Lexical Summary
miqveh: Gathering, collection, hope
Original Word:מַקְוֶה
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:miqveh
Pronunciation:mik-veh
Phonetic Spelling:(mik-veh')
KJV: abiding, gathering together, hope, linen yarn, plenty (of water), pool
Word Origin:[fromH6960 (קָוָה - To wait)]
1. something waited for, i.e. confidence (objective or subjective)
2. also a collection, i.e. (of water) a pond, or (of men and horses) a caravan or drove
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
abiding, gathering together, hope, linen yarn, plenty of water, pool
Or miqveh (1 Kings 10:28) {mik-vay'}; or miqvet (2 Chron. 1:16) {mik-vay'}; fromqavah; something waited for, i.e. Confidence (objective or subjective); also a collection, i.e. (of water) a pond, or (of men and horses) a caravan or drove -- abiding, gathering together, hope, linen yarn, plenty (of water), pool.
see HEBREWqavah
Brown-Driver-Briggs
only in see II. below II. .
, or (compare KAT2. 257);from Kuë, for1 Kings 10:28 (twice in verse) and "" 2Chronicles 1:16 (twice in verse); so WklAlttest. Unters. 173 Gr Benz Kit, compare (also FieldHexapla i. 616),de Coa, LagOnom. 273, JeromeCoa Id.ibid. 111.
I. ; — absolute1 Chronicles 29:15;Ezra 10:2; construct in phrase , epithet ofJeremiah 14:8;Jeremiah 17:13, compareJeremiah 50:7.
II. [] (P); — constructGenesis 1:10 ( alsoGenesis 1:9, for according to Ball),Exodus 7:19;Leviticus 11:36, all of water.1 Kings 10:28 (twice in verse) = 2Chronicles 1:16 (company of merchants;drove of houses), see
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Range of Senseמַקְוֶה (maqweh) combines the ideas of “collection” and “expectation.” In the literal sense it describes a physical gathering—usually of waters. By extension it came to signify “that which one gathers toward,” hence “hope” or “object of confident waiting.” The Old Testament uses the word twelve times, dividing naturally into two fields:
1. Physical reservoirs:Genesis 1:10;Exodus 7:19;Leviticus 11:36;1 Kings 10:28 (×2);2 Chronicles 1:16 (×2).
2. Spiritual or emotional hope:1 Chronicles 29:15;Ezra 10:2;Jeremiah 14:8; 17:13; 50:7.
Gatherings of Water in Creation and Torah
Genesis 1:10 introduces maqweh at the dawn of creation: “God called the dry land ‘earth,’ and the gathering of the waters He called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good.” The word here celebrates divine order—chaotic waters subdued into a harmonious whole. Every later instance that speaks of wells, cisterns, or springs quietly recalls that primordial act of gracious organization.
Leviticus 11:36 applies the term to ritual purity: “A spring or cistern that collects water shall remain clean.” A maqweh was a God-given means of maintaining life and cleanness amid defilement. Jewish tradition eventually used the cognate מִקְוֶה to name the ritual bath, and the principle of a gathered, living water source lies behind Christian baptism imagery of cleansing through union with Christ (Acts 22:16;Titus 3:5).
Exodus 7:19 shows the same word under judgment: Pharaoh’s “reservoirs” turn to blood. The sign reverses creation and pollutes what should have sustained life, underscoring that blessings turn to curses when the Creator is defied.
Royal Reservoirs and Commercial Networks
In the united-kingdom period maqweh describes Solomon’s horse-import system: “Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders purchased them from Kue at the going price” (1 Kings 10:28;2 Chronicles 1:16). Most scholars read the word here as a geographical center or emporium. Theologically, Israel’s king looked to foreign “gatherings” for military security despiteDeuteronomy 17:16. The narrative quietly critiques misplaced trust in human resources and foreshadows Jeremiah’s later contrast between earthly cisterns and the LORD, “the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13).
Hope for a Wayward People
From Chronicles onward maqweh is almost exclusively figurative. David’s prayer recognizes human frailty: “Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope” (1 Chronicles 29:15). Post-exilic Israel, conscious of covenant failure, clings to the same term: “We have been unfaithful to our God… yet there is still hope for Israel” (Ezra 10:2).
Jeremiah intensifies the motif. Three times he names the LORD Himself “the Hope (maqweh) of Israel”:
• “O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress” (Jeremiah 14:8).
• “O LORD, the Hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame” (Jeremiah 17:13).
• “The LORD, the hope of their fathers” (Jeremiah 50:7).
Here the shift is complete: not merely something the faithful hope for, but the One in whom hope rests. The prophet contrasts leaking, man-made cisterns with Yahweh, the inexhaustible source. The New Testament adopts the same logic, identifying Jesus Christ as “our blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) and “living water” (John 4:10-14).
Theological Trajectory
1. Creation: God gathers chaotic waters—power to order and give life.
2. Covenant Law: Clean reservoirs symbolize sustained purity among an unclean world.
3. Monarchy: Gathering wealth and horses exposes the danger of trusting resources instead of God.
4. Exile and Return: Hope emerges not from circumstances but from God’s immutable character.
5. Fulfilment in Christ: He embodies both images—living water and living hope (1 Peter 1:3).
Ministry Implications
• Assurance. Like Jeremiah, believers need not manufacture optimism; they anchor confidence in the Lord Himself.
• Holiness. Lifegiving water that remains “clean” (Leviticus 11:36) calls Christ’s church to pursue purity, resisting the pollution of sin.
• Mission. The creation scene envisions dispersed waters gathered for a purpose; Christ now gathers a redeemed people “from every nation” (Revelation 7:9).
• Warning. Pharaoh’s bloody reservoirs and Solomon’s horse depots remind congregations that reliance on worldly power invites judgment.
Summary
Maqweh traces a rich path from the first page of Scripture to the prophetic announcement of God as Israel’s Hope. Whether denoting seas, cisterns, trade depots, or confident expectation, each usage drives home one lesson: life, purity, security, and future all reside in the LORD who both gathers waters and gathers His people.
Forms and Transliterations
וּלְמִקְוֵ֥ה וּמִקְוֵ֕א וּמִקְוֵ֕ה וּמִקְוֵ֥ה ולמקוה ומקוא ומקוה מִקְוֵ֖ה מִקְוֵ֤ה מִקְוֵ֥א מִקְוֵ֥ה מִקְוֵה֙ מִקְוֵה־ מִקְוֶ֥ה מִקְוֶֽה׃ מקוא מקוה מקוה־ מקוה׃ mikVe mikVeh miq·wê miq·weh miq·wêh miq·wêh- miqwê miqweh miqwêh miqwêh- ū·lə·miq·wêh ū·miq·wê ū·miq·wêh ulemikVeh ūləmiqwêh umikVe umikVeh ūmiqwê ūmiqwêh
Links
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