Lexical Summary
massa': Burden, load, oracle, prophecy
Original Word:מַשָּׂא
Part of Speech:noun masculine; noun masculine
Transliteration:massa'
Pronunciation:mas-saw'
Phonetic Spelling:(mas-saw')
KJV: burden, carry away, prophecy, X they set, song, tribute
Word Origin:[fromH5375 (נָשָׂא נָסָה - lifted)]
1. a burden
2. specifically, tribute, or (abstractly) porterage
3. (figuratively) an utterance, chiefly a doom, especially singing
4. mental, desire
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
burden, carry away, prophecy, they set, song, tribute
Fromnasa'; a burden; specifically, tribute, or (abstractly) porterage; figuratively, an utterance, chiefly a doom, especially singing; mental, desire -- burden, carry away, prophecy, X they set, song, tribute.
see HEBREWnasa'
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II.
Psalm 38:5 ; — absolute
Nehemiah 13:19 +; construct
2 Kings 5:17 +; suffix
Exodus 23:5 2t.;
Deuteronomy 1:12;
Numbers 4:27 2t.; —
load, burden of assExodus 23:5 (E), mules2 Kings 5:17, camels2 Kings 8:9, compareIsaiah 46:1,2; hanging on a pegIsaiah 22:25 (figurative); forbidden on SabbathJeremiah 17:21,22,24,27;Nehemiah 13:15,19; figurative of people as burdenNumbers 11:11,17 (JE),Deuteronomy 1:12, compare2 Samuel 15:33;2 Samuel 19:36 (), alsoJob 7:20; of iniquitiesPsalm 38:5. —Hosea 8:10 read , so We Now GASm.
verbal noun,lifting, uplifting, onlyEzekiel 24:25the uplifting of their soul, i.e. that to which they lift up their soul, their heart's desire.
verbal noun,bearing, carrying,Numbers 4:24 (+ ), 2 Chronicles 20:25; 35:3 (), so probably1 Chronicles 15:22 (twice in verse);1 Chronicles 15:27 (compare Be Kau; >singing, uplifting of voice, e.g. Öttli); especially ofresponsibility and duty of bearing sacred vessels (often "" , )Numbers 4:15,19,27 (twice in verse);Numbers 4:49,Numbers 4:47,Numbers 4:31;Numbers 4:32.
what is carried, brought, i.e.tribute 2Chronicles 17:11silver astribute (+ ; compare
; others,silver by the load i.e. in great quantity). — I. see above.
III.Isaiah 14:28 (compare (6); GfJeremiah 23:33); — absoluteIsaiah 14:28 +; usually constructIsaiah 13:1 +; — of propheticutterance:2 Kings 9:25;Isaiah 14:28;Ezekiel 12:10; 2Chronicles 24:27 (with );Isaiah 13:1,Isaiah 15:1, compareIsaiah 17:1;Isaiah 19:1;Isaiah 21:1,11;Isaiah 22:1;Isaiah 23:1;Isaiah 30:6;Nahum 1:1;Isaiah 21:13 is later insert (Di); =revelation,Habakkuk 1:1;utterance ofJeremiah 23:33,34,36,38 (3 t. in verse) (compare2 Kings 9:25), see also2 Kings 9:33 b (read ), with word-play, — followed by2 Kings 9:36 b;Zechariah 9:1 (+ ),Zechariah 12:1 (+ ),Malachi 1:1 (+ ). —Proverbs 31:1 see I. , p. 601 above; inProverbs 30:1 readfrom Massa (Mühlau, De), or (Wild), which however is perhaps not original, but borrowed fromProverbs 31:1 (compare Wildon the passage FrankenbSpr. p. 5; corrupt name of Agur's home or tribe, Kau).
Topical Lexicon
Scope of the Wordמַשָּׂא embraces the idea of anything borne or lifted. In Scripture it is applied to (1) physical loads, (2) inner or administrative pressures, (3) compulsory tributes, (4) the assigned loads of Levitical service, and (5) prophetic “burdens” – weighty messages carried from God to His people. About sixty-five occurrences spread across all major periods of Old-Testament history show the word’s versatility and theological depth.
Physical Loads and Acts of Mercy
The earliest usage concerns literal freight.Exodus 23:5 commands compassion even toward an enemy: “If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, you must help him with it”. Similar scenes appear in2 Kings 5:17 (Naaman’s “load of earth”) andNehemiah 13:15, 19, where “loads” hauled on the Sabbath provoked reform.
These texts ground the principle that neighbor-love extends to practical assistance. By extension, the Apostolic admonition, “Carry one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), echoes the ethic already embedded in מַשָּׂא.
Leadership Pressures and Shared Responsibility
Moses cried, “Why have You laid such a burden on me?” (Numbers 11:11). The Lord answered by distributing the same מַשָּׂא among seventy elders (Numbers 11:17).Deuteronomy 1:12 resumes the lesson: “How can I bear your burdens all by myself?” The word therefore describes the weight of shepherding God’s people.
Nehemiah felt the same strain: “The former governors placed a heavy burden on the people… but I did not do so” (Nehemiah 5:15). Faithful leadership relieves burdens rather than adding to them (cf.Matthew 23:4).
Tribute, Tax and Political Levies
During the monarchy the noun can denote imposed dues. “Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and a tribute of silver” (2 Chronicles 17:11). The taxation placed on Judah by foreign powers (2 Chronicles 24:27; 33:19) likewise appears under מַשָּׂא. In this sense the burden is not merely weight but obligation—fitting the prophetic denunciations of oppressive rule (e.g.,Isaiah 14:4).
Levitical Service: Ordered Loads for Holy Things
Numbers 4 details the transporting of the tabernacle: “Assign each man by name the items he is to carry” (Numbers 4:32). For the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites the מַשָּׂא was a sanctified trust, never to be touched irreverently (Numbers 4:15, 19). Bearing God’s dwelling-place portrayed the privilege and peril of approaching holiness. When the ark was later moved to Jerusalem, Chenaniah “was to direct the music” (literally, “was in charge of the burden,”1 Chronicles 15:22), suggesting that even worship leadership carries a sacred load.
Prophetic Burdens
From Isaiah through Malachi the term becomes technical for a divine oracle. Each heading underscores the gravity of revelation:
• “The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received” (Isaiah 13:1).
• “This is an oracle concerning Moab” (Isaiah 15:1).
• “This is the burden against Nineveh” (Nahum 1:1).
• “This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision” (Habakkuk 1:1).
• “The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi” (Malachi 1:1).
The message weighs first upon the prophet, then upon the nation. Its content may promise judgment (Isaiah 23:1) or hope (Zechariah 12:1). Because the burden is God-given, it demands faithful delivery; hence Jeremiah exposes counterfeit use:
“‘What burden?’ you ask. ‘I will forsake you,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:33). False prophets treated the phrase as a licence for self-made oracles, turning the very word מַשָּׂא into a liability that God forbids them to utter (Jeremiah 23:36-38).
Figurative Loads in Wisdom and Poetry
Job laments, “Have I become a burden to You?” (Job 7:20). The Psalter recalls deliverance: “I relieved his shoulder of the load” (Psalm 81:6) and confesses hardship: “You laid a burden on our backs” (Psalm 66:11). Proverbs introduces collected sayings as a “burden” (Proverbs 30:1; 31:1), indicating inspired counsel of weight and authority.
Historical Development
1. Wilderness era – Mַשָּׂא is literal cargo (Numbers 4) and administrative strain (Numbers 11).
2. Monarchy – expands to tributes and prophetic oracles (Isaiah’s superscriptions).
3. Post-exile – Nehemiah’s social reforms and Zechariah’s eschatological messages preserve both practical and revelatory senses.
This progression shows an organic link: the physical burden of the tabernacle becomes the spiritual burden of the word; the God who ordered the Levites to lift holy objects also appoints prophets to lift a holy message.
Theological Threads
a. Divine ownership of every burden. Whether the load is timber, taxes, or truth, it is ultimately assigned by the LORD (Psalm 55:22;Isaiah 46:3-4).
b. Shared bearing. Levites, elders, and fellow believers distribute the weight (Numbers 11:17;Galatians 6:2).
c. Accountability in revelation. A prophet may not discard or distort the מַשָּׂא without incurring judgment (Jeremiah 23:34).
d. Anticipation of the One who would “carry our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). The manifold burdens of the Old Covenant converge on the Messiah, who invites, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
Ministry Implications
• Servant-leaders today must avoid placing unnecessary loads on congregations while shouldering the weight of faithful teaching.
• Compassionate action toward literal burdens (Exodus 23:5;James 2:16) remains a mark of true piety.
• Preachers must treat the Word as a trust, not a platform for personal agenda, lest the “burden of the LORD” turn against them.
• Believers are encouraged to cast every load on the Lord, confident that He sustains (Psalm 55:22;1 Peter 5:7).
Summary
מַשָּׂא moves from the donkey’s pack-saddle to the prophet’s scroll, from the tangible poles of the sanctuary to the intangible weight of divine revelation. Across its many contexts the term reminds God’s people that every burden is assigned, measured, and ultimately borne by Him who “daily bears our burden, the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19).
Forms and Transliterations
בְּמַשָּׂ֑א בְּמַשָּׂ֣א בַּמַּשָּׂ֔א במשא הַמַּ֫שָּׂ֥א הַמַּשָּׂ֖א הַמַּשָּׂ֗א הַמַּשָּׂ֣א הַמַּשָּׂ֤א הַמַּשָּׂ֥א הַמַּשָּׂא֙ המשא וּלְמַשָּֽׂא׃ וּמַֽשַּׂאֲכֶ֖ם וּמַשָּׂ֥א ולמשא׃ ומשא ומשאכם כְּמַשָּׂ֥א כמשא לְמַשָּֽׂא׃ לְמַשָּׂ֔א למשא למשא׃ מִמַּשָּׂ֖א מַ֝שָּׂ֗א מַשָּׂ֑א מַשָּׂ֔א מַשָּׂ֖א מַשָּׂ֗א מַשָּׂ֛א מַשָּׂ֣א מַשָּׂ֤א מַשָּׂ֥א מַשָּׂא֑וֹ מַשָּׂא֔וֹ מַשָּׂא֙ מַשָּׂאָ֔ם מַשָּׂאָֽם׃ מַשָּׂאֽוֹ׃ ממשא משא משאו משאו׃ משאם משאם׃ bam·maś·śā bammasSa bammaśśā bə·maś·śā bemasSa bəmaśśā ham·maś·śā hammasSa hammaśśā kə·maś·śā kemasSa kəmaśśā lə·maś·śā lemasSa ləmaśśā maś·śā maś·śā·’ām maś·śā·’ōw masSa maśśā maśśā’ām maśśā’ōw massaAm massaO mim·maś·śā mimasSa mimmaśśā ū·lə·maś·śā ū·maś·śā ū·maś·śa·’ă·ḵem ulemasSa ūləmaśśā umasSa ūmaśśā ūmaśśa’ăḵem umassaaChem
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