Properly, a standing , i.e. a spot ; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)
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מָקוֹם (maqom) is the Hebrew word for place — the most ordinary spatial concept in the language, appearing 401 times in the OT. ' In Hebrew thought, place is never merely neutral geography; the right maqom, at God's appointment, is the place of encounter.
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Full entry for מָקוֹם (H4725) · Open the biblical lexicon
מָקוֹם (maqom) is the Hebrew word for place — the most ordinary spatial concept in the language, appearing 401 times in the OT. ' In Hebrew thought, place is never merely neutral geography; the right maqom, at God's appointment, is the place of encounter.
The BSB source-word alignment has 401 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include place (124), the place (58), in the place (18), a place (16), . . . (14).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:9. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (47), Jeremiah (46), Deuteronomy (33), 1 Samuel (24).
מָקוֹם (maqom) is the Hebrew word for place — the most ordinary spatial concept in the language, appearing 401 times in the OT. But the word carries extraordinary theological weight because the OT consistently gives specific locations theological significance: the maqom where God appears, the maqom God chooses for his name to dwell, and the maqom that Jacob discovered was 'none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven.' In Hebrew thought, place is never merely neutral geography; the right maqom, at God's appointment, is the place of encounter.
Genesis 28:16-17 is the foundational maqom text: 'Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this maqom, and I did not know it." And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this maqom! This is none other than the house of God (beth Elohim), and this is the gate of heaven (sha'ar hashamayim)."' Jacob has slept in what seemed an ordinary location — a stone for a pillow, a field on the road to Haran. But the dream reveals that the maqom is the intersection of heaven and earth, the stairway on which the angels of God ascend and descend. The ordinary maqom becomes the holy maqom when God appoints it.
Exodus 3:5 gives the maqom its most explicit holiness: 'Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the maqom on which you are standing is holy ground (admat qodesh).' The burning bush is on ordinary ground — but the presence of God makes it holy. The maqom is not inherently holy; it becomes holy by divine presence. Moses cannot approach it casually; the shoes come off, the distance is maintained. This is the OT's spatial theology in a single verse: ordinary ground, divine presence, sacred space.
Deuteronomy 12:5 introduces the 'chosen maqom' formula: 'But you shall seek the maqom that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there.' The temple theology of the OT turns on the maqom God chooses — a specific, particular place where his name dwells, to which the people bring their offerings and worship. The tabernacle and the temple are the maqom habachirah (the chosen place) — not built by human initiative but erected in response to divine designation.
For the preacher, מָקוֹם (maqom) is the word that insists that God is not a vague everywhere-spirit but one who makes himself specifically present in particular places, and that those places must be approached with appropriate awe.
The local index currently counts about 401 occurrences of מָקוֹם (maqom) in the OT. Genesis uses it for the places where God appears to the patriarchs and the altars they build there. Exodus concentrates on the holy maqom of the burning bush and the maqom of the tabernacle. Deuteronomy establishes the 'chosen maqom' theology for centralized worship. The Psalms celebrate Zion as the maqom of God's dwelling.
In post-biblical Jewish usage, HaMaqom (The Place) became one of the most common names for God — recognizing that God is the Place in whom all things have their existence.
When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
The discovery of the holy maqom: an ordinary roadside stop becomes the gate of heaven. Jacob's surprise — 'I did not know it' — is the OT's acknowledgment that the holy maqom is not always identifiable in advance; it is disclosed by God. The stairway vision and the divine voice (28:13-15) make the maqom specific: this is where the God of Abraham and Isaac has met Jacob. The stone pillar Jacob sets up marks the maqom (28:18-19) — the place now has a name: Beth-El (house of God).
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
The maqom as holy ground: the sandals come off because the ordinary maqom where Moses stands has become holy by divine presence. The command to stay back while removing the sandals gives the paradox: God calls Moses closer ('come no nearer') while simultaneously marking the boundary of the holy maqom. This is the OT's pattern for the sacred: God's presence creates the holiness, and holiness creates the boundary. The burning bush marks the maqom; the divine voice explains what the maqom is.
Instead, you must seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
The 'chosen maqom' formula: the place that God designates for his name to dwell. The Deuteronomic reform of worship is spatial: worship must happen at the maqom God chooses, not at every local shrine the people might prefer. The centralization of worship is a theological statement — the divine name dwells in one place, and the people's worship is oriented to that maqom.
The temple eventually fulfills this designation, but the principle applies more broadly: approach to God happens on God's terms, in the maqom God has appointed.
May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place.
Solomon's temple prayer applying the Deuteronomy 12 maqom theology: the eyes of God are open toward this maqom 'day and night.' The divine attention is drawn to the maqom where the divine name dwells. Wherever the people are scattered (the exile possibility Solomon anticipates), they can pray 'toward this maqom' and God hears (8:30, 8:35, 8:38). The maqom of the divine name is the orientation point for all prayer, even in exile — the maqom God chose is the directional anchor of Israel's worship wherever the people are.
For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:
The chosen maqom settled on Zion: 'the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation (moshav).' Psalm 132 narrates David's search for a maqom for the ark (vv. 3-8) and the Lord's response that Zion is his chosen maqom (vv. 13-16). The divine desire for the maqom — 'he has desired it' (ivvah) — introduces an emotional dimension: God has chosen and wants this specific place. The maqom is not arbitrary; it is the expression of divine longing for a place to dwell with his people.
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. Physical location extends figuratively to internal condition; versatile spatial term encompassing place, room, and circumstance.
Physical location extends figuratively to internal condition; versatile spatial term encompassing place, room, and circumstance.
properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind) BDB: standing-place Usage: country, × home, × open, place, room, space, × whither(-soever).
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 401 lexical occurrence verses.
מָקוֹם 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.
מָקוֹם (maqom) teaches the congregation that God makes himself specifically present in particular places, and that this specificity is part of his gracious condescension to human beings who live in bodies and in space. The burning bush (Exod 3:5) shows the dynamic: ordinary ground becomes holy ground by divine presence. Genesis 28:16 shows the surprise: Jacob discovers that the ordinary maqom was all along the gate of heaven.
The Deuteronomy 12 'chosen maqom' teaches that approach to God is on God's terms — at the place God has designated, not at every place the worshipper might prefer. The NT's fulfillment of maqom theology is in Christ: John 2:21 explains that 'he was speaking about the temple of his body' — the maqom where God's name dwells is now the body of Christ, and by extension the body of the church (1 Cor 3:16 — 'do you not know that you are God's temple?')
The maqom theology has become personal and corporate: the holy maqom is wherever the presence of Christ is, and the people of God are themselves the maqom where God dwells by his Spirit. The awe that the burning bush required — remove your sandals — is the awe that the NT translates into the reverence and godly fear with which the new covenant community draws near (Heb 12:28).
Gen.28.16
מָקוֹם (maqom) derives from the verb qum (H6965, to stand, to arise) — the maqom is 'the place of standing,' the established or fixed location. The pattern maqom follows is similar to other Hebrew nouns of place (miqdash = sanctuary, from qadash; mishkan = tabernacle, from shakan; mizbei'ach = altar, from zabach). In post-biblical Jewish tradition, HaMaqom (The Place, with the definite article) became one of the most common circumlocutions for God — used especially in the Mishnah and in blessings ('HaMaqom will comfort you,' said to mourners).
This usage reflects a profound theological insight: God is not in a place; God is The Place — the one who contains all things and in whom all things exist. The movement from maqom as 'the place where God is present' to HaMaqom as 'God himself as the all-encompassing Place' is one of the most striking trajectories in biblical theology.
The NT radically redefines where the maqom of divine presence is. John 4:20-24 is the key text: the Samaritan woman asks whether Jerusalem or Gerizim is the correct maqom for worship. Jesus answers: 'The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father... God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth' (4:21, 24).
The maqom of worship is no longer a geographical location but a relational and spiritual reality — the presence of the Spirit. But the NT does not abandon the maqom concept altogether; it re-localizes it: 'Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?' (1 Cor 3:16). The people of God are the maqom. The Bethel theology of Genesis 28 — the stairway between heaven and earth, the angels ascending and descending — is explicitly applied to Jesus in John 1:51: 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'
Jesus is the ultimate maqom — the place where heaven and earth meet, the gate of heaven that Jacob saw in shadow. And through union with Christ, the believer becomes part of the community that is the maqom of divine presence in the world.
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