---
title: מָגֵן — shield · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מָגֵן (4043), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 63 times: shield. BDB 1906: n.m. shield. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מָגֵן

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«מָגֵן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **shield** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 63 times · **Key:** 4043 · **BDB:** מָגֵן

### Glosses

shield (23); shields (10); a.shield (7)

### Meaning (OSHB)

shield [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4043/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. shield [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4043/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 1 K 14:27, \& f. 1 K 10:17, shield (Arabic مِجَنٌّ, Aramaic מְגִנָּא, ܡܓܶܢܳܐ )—מָגֵן Gn 15:1 + 33 times (also cstr. Dt 33:29 Na 2:4); sf. מָגִנִּי ψ 7:11 + 5 times; מָגִנֵּנוּ ψ 33:20 + 3 times; מָגִנָּם ψ 115:9, 10, 11; pl. מָגִנִּים 1 K 10:17 + 6 times; מָגִנּוֹת 2 Ch 23:9; cstr. מָגִנֵּי 1 K 14:26 + 4 times; sf. מָגִנָּיו Jb 15:26; מָגִנֶּיהָ Ho 4:18;—shield, buckler, carried by warrior for defence Ju 5:8 2 S 1:21(×2) 2 K 19:32 = Is 37:33, 1 Ch 5:18; 2 Ch 14:7; 17:17; 23:9; 26:14; 32:5 Ne 4:10 ψ 76:4 Je 46:3, 9 Ez 23:24; 38:4, 5; 39:9 Na 2:4 Is 22:6 cf. 21:5 (anoint the shield, to make it slippery), so also ψ 35:2 (where י׳ fig. as warrior); אִישׁ מָגֵן = armed man Pr 6:11; 24:34; laid up for show, or as treasure 1 K 10:17(×2); 14:26, 27 (= 2 Ch 9:16(×2); 12:9, 10) 2 Ch 32:27 cf. Ct 4:4 Ez 27:10; of scales of crocodile (leviathan) אֲפִיקֵי מָגִנִּים Jb 41:7; fig. of wicked’s defence against judgments of י׳, עֲבִי גַבֵּי מָגִנָּיו Jb 15:26; fig. of king ψ 89:19 (cf. Che); fig. of rulers of Ephraim Ho 4:18; fig. of rulers of earth ψ 47:10; fig. (very often) of י׳, as defence of his servants, ψ 3:4; 7:11 (read מָגִנִּי עָלַי אל׳ cf. Che crit. note) 18:3, 31, 36 (= 2 S 22:3, 31, 36) 28:7; 33:20; 59:12; 84:10, 12; 115:9, 10, 11; 119:114; 144:2 Pr 2:7; 30:5, and v. especially Gn 15:1 (E).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 60 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מָגֵן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4043/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 41:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.41.7/)

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גַּ֭אֲוָה אֲפִיקֵ֣י מָֽגִנִּ֑ים סָ֝ג֗וּר חוֹתָ֥ם צָֽר׃

*Word for word:* pride \[is\].rows of.shields \[it.is\].shut.up a.seal tight

*JPS 1917:* His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

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[Psalms 7:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.7.11/)

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מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃

*Word for word:* shield my \[is\].on God a.deliverer of.\[people\].upright of.heart

*JPS 1917:* My shield is with God, who saveth the upright in heart.

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