Lexical Summary
mishlowach: Sending, outstretching, mission, or portion.
Original Word:מִשְׁלוֹחַ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:mishlowach
Pronunciation:mish-lo'-akh
Phonetic Spelling:(mish-lo'-akh)
KJV: to lay, to put, sending (forth), to set
Word Origin:[fromH7971 (שָׁלַח - sent)]
1. a sending out
2. (abstractly, favorable) presentation
3. (abstractly, unfavorable) seizure
4. (concretely) a place of dismissal, or a business to be discharged
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
to lay, to put, sending forth, to set
Or mishloach {mish-lo'-akh}; also mishlach {mish-lawkh'}; fromshalach; a sending out, i.e. (abstractly) presentation (favorable), or seizure (unfavorable); also (concretely) a place of dismissal, or a business to be discharged -- to lay, to put, sending (forth), to set.
see HEBREWshalach
Brown-Driver-Briggs
;
; — only construct:
in every outstretching of one'shand, = every undertaking,Deuteronomy 12:7,18;Deuteronomy 15:10;Deuteronomy 23:21;Deuteronomy 28:8,20.
Isaiah 7:25 (√
especiallyIsaiah 32:20).
;
; — only construct:
Isaiah 11:14 Edom and Moab arethe outstretching of their hand (that of which they take possession, compare √ ).
Esther 9:19,22the sending of portions to each other.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Scopeמִשְׁלוֹחַ gathers the ideas of “sending out” or “stretching forth,” whether of hand, produce, blessing, food portions, or even military action. Because the term always presupposes an origin and a destination, every occurrence highlights movement initiated by human hands but ultimately governed or judged by the hand of God.
Mishloach and the Works of One’s Hands (Deuteronomy)
InDeuteronomy 12:7, 12:18, 15:10, 23:20, 28:8, and 28:20 the phrase “all that you put your hand to” (kol mishloach yadeka) anchors covenantal blessing or curse to Israel’s obedience. Five times Yahweh promises prosperity: “The LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake” (Deuteronomy 15:10). Once He threatens the opposite: “The LORD will send upon you curses…in all that you undertake to do” (Deuteronomy 28:20). The repeated construction presents labor not as secular effort but as a sphere of divine oversight. The same God who grants “rain in its season” also governs the success or frustration of every “sending forth” of the hand. The principle informs biblical stewardship: diligence is commanded, but fruitfulness is bestowed (Psalm 127:1–2;John 15:5).
Mishloach, Generosity, and Corporate Joy (Esther)
Esther 9:19 and 9:22 shift the word from labor to fellowship. In celebration of deliverance the Jews observed “a day of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22). The “sending” (mishloach manot) created tangible unity after crisis. It codified generosity into the annual Purim observance, teaching that salvation should overflow in practical charity (2 Corinthians 8:9). The practice became a paradigm for Christian fellowship meals and benevolence ministries, embodying James’s admonition, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
Mishloach in Prophetic Imagery (Isaiah)
Isaiah stretches the term in two directions:
•Isaiah 7:25 pictures abandoned farmland: once tilled “with the hoe,” it will revert to pasture. Here mishloach accentuates loss—the ceasing of human cultivation and the surrender of land to thorns. Covenant breach reverses the blessings promised in Deuteronomy.
•Isaiah 11:14 employs mishloach for territorial “slopes” that Israel will “swoop down on” in the messianic future. The sending here is military and anticipates the restored kingdom’s expansion. The context—rooted in the shoot from Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)—ties human conquest to Messiah’s righteous reign, foreshadowing the universal dominion of Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15).
Theological Threads
1. Divine Sovereignty over Human Enterprise
Mishloach underscores that plans, projects, and wars succeed or fail at Yahweh’s decree (Proverbs 16:9).
2. Blessing Linked to Obedience
The Deuteronomic occurrences teach that holiness and productivity are inseparable. Paul echoes the link: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord” (Colossians 3:23–24).
3. Redemption Fosters Generosity
Purim’s mishloach manot anticipates New Covenant koinonia where material sharing testifies to spiritual unity (Acts 2:44–45).
4. Eschatological Fulfillment
Isaiah’s prophetic uses look forward to creation’s restoration under Christ. The once-barren field (Isaiah 7:25) will ultimately “blossom abundantly” (Isaiah 35:2), and hostile territory (Isaiah 11:14) will become the realm of universal peace (Isaiah 11:9).
Ministry Implications
• Vocation: Every Christian calling is a “sending out.” Prayerful dependence should accompany planning, and success should elicit thanksgiving.
• Generosity: Regular, intentional “sending of portions” to needy saints and neighbors mirrors God’s generous salvation and strengthens community witness.
• Discipleship: Believers are “sent ones” (John 20:21). Mishloach invites evaluation of all personal and congregational initiatives by the question, “Is this truly sent of God?”
• Eschatology: Hope of the coming kingdom energizes labor and missions; current mishloach efforts are foretastes of the final harvest.
Summary
מִשְׁלוֹחַ weaves together work, worship, welfare, and warfare, showing that every human extension—whether hand, hoe, food basket, or battle line—falls under God’s covenantal gaze. In Christ the blessings promised, the generosity modeled, and the victory prophesied all find their sure and sufficient “Yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Forms and Transliterations
וּמִשְׁל֤וֹחַ וּמִשְׁל֥וֹחַ ומשלוח לְמִשְׁלַ֣ח למשלח מִשְׁל֣וֹח מִשְׁלַ֣ח מִשְׁלַ֥ח משלוח משלח lə·miš·laḥ lemishLach ləmišlaḥ miš·laḥ miš·lō·wḥ mishLach mishLoch mišlaḥ mišlōwḥ ū·miš·lō·w·aḥ umishLoach ūmišlōwaḥ
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