H4578

מֵעֶה

me.ehH:N-M

belly

1) internal organs, inward parts, bowels, intestines, belly 1a) inward parts 1b) digestive organs 1c) organs of procreation, womb 1d) place of emotions or distress or love (fig.) 1e) external belly Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְעָא "belly" H4577)

Full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon entry

[מֵעֶה] noun masculine^{Isa 16:11} only plural internal organs, inward parts (intestines, bowels), belly (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic מְעָא, מַעֲיָא, , ; Arabic ; Ethiopic ; — on form compare Lag^{BN 156} Ba^{ZMG xiii. 1888, 345}); — plural [מֵעִים] construct מְעֵי Ps 71:6 + 3 t.; suffix מֵעַי 2Sam 16:11 + 9 t., מֵעָ֑י Ps 22:15; Ps 40:9 מֵעֶיךָ Gen 15:4 + 6 t.; מֵעַיִךְ Gen 25:23; Num 5:22 מֵעָיו 2Sam 20:10 + 5 t.; מֵעֵיהֶם Ezek 7:19 —

1. literally:
a. וַיִּשְׁפֹּךְ מֵעָיו אַ֫רְצָה 2Sam 20:10 and he poured out his inward parts on the ground (through a wound); compare ׳מַחֲלֵה מ 2Chr 21:15; 2Chr 21:18, ׳יָָֽצְאוּ מ v2Chr 21:15 v2Chr 21:19.
b. as digestive organs, but without precision, nearly = stomach, belly, Job 20:14; Ezek 3:3 (|| בֶּטֶן), Ezek 7:19 (|| נֶפֶשׁ; both with מָלֵא), Num 5:22 so of fish that swallowed Jonah Jonah 2:1; Jonah 2:2.

2. source of procreation: אשׁר יצא ׳מִמּ (said of offspring) Gen 15:4 (JE), 2Sam 7:12 (|| זַרְעֲךָ), 2Sam 16:11 ׳צֶאֱצָאֵי מ Isa 48:19 (|| id.); ׳מִיצִיאֵי מ 2Chr 32:21.

3. = womb, שְׁנֵי לְאֻמִּים מִמֵּעַיִח יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ Gen 25:23 (J; || בֶּטֶן), compare Isa 49:1 (|| id.), Ps 71:6 (|| id.), Ruth 1:11.

4. in general = inwards, inward part, ׳לִבִּי ֗֗֗ נָמֵס בְּתוֺךְ מ Ps 22:15, compare ׳תּוֺרָֽתְךָ בְּתוֺךְ מ Ps 40:9.

5. figurative = seat of emotions: pity, Isa 16:11 (|| קֶרֶב); of God's compassion, Jer 31:20 (|| רחם; in both subject of verb הָמוּ); הֲמוֺן מֵעֶיךָ Isa 63:15 (|| רַחֲמֶיךָ); distress, Jer 4:19 (twice in verse) (|| לֵב, מֵעַי חֳמַרְמָרוּ Lam 1:20 (|| לֵב), Lam 2:11 (|| כָּבֵד liver); מֵעַי רֻתְּחוּ Job 30:27 (dubious, see Bu); love, מֵעַי הָמוּ עָלָיו Song 5:4.

6. the external belly, מֵעָיו עֶשֶׁת שֵׁן Song 5:14.

[מְעָא] noun [masculine] plural external belly (see Biblical Hebrew [ מֵעֶה] 6); — suffix מְע֫וֺהִי Dan 2:32 (of image in vision).

מַעֲבַד see עבד. מְע֫וֺהִר see [מְעָא]. above,

מֵעָל see עלל.

26 occurrences

Genesis (2), Numbers (1), Ruth (1), II Samuel (3), II Chronicles (4), Job (2), Psalms (1), Song of Solomon (2), Isaiah (4), Jeremiah (2), Lamentations (2), Ezekiel (2)