What does מְלֹא (mĕlōʾ) mean in the Bible?
מְלֹא (mĕlōʾ): Abundance or completeness—what fills a container, space, or period; also what satisfies or completes.
Hebrew · H4393
מְלֹא
Fulness (literally or figuratively)
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מְלֹא H4393
Pronunciation mĕlōʾ
What does מְלֹא (mĕlōʾ) mean in the Bible?
מְלֹא (mĕlōʾ): Abundance or completeness—what fills a container, space, or period; also what satisfies or completes.
Full entry for מְלֹא (H4393) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4393?
The BSB source-word alignment has 38 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and everything in it (5), . . . (4), and all that fills it (4), full (3), a handful (2).
Where does מְלֹא (mĕlōʾ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 48:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (5), Isaiah (5), Psalms (5), Leviticus (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 and everything in it 5× Deuteronomy 33:16, Jeremiah 8:16, Ezekiel 19:7, Ezekiel 30:12
. . . 4× Exodus 16:32, Exodus 16:33, Leviticus 2:2, 2 Kings 4:39
and all that fills it 4× 1 Chronicles 16:32, Psalms 96:11, Psalms 98:7, Isaiah 34:1
full 3× Leviticus 16:12, Numbers 22:18, Numbers 24:13
a handful 2× Leviticus 5:12, 1 Kings 17:12
and its fullness 2× Psalms 89:11, Jeremiah 47:2
and the fullness thereof 2× Psalms 24:1, Psalms 50:12
a band 1× Isaiah 31:4
a multitude 1× Genesis 48:19
and all that is in it 1× Isaiah 42:10
and everyone in it 1× Micah 1:2
and two handfuls 1× Leviticus 16:12
and with one 1× 2 Samuel 8:2
flat 1× 1 Samuel 28:20
handfuls 1× Exodus 9:8
is full 1× Isaiah 6:3
It was the full length of 1× Ezekiel 41:8
of all that filled it 1× Ezekiel 32:15
of everything in it 1× Ezekiel 12:19
one handful 1× Ecclesiastes 4:6
than two handfuls 1× Ecclesiastes 4:6
vvv 1× Judges 6:38
will cover 1× Isaiah 8:8
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 48:19 מְלֹֽא־ to a multitude Noun - masculine singular construct Exodus 9:8 מְלֹ֣א to handfuls Noun - masculine singular construct Exodus 16:32 מְלֹ֤א to . . . Noun - masculine singular construct Exodus 16:33 מְלֹֽא־ to . . . Noun - masculine singular construct Leviticus 2:2 מְלֹ֣א to . . . Noun - masculine singular construct Leviticus 5:12 מְל֨וֹא to a handful Noun - masculine singular construct Leviticus 16:12 מְלֹֽא־ to full Noun - masculine singular construct Leviticus 16:12 וּמְלֹ֣א to and two handfuls Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Numbers 22:18 מְלֹ֥א to full Noun - masculine singular construct Numbers 24:13 מְלֹ֣א to full Noun - masculine singular construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 48:19
Aligned rows 38
Books represented 18
Genesis 1 Exodus 3 Leviticus 4 Numbers 2 Deuteronomy 1 Judges 1 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 1 1 Kings 1 2 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 1 Psalms 5 Ecclesiastes 2 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 2 Ezekiel 5 Amos 1 Micah 1
Source forms
מְלֹ֣א 5x mə·lō Exodus 9:8, Leviticus 2:2, Numbers 24:13, 2 Kings 4:39
מְלֹ֥א 4x mə·lō Numbers 22:18, Ecclesiastes 4:6, Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah 8:8
וּמְלֹאָ֔הּ 3x ū·mə·lō·’āh Deuteronomy 33:16, Isaiah 34:1, Ezekiel 19:7
מְלֹֽא־ 3x mə·lō- Genesis 48:19, Exodus 16:33, Leviticus 16:12
וּמְלֹאָֽהּ׃ 2x ū·mə·lō·’āh Psalms 50:12, Amos 6:8
וּמְלוֹאָ֔הּ 2x ū·mə·lō·w·’āh Jeremiah 8:16, Jeremiah 47:2
מְלֹ֤א 2x mə·lō Exodus 16:32, 1 Kings 17:12
מִמְּלֹאָ֔הּ 2x mim·mə·lō·’āh Ezekiel 12:19, Ezekiel 32:15
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular construct 18x Genesis 48:19, Exodus 9:8, Exodus 16:32, Exodus 16:33
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular 11x Deuteronomy 33:16, Psalms 24:1, Psalms 50:12, Psalms 89:11
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular 4x 1 Chronicles 16:32, Psalms 96:11, Psalms 98:7, Isaiah 42:10
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct 2x Leviticus 16:12, 2 Samuel 8:2
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular 2x Ezekiel 12:19, Ezekiel 32:15
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct 1x Ecclesiastes 4:6
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Abundance or completeness—what fills a container, space, or period; also what satisfies or completes.
Source Gloss
fulness (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Abundance or completeness—what fills a container, space, or period; also what satisfies or completes.
fulness (literally or figuratively) BDB: fulness Usage: × all along, × all that is (there-) in, fill, (× that whereof...was) full, fulness, (hand-) full, multitude.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
מְלֹא is built from this root:
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