---
title: מַס — body of forced labourers · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מַס (4522), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 23 times: body of forced labourers. BDB 1906: n.m. coll. body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour-band gang forced service, task-work, serfdom forced service. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מַס

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«מַס» in the Tanakh dictionary: **body of forced labourers** — 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:** 23 times · **Key:** 4522 · **BDB:** מַס

### Glosses

labor (15); forced.labor (4); a.tax (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

body of forced labourers [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4522/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. coll. body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour-band gang forced service, task-work, serfdom forced service [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4522/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 1 K 5:27 usually coll. body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour-band or gang, also (late) forced service, task-work, serfdom (𝔗 מִסָּא, especially in phr. מַסְּקֵי מִיסִּין (implying late and \[for BH\] false sense ‘tribute,’ so NH מַעֲלֵי מִסִּים; √ unknown, prob. loan-wd.; follows anal. of ע׳׳ע);—abs. מ׳ 1 K 5:27 +; לָמַ֑ס Jos 17:13 +, הַמַּ֑ס 2 S 20:24 +; pl. מִסִּים Ex 1:11;— labour-band, labour-gang, body of task-workers for public service, formed by levy upon the people by Sol. וַיַּ֫עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שׁלֹמֹה מַס מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל 1 K 5:27, amounting to 30,000 men v 27; הַמּ׳ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה 9:15; וַיַּעֲלֵם שׁ׳ לְמַס עֹבֵד v 21 and Sol. levied them for a toiling labour-band (cf. Gn 49:15 Jos 16:10)=וַיַּעֲלֵם שׁ׳ לְמַס 2 Ch 8:8; appar. instituted, earlier, by David, cf. וַאֲדֹרָם עַל־הַמַּ֑ס 2 S 20:24, i.e. had charge of the body of labourers, so 1 K 4:6; 5:28; 12:18=2 Ch 10:18. of labour-bands, slave-gangs of Isr. in Egypt, only שָׁרֵי מִסִּים Ex 1:11 (J) gang-overseers. of conquered populations, subject to forced labour: יִהְיוּ לְךָ לָמַס וַעֲבָדוּךָ Dt 20:11 cf. Ju 1:30, 33, 35 (v. GFM), Is 31:8 La 1:1; so ויהי לְמַס עֹבֵד Jos 16:10 (cf. Gn 49:15 1 K 9:21); וַיִּתְּנוּ אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִי לָמַ֑ס Jos 17:13, cf. (וַיָּ֫שֶׁם וגו׳) Ju 1:28. in gen.: וַיְהִי לְמַס־עֹבֵד Gn 49:15 and he (Issachar) became a slaving labour-band (poem in J; cf. Jos 16:10 1 K 9:21); cf. רְמִיָּה תִּהְיֶה לָמַ֑ס Pr 12:24 (here appar. of individ.) forced service, serfdom (or poss. (in late passage) tribute=enforced payment, cf. NH, 𝔗, v. supr.), only of Ahasuerus: וַיָּשֶׂם הַמֶּלָךְ מַס עַל־הָאָרֶץ וגו׳ Est 10:1.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 22 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מַס» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4522/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 12:24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.12.24/)

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יַד־חָרוּצִ֥ים תִּמְשׁ֑וֹל ו֝רְמִיָּ֗התִּהְיֶ֥ה לָמַֽס׃

*Word for word:* \[the\].hand of.diligent.\[people\] it.will.rule and slackness it.will.become (into).forced labor

*JPS 1917:* The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; but the slothful shall be under tribute.

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[2 Samuel 20:24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.20.24/)

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וַאֲדֹרָ֖ם עַל־הַמַּ֑ס וִיהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט בֶּן־אֲחִיל֖וּד הַמַּזְכִּֽיר׃

*Word for word:* and Adoram \[was\].over the.forced labor and Jehoshaphat the.son of.Ahilud \[was\].the recorder

*JPS 1917:* and Adoram was over the levy; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;

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