What does מָהַר (māhar) mean in the Bible?
מָהַר (māhar): Metaphorically flows from physical liquidity to urgency; means both eager promptness and reckless haste.
Hebrew · H4116
מָהַר
Properly, to be liquid or flow easily, i.e. (by implication); to hurry (in a good or a bad sense); often used (with another verb) adverbially, promptly
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מָהַר H4116
Pronunciation māhar
What does מָהַר (māhar) mean in the Bible?
מָהַר (māhar): Metaphorically flows from physical liquidity to urgency; means both eager promptness and reckless haste.
Full entry for מָהַר (H4116) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4116?
The BSB source-word alignment has 65 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include quickly (13), hurried (6), Hurry (5), and she quickly (3), Bring (2).
Where does מָהַר (māhar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 18:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (13), 1 Samuel (10), Isaiah (7), Exodus (4).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It quickly 13× Genesis 27:20, Genesis 45:9, Genesis 45:13, Exodus 10:16
hurried 6× Genesis 18:6, Genesis 43:30, Joshua 4:10, 1 Samuel 25:18
Hurry 5× Genesis 19:22, Judges 9:48, 1 Samuel 9:12, Esther 5:5
and she quickly 3× Genesis 24:18, Genesis 24:20, 1 Samuel 28:24
Bring 2× 1 Kings 22:9, 2 Chronicles 18:8
immediately 2× Exodus 34:8, 1 Samuel 28:20
She quickly 2× Genesis 24:46, 1 Samuel 25:23
[Yet] they soon 1× Psalms 106:13
a swift 1× Malachi 3:5
and fluently 1× Isaiah 32:4
and immediately 1× Joshua 8:19
and impetuous 1× Habakkuk 1:6
and sweeps away 1× Job 5:13
and they are swift 1× Proverbs 1:16
and they quickly 1× 1 Kings 20:33
and who were as swift 1× 1 Chronicles 12:8
be hasty 1× Ecclesiastes 5:2
darting 1× Proverbs 7:23
hasten back 1× Isaiah 49:17
he hurried 1× Joshua 8:14
he will soon 1× 2 Samuel 15:14
hurried over 1× 1 Samuel 4:14
is rushing 1× Jeremiah 48:16
Let Him hurry 1× Isaiah 5:19
Let them come quickly 1× Jeremiah 9:18
make haste 1× 2 Chronicles 24:5
of the rash 1× Isaiah 32:4
one quickly 1× Genesis 44:11
Quick! Prepare 1× Genesis 18:6
shortly 1× Genesis 41:32
so early 1× Exodus 2:18
swiftly 1× Proverbs 6:18
Then [the prophet] quickly 1× 1 Kings 20:41
they are swift 1× Isaiah 59:7
They race 1× Nahum 2:5
to those who chase 1× Psalms 16:4
to those with anxious 1× Isaiah 35:4
who hurried 1× Genesis 18:7
will soon 1× Isaiah 51:14
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 18:6 וַיְמַהֵ֧ר to hurried Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 18:6 מַהֲרִ֞י to Quick! Prepare Verb - Piel - Imperative - feminine singular Genesis 18:7 וַיְמַהֵ֖ר to who hurried Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 19:22 מַהֵר֙ to Hurry Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular Genesis 24:18 וַתְּמַהֵ֗ר to and she quickly Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Genesis 24:20 וַתְּמַהֵ֗ר to And she quickly Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Genesis 24:46 וַתְּמַהֵ֗ר to She quickly Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Genesis 27:20 מִהַ֥רְתָּ to quickly Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine singular Genesis 41:32 וּמְמַהֵ֥ר to shortly Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular Genesis 43:30 וַיְמַהֵ֣ר to hurried Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 18:6
Aligned rows 65
Books represented 20
Genesis 13 Exodus 4 Joshua 3 Judges 2 1 Samuel 10 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 3 2 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 3 Esther 2 Job 1 Psalms 3 Proverbs 3 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 7 Jeremiah 2 Nahum 1 Habakkuk 1 Malachi 1
Source forms
וַיְמַהֵ֣ר 4x way·ma·hêr Genesis 43:30, Exodus 10:16, 1 Samuel 17:48, 1 Samuel 28:20
וַתְּמַהֵ֗ר 3x wat·tə·ma·hêr Genesis 24:18, Genesis 24:20, Genesis 24:46
וַיְמַהֵ֖ר 2x way·ma·hêr Genesis 18:7, Exodus 34:8
מִֽהֲר֖וּ 2x mi·hă·rū 2 Chronicles 24:5, Isaiah 49:17
וְהַנִּמְהָ֑ר 1x wə·han·nim·hār Habakkuk 1:6
וַיְמַהֵ֧ר 1x way·ma·hêr Genesis 18:6
וַיְמַהֵ֗ר 1x way·ma·hêr 2 Samuel 19:16
וַיְמַהֵ֕ר 1x way·ma·hêr 1 Kings 20:41
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 9x Genesis 18:6, Genesis 18:7, Genesis 43:30, Exodus 10:16
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular 8x Genesis 24:18, Genesis 24:20, Genesis 24:46, Judges 13:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 6x Genesis 44:11, Joshua 4:10, Joshua 8:14, Joshua 8:19
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular 5x Genesis 19:22, 1 Samuel 9:12, 2 Chronicles 18:8, Esther 6:10
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural 4x Genesis 45:9, Judges 9:48, 2 Samuel 15:14, Esther 5:5
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x 2 Samuel 15:14, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Isaiah 5:19
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural 3x 2 Chronicles 24:5, Psalms 106:13, Isaiah 49:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural 2x Proverbs 1:16, Isaiah 59:7
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Metaphorically flows from physical liquidity to urgency; means both eager promptness and reckless haste.
Strong's H4116
Lexical occurrences 64 verses Word forms 3 forms 29 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 18:1-8 Source Gloss
properly, to be liquid or flow easily, i.e. (by implication); to hurry (in a good or a bad sense); often used (with another verb) adverbially, promptly
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 29
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 26×
Sequential imperfect 1Sam 9:12 · 2Chr 18:8 · Esth 6:10 · Gen 19:22 · 2Sam 15:14 · Esth 5:5 · Gen 45:9 · Judg 9:48 · Gen 18:6 9×
Perfect 2Chr 24:5 · Isa 49:17 · Ps 106:13 · 1Sam 4:14 · Isa 51:14 · 1Sam 25:34 · Exod 2:18 · Gen 27:20 · Jer 48:16 9×
Imperfect 2Sam 15:14 · Isa 5:19 · 2Chr 24:5 · Isa 32:4 · Nah 2:6 5×
Participle active Mal 3:5 · Prov 6:18 2×
Jussive Eccl 5:1 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 2×
Participle active Isa 32:4 1×
Perfect Job 5:13 1×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 1×
Perfect Ps 16:4 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Abraham hurries to prepare hospitality for his divine visitors
Pharaoh quickly summons Joseph to interpret his troubling dreams
Warns against hasty or impulsive vows made without deliberation
Cautions against rushing into legal dispute without careful consideration
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 64 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מָהַר is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain