What does מָעַד (lō’ ṯimə‘aḏ) mean in the Bible?
מָעַד (lō’ ṯimə‘aḏ): To slip or slide away; often used of moral/spiritual foundations giving way beneath one's feet
Hebrew · H4571
מָעַד
To waver
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מָעַד H4571
Pronunciation lō’ ṯimə‘aḏ
What does מָעַד (lō’ ṯimə‘aḏ) mean in the Bible?
מָעַד (lō’ ṯimə‘aḏ): To slip or slide away; often used of moral/spiritual foundations giving way beneath one's feet
Full entry for מָעַד (H4571) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4571?
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include give way (2), are slipping (1), be bent (1), falter (1), out of joint (1).
Where does מָעַד (lō’ ṯimə‘aḏ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 2 Samuel 22:37. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (4), 2 Samuel (1), Job (1), Proverbs (1).
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 give way 2× 2 Samuel 22:37, Psalms 18:36
are slipping 1× Job 12:5
be bent 1× Psalms 69:23
falter 1× Psalms 37:31
out of joint 1× Proverbs 25:19
wavering 1× Psalms 26:1
Show sample aligned rows
2 Samuel 22:37 מָעֲד֖וּ to give way Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Job 12:5 לְמ֣וֹעֲדֵי to are slipping Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Psalms 18:36 מָ֝עֲד֗וּ to give way Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Psalms 26:1 אֶמְעָֽד׃ to wavering Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular Psalms 37:31 תִמְעַ֣ד to falter Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Psalms 69:23 הַמְעַֽד׃ to be bent Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular Proverbs 25:19 מוּעָ֑דֶת to out of joint Verb - QalPass - Participle - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 2 Samuel 22:37
Aligned rows 7
Books represented 4
2 Samuel 1 Job 1 Psalms 4 Proverbs 1
Source forms
אֶמְעָֽד׃ 1x ’em·‘āḏ Psalms 26:1
הַמְעַֽד׃ 1x ham·‘aḏ Psalms 69:23
לְמ֣וֹעֲדֵי 1x lə·mō·w·‘ă·ḏê Job 12:5
מוּעָ֑דֶת 1x mū·‘ā·ḏeṯ Proverbs 25:19
מָעֲד֖וּ 1x mā·‘ă·ḏū 2 Samuel 22:37
מָ֝עֲד֗וּ 1x mā·‘ă·ḏū Psalms 18:36
תִמְעַ֣ד 1x ṯim·‘aḏ Psalms 37:31
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 2x 2 Samuel 22:37, Psalms 18:36
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct 1x Job 12:5
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular 1x Psalms 69:23
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular 1x Psalms 26:1
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular 1x Psalms 37:31
Verb - QalPass - Participle - feminine singular 1x Proverbs 25:19
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. To slip or slide away; often used of moral/spiritual foundations giving way beneath one's feet
Strong's H4571
Lexical occurrences 6 verses Word forms 2 forms 5 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Psalms 37:27–33 Source Gloss
to waver
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
To slip or slide away; often used of moral/spiritual foundations giving way beneath one's feet
to waver BDB: slip Usage: make to shake, slide, slip.
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 2 Aligned forms 5
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 4×
Perfect 2Sam 22:37 · Ps 18:37 2×
Imperfect Ps 26:1 · Ps 37:31 2×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 1×
Sequential imperfect Ps 69:24 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Will not slip; will not totter; will not shake; refers to spiritual and moral stability in difficult circumstances
Showing 1 selected witness from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מָעַד is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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