A shield (i.e. the small one or buckler); figuratively, a protector ; also the scaly hide of the crocodile
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H4043 names a physical shield and can figuratively identify a protector, especially the LORD as the One who surrounds, guards, and gives confidence to his people. The noun appears with battlefield equipment, royal display, defensive preparation, animal scales, and theological protection; figurative uses grow from the concrete shield without making every danger or outcome identical.
Reader summary
Full entry for מָגֵן (H4043) · Open the biblical lexicon
H4043 names a physical shield and can figuratively identify a protector, especially the LORD as the One who surrounds, guards, and gives confidence to his people. The noun appears with battlefield equipment, royal display, defensive preparation, animal scales, and theological protection; figurative uses grow from the concrete shield without making every.
The BSB source-word alignment has 63 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include shields (7), the shield (5), and shield (4), shield (4), is a shield (3).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 15:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (19), 2 Chronicles (10), 2 Samuel (5), Ezekiel (5).
H4043 names a physical shield and can figuratively identify a protector, especially the Lord as the One who surrounds, guards, and gives confidence to his people. The noun appears with battlefield equipment, royal display, defensive preparation, animal scales, and theological protection; figurative uses grow from the concrete shield without making every danger or outcome identical.
In Gen. 15. 1, the Lord addresses Abrams fear by identifying himself as Abrams shield and very great reward before renewing covenant promise. In Ps. 3. 3, surrounded by adversaries, the psalmist calls the Lord a shield around him, his glory, and the One who lifts his head. H4043 opens teaching on God as protector through the tangible image of a shield while preserving the reality that faithful people still face danger, grief, bodily harm, and costly obedience.
It corrects formulas that promise believers immunity from suffering and militarized spirituality that turns divine protection into permission for aggression, domination, or careless risk. H4043 gives protection a relational center: the Lord tells fearful Abram that he is his shield and great reward, the psalmist names the Lord as a shield around him and the lifter of his head amid opposition, and Proverbs describes God as a shield to those walking with integrity while locating safety within wisdoms path rather than magical invulnerability.
For H4043, responsible teaching keeps lexical meaning, passage context, canonical synthesis, and present application distinguishable. The noun does not promise that no faithful person will be wounded or killed, replace practical safeguards, or authorize believers to identify their own weapons, nation, or institution with Gods protective presence.
H4043 appears across passages that develop shield, divine protection, fear, covenant promise, wisdom, integrity, battle, vulnerability, trust, and responsible defense. For H4043, the immediate setting decides which part of the range is active, so the witnesses must remain distinct rather than being merged into one formula.
After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
The Lord addresses Abrams fear by identifying himself as Abrams shield and very great reward before renewing covenant promise.
But You, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
Surrounded by adversaries, the psalmist calls the Lord a shield around him, his glory, and the One who lifts his head.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
Wisdom teaching says the Lord stores up sound wisdom for the upright and is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Shield both literal and metaphorical protection; God as Israel's shield emphasizes covenantal defense and security
Shield both literal and metaphorical protection; God as Israel's shield emphasizes covenantal defense and security
a shield (i.e. the small one or buckler); figuratively, a protector; also the scaly hide of the crocodile BDB: shield Usage: × armed, buckler, defence, ruler, scale, shield.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 63 lexical occurrence verses.
מָגֵן is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
H4043 gives protection a relational center: the Lord tells fearful Abram that he is his shield and great reward, the psalmist names the Lord as a shield around him and the lifter of his head amid opposition, and Proverbs describes God as a shield to those walking with integrity while locating safety within wisdoms path rather than magical invulnerability. H4043 names a physical shield and can figuratively identify a protector, especially the Lord as the One who surrounds, guards, and gives confidence to his people.
The selected witnesses keep the teaching concrete: Gen. 15. 1 shows that the Lord addresses Abrams fear by identifying himself as Abrams shield and very great reward before renewing covenant promise. , while Ps. 3. 3 shows that surrounded by adversaries, the psalmist calls the Lord a shield around him, his glory, and the One who lifts his head.. Prov. 2. 7 adds that wisdom teaching says the Lord stores up sound wisdom for the upright and is a shield to those who walk with integrity..
H4043 opens teaching on God as protector through the tangible image of a shield while preserving the reality that faithful people still face danger, grief, bodily harm, and costly obedience. It corrects formulas that promise believers immunity from suffering and militarized spirituality that turns divine protection into permission for aggression, domination, or careless risk.
A church teaching H4043 faithfully will name both the promise and the boundary carried by these contexts, attend to vulnerable hearers, and refuse to make the lexical item prove more than its passages support. The noun does not promise that no faithful person will be wounded or killed, replace practical safeguards, or authorize believers to identify their own weapons, nation, or institution with Gods protective presence.
Gen.15.1
H4043 is a Hebrew noun most often referring to a smaller shield or buckler and figuratively to protection; concrete objects, martial lists, possessive phrases, and predicative statements identify its function.
The Old Testament repeatedly calls the Lord a shield while also recording lament, exile, martyr-like suffering, and the limits of human defenses. The New Testament develops armor and faith imagery around Gods saving work in Christ without erasing ordinary prudence or making H4043 a lexical synonym for every later metaphor.