), circumcising (1), cut off (3), shafts (1), surely be circumcised (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. [] (Late Hebrew
id.; but only seemingly in the dubious passages (see III. [] and Commentaries)
Job 14:2;
Job 18:16;
Job 24:24 [MS Levy],
Psalm 37:2;
Psalm 90:6.
cut off (grass, etc.: only for III. , q. v. ); compare Late Hebrew , Aramaic , according to Thes Nö
ZMG xi. 1886, 741 Ba
ib. xii. 1887, 626 see also above); —
Perfect3masculine singularJoshua 5:4 2t.; 2 masculine singularExodus 12:44; 3masculine pluralJoshua 5:5,7; 2masculine pluralDeuteronomy 10:16;ImperfectGenesis 17:23 2t.;ImperativeJoshua 5:2;Passive participleJeremiah 9:24; pluralJoshua 5:5; —circumcise, with accusative (flesh of foreskin)Genesis 17:23 (P), accusativepers.Genesis 21:4;Exodus 12:44 (P),Joshua 5:2,3(J),Joshua 5:4;Joshua 5:5;Joshua 5:7;Joshua 5:7 (D); figurative (foreskin of the heart)Deuteronomy 10:16;Deuteronomy 30:6; pass,Jeremiah 9:24;Joshua 5:5 (D).
Perfect3masculine singular (Ges§ 72, R. 9)Genesis 17:26; 3masculine pluralGenesis 17:27; 2masculine plural (consecutive)Genesis 17:11 (for √ Ew§ 234; e. Ges§ 67, R.11; but Bö1146B for );ImperfectGenesis 17:12 3t.; 3 masculine pluralGenesis 34:24;ImperativeJeremiah 4:4;InfinitiveGenesis 17:10 5t.;Genesis 34:15; suffixGenesis 17:24,25;Participle pluralGenesis 34:22; —be circumcised, ofGenesis 17:14,24,25;Leviticus 12:3; elsewhere of personGenesis 17:10 (twice in verse);Genesis 17:12,13 (twice in verse);Genesis 17:26,27;Genesis 34:15,17,22,24;Exodus 12:48 (P),Joshua 5:8 (J): reflexiveJeremiah 4:4circumcise yourselves to Yahweh (and take away the foreskin of your heart).
Imperfect3masculine pluralPsalm 118:10;Psalm 118:11;Psalm 118:12in the name of ,yea I will make them to be circumcised (enemies, by force of arms; but Decut to pieces (from = ), Chemow, Baeannihilate (?), Aq , Symm , Jeromeultus sum eas).
Imperfect3masculine pluralPsalm 58:8be cut off, of arrows, i.e. made blunt.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew preposition מוּל occurs roughly thirty-six times and consistently expresses the idea of “positioned so as to face.” Whether the setting is geographical, liturgical, military, or relational, the word draws attention to a deliberate orientation: someone or something is set directly before, opposite, or across from another object or person. This nuance of intentional facing enriches many Old Testament narratives and laws, illuminating both physical arrangements and spiritual priorities.
Facing as Deliberate Orientation
1. Geographic markers
The term frequently fixes Israel’s location in relation to landmarks. “So we remained in the valley opposite Beth Peor” (Deuteronomy 3:29). By twice repeating the phrase “opposite Beth Peor” (Deuteronomy 4:46; also 34:6 with a cognate expression), Moses ensures that future generations can trace the exact site where covenant instruction was delivered. The land itself is read in relational terms: Israel is always placed “before” the Lord and His promises.
2. Liturgical alignment
Worship objects and participants are arranged to face the sanctuary. “The Israelites are to camp under their respective banners beside the standards of their fathers’ households; they are to camp facing the Tent of Meeting on every side” (Numbers 2:2). The lamps on the menorah give light “in front of the lampstand” (Numbers 8:2), directing attention toward the Holy Place. Orientation embodies devotion; the entire camp turns toward the locus of God’s presence.
Encampment and Covenant Order
The Pentateuch uses מוּל eight times in instructions about camping and marching. Each tribe’s place “in front of” the tabernacle (Numbers 2;Numbers 3:38) reiterates covenant order: God at the center, Israel looking to Him. Even the red heifer ritual involves sprinkling blood “toward the front of the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 19:4, text uses a prepositional pair including מוּל). The nation learns spatially that atonement, light, and leadership must be directed toward God.
Military and Leadership Contexts
Facing one another often precedes decisive action:
• Jonathan surveys two cliffs—one “to the north toward Michmash, and the other to the south toward Geba” (1 Samuel 14:5). The opposed ridges frame a daring assault that God blesses.
• During the crossing of the Jordan, “fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing them” (2 Kings 2:7), emphasizing Elisha’s witness to Elijah’s translation.
• Joshua positions tribes “opposite” Mounts Gerizim and Ebal around the Ark (Joshua 8:33), dramatizing the blessing-and-curse ceremony. The people literally face the covenant.
Judicial and Familial Encounters
InGenesis 31:32, Jacob tells Laban, “Set whatever you find… here before my kinsmen and yours, and let them judge between the two of us.” Although מוּל is absent from English translations, the Hebrew depicts property placed “in front of” witnesses. The preposition underscores transparent accountability within family and clan law.
Prophetic and Poetic Uses
Poets employ מוּל to portray spiritual posture.Psalm 38:17 (Hebrew 38:18) confesses, “I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me.” The psalmist’s suffering continually “faces” him, driving him to seek mercy.Lamentations 2:19 pictures Jerusalem’s children fainting “in the streets of the city, at the beginning of every street” (Hebrew literally “before every street”), spotlighting corporate grief laid bare before God.
Theological Reflections
1. God-centered orientation
Israel’s life is ordered so that people, objects, and even national boundaries consciously face the Lord. Spatial language thus becomes theological: to be “opposite” or “before” Yahweh is to live under His gaze and authority.
2. Covenant witness
Facing arrangements serve as visual testimonies. When tribes stand “opposite” one another around the Ark (Joshua 8), every Israelite sees that blessing and curse are uttered in the presence of the Lord. Geography turns into pedagogy.
3. Anticipation of Christ
New Testament language of turning or facing the Lord (for example, “Turn to the Lord” in2 Corinthians 3:16) resonates with מוּל’s Old Testament imagery. Salvation involves re-orientation—placing one’s life deliberately before God’s face through Christ.
Ministry Implications
• Worship leaders can arrange physical space to remind congregations that they stand “before” the Lord.
• Teachers should highlight how Scripture’s geography and ritual precision reveal God’s desire for relational nearness.
• Discipleship emphasizes living coram Deo—continually facing God—just as Israel camped with every tent turned toward the Tent of Meeting.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲמִילַֽם׃ אמילם׃ בְּהִ֨מֹּל֔וֹ בְּהִמֹּל֖וֹ בְּהִמּ֥וֹל בהמול בהמלו הִמֹּ֣לוּ הִמּ֥וֹל הִמּ֧וֹל הִמּ֧וֹל ׀ המול המלו וַיִּמֹּ֙לוּ֙ וַיָּ֙מָל֙ וַיָּ֜מָל וַיָּ֤מָל וּמַלְתֶּ֕ם וּמַלְתָּ֣ה וּמָ֨ל וימל וימלו ומל ומלתה ומלתם יְמוֹלֵ֥ל יִמּ֖וֹל יִמּ֛וֹל יִמּ֥וֹל יִמּוֹל֙ יִתְמֹלָֽלוּ׃ ימול ימולל יתמללו׃ לְהִמֹּ֥ל לְהִמּ֑וֹל להמול להמל מ֖וּל מָ֣ל מָ֥לוּ מָֽלוּ׃ מֹ֥ל מֻלִ֣ים מול מל מלו מלו׃ מלים נִמֹּ֖לוּ נִמֹּלִֽים׃ נִמּ֖וֹל נמול נמלו נמלים׃ ’ă·mî·lam ’ămîlam amiLam bə·him·mō·lōw bə·him·mō·wl behimMol behimmoLo bəhimmōlōw bəhimmōwl him·mō·lū him·mō·wl himMol himMolu himmōlū himmōwl lə·him·mō·wl lə·him·mōl lehimMol ləhimmōl ləhimmōwl mā·lū mal māl Malu mālū mol mōl mu·lîm mul mūl muLim mulîm nim·mō·lîm nim·mō·lū nim·mō·wl nimMol nimmoLim nimmōlîm nimMolu nimmōlū nimmōwl ū·māl ū·mal·tāh ū·mal·tem uMal ūmāl umalTah ūmaltāh umalTem ūmaltem vaiYamol vaiyimMolu way·yā·māl way·yim·mō·lū wayyāmāl wayyimmōlū yə·mō·w·lêl yemoLel yəmōwlêl yim·mō·wl yimMol yimmōwl yiṯ·mō·lā·lū yitmoLalu yiṯmōlālū
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