Lexical Summary
mizrach: East, sunrise, place of sunrise
Original Word:מִזְרָח
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:mizrach
Pronunciation:miz-rahkh
Phonetic Spelling:(miz-rawkh')
KJV: east (side, -ward), (sun-)rising (of the sun)
NASB:east, rising, eastward, sunrise, east side, eastern, sunrising
Word Origin:[fromH2224 (זָרַח - rises)]
1. sunrise, i.e. the east
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
east side, sunrise
Fromzarach; sunrise, i.e. The east -- east (side, -ward), (sun-)rising (of the sun).
see HEBREWzarach
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
zarachDefinitionplace of sunrise, the east
NASB Translationeast (41), east side (2), east side* (2), east* (9), eastern (2), eastward (5), rising (6), sunrise (3), sunrise* (3), sunrising (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
— absolute
Joshua 11:3 21t.; construct
Numbers 21:10 19t., with locative
Exodus 27:13 28t., construct
Deuteronomy 4:41;
Joshua 12:1;
Judges 21:19 (not in Genesis Leviticus Samuel Ezekiel etc.); —
sunrise always of quarter of the heavens =eastNumbers 21:11 (P),Deuteronomy 4:41,47;Joshua 1:15;Joshua 12:1;Joshua 13:5 (all D),Joshua 19:12,27,34 (all P),Judges 20:43;Judges 21:19;2 Kings 10:33;Isaiah 41:25;Isaiah 45:6;Isaiah 59:19, compareJudges 11:18;Psalm 50:1;Psalm 113:3;Malachi 1:11; more often
:
Psalm 103:12.
from the eastIsaiah 41:2;Isaiah 43:5 (opposed to ),Isaiah 46:11;Daniel 11:44 (+ );Psalm 107:3.
to ortoward the place of sunrise, to the east, eastward:-1Numbers 32:19 (P),Deuteronomy 3:17,27 (, ),Nehemiah 3:26; 2Chronicles 31:14; (4)Daniel 8:9 (+ , ); (5)Amos 8:12.
(on)the east side of, constructJoshua 4:19 (P); also with1 Chronicles 4:39,1 Chronicles 6:63; with ,Joshua 11:3 (opposed to ) compareJoshua 17:10 (+ ; both J E), alsoJoshua 16:6 (P).
after a construct1 Chronicles 5:10; 2Chronicles 29:4;Nehemiah 3:29;Zechariah 8:7 (opposed to ).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewמִזְרָח (mizrach) designates the east, the place of sunrise, or something oriented toward the east. Throughout the Old Testament its approximately seventy-four occurrences range from literal geography to rich symbolic and prophetic motifs.
Geographical Orientation
1. Boundary Markers. Mizrach frequently marks the eastern limits of the Promised Land (Numbers 34:10-15;Joshua 13:5). It anchors maps, legal allotments, and travel narratives, reminding readers that God assigns borders and habitation.
2. Daily Language of Location. Narrative texts use mizrach just as naturally as modern people use “east” (Genesis 13:11;Judges 11:18), embedding the word in the ordinary flow of life and underscoring Scripture’s concrete historicity.
Tribal and Military Arrangements
In the wilderness camp the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun pitched “on the east side, toward the sunrise” (Numbers 2:3, 10). The east thus became the direction of first light on the camp, linking leadership with illumination and readiness for movement.
Temple Architecture and Worship
1. Gateways and Courts. The east gate dominates Ezekiel’s temple vision (Ezekiel 40:6; 43:1-4). The glory of the LORD enters “from the east,” signaling divine approach and acceptance.
2. Posture of Prayer. Daniel “opened his windows toward Jerusalem” (Daniel 6:10), a city entered from the east. Early Jewish and later Christian worship often faced east, expecting the presence of God to come as surely as dawn.
3. Warnings Against Idolatry.Ezekiel 8:16 condemns priests who “were bowing in worship to the sun toward the east,” turning God-given orientation into pagan reversal.
Metaphors of Illumination and Salvation
The east portrays the certainty and universality of God’s revelation:
•Isaiah 45:6: “so that all may know, from the rising of the sun to its setting, that there is none but Me.”
•Malachi 1:11: “For from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name will be great among the nations.”
Light breaking from the east becomes an emblem of gospel outreach and the spread of divine glory.
Prophetic and Eschatological Uses
1. Cyrus and Future Deliverers.Isaiah 41:2 asks, “Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to His service?” God controls history by summoning agents from mizrach.
2. Final Judgment and Restoration.Zechariah 8:7 promises, “I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west,” folding geography into eschatology.
3. Cosmic Renewal.Psalm 103:12 couples mizrach with “the west” to illustrate immeasurable forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Moral Polarities: East and West
The phrase “from the rising of the sun to its setting” frames complete scope. Blessing, glory, fear of the LORD, and even judgment (Isaiah 59:19) span the whole horizon, affirming that no realm lies outside God’s reach.
Pastoral and Homiletical Applications
• God’s faithfulness is as regular as sunrise; believers can order life around His sure mercies.
• Facing east in prayer or thought reminds worshipers to expect fresh revelation and renewed hope each day.
• The removal of sin “as far as the east is from the west” provides a vivid counseling image of absolute pardon.
• Teaching on missions can draw fromMalachi 1:11, showing that the gospel’s advance fulfills the sunrise imagery inherent in mizrach.
Summary
Mizrach joins the tangible orientation of daily life with the theological themes of light, deliverance, judgment, and glory. By tracing its occurrences, one sees a Scripture-wide testimony that the God who calls the sun to rise also calls nations, kings, and ordinary people to the light of His redeeming presence.
Forms and Transliterations
הַמִּזְרָ֖ח הַמִּזְרָֽח׃ המזרח המזרח׃ וְלַמִּזְרָ֗ח וְלַמִּזְרָ֣ח וּמִזְרָ֖חָה וּמִמִּזְרַח־ ולמזרח ומזרחה וממזרח־ לְמִזְרַ֣ח לַמִּזְרָ֔ח לַמִּזְרָ֔חָה לַמִּזְרָ֖ח לַמִּזְרָח֮ למזרח למזרחה מִ֭זְרָח מִזְרְחָ֖ה מִזְרְחָ֣ה מִזְרַ֖ח מִזְרַ֣ח מִזְרַ֥ח מִזְרָ֑ח מִזְרָ֑חָה מִזְרָ֔חָה מִזְרָ֖חָה מִזְרָ֗חָה מִזְרָ֜חָה מִזְרָ֣ח מִזְרָ֣חָה מִזְרָ֥ח מִזְרָֽחָה׃ מִזְרָֽח׃ מִמִּזְרַ֖ח מִמִּזְרַח־ מִמִּזְרָ֔ח מִמִּזְרָ֖ח מִמִּזְרָ֣ח מִמִּזְרָ֥ח מִמִּזְרָֽח׃ מִמִּזְרָח֙ מזרח מזרח׃ מזרחה מזרחה׃ ממזרח ממזרח־ ממזרח׃ ham·miz·rāḥ hammizRach hammizrāḥ lam·miz·rā·ḥāh lam·miz·rāḥ lammizRach lammizRachah lammizrāḥ lammizrāḥāh lə·miz·raḥ lemizRach ləmizraḥ mim·miz·raḥ mim·miz·rāḥ mim·miz·raḥ- mimizRach mimizrachoShe mimmizraḥ mimmizrāḥ mimmizraḥ- miz·rā·ḥāh miz·raḥ miz·rāḥ miz·rə·ḥāh mizRach mizRachah mizraḥ mizrāḥ mizrāḥāh mizreChah mizrəḥāh Mizroch ū·mim·miz·raḥ- ū·miz·rā·ḥāh umimizrach ūmimmizraḥ- umizRachah ūmizrāḥāh velammizRach wə·lam·miz·rāḥ wəlammizrāḥ
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