Lexical Summary mas or mis: body of forced laborers, forced service, taskworkers, taskwork, serfdom Original Word: מַסTransliteration: mas or mis Phonetic Spelling: (mas) Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Short Definition: body of forced laborers, forced service, taskworkers, taskwork, serfdom Meaning: body of forced laborers, forced service, taskworkers, taskwork, serfdom Strong's Concordance discomfited, levy, taskmaster, tributary Or mic {mees}; from macac; properly, a burden (as causing to faint), i.e. A tax in the form of forced labor -- discomfited, levy, task(-master), tribute(-tary). see HEBREW macac Brown-Driver-Briggs H4522. mas or mis I. מַס noun masculine1Ki 5:27 usually collective body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour-band or gang, also (late) forced service, task-work, serfdom ( מִסָּא ᵑ7, especially in phrase מִיסִּין מַסְּקֵי (implying late and [for Biblical Hebrew] false sense 'tribute,' so Late Hebrew מָסִּים מַעֲלֵי; √ unknown, probably loan-word; follows analogue of ע׳׳ע); — absolute ׳מ 1 Kings 5:27 +; לָמַ֑ס Joshua 17:13 +; הַמַּ֑ס 2 Samuel 20:24 +; plural מִסִּים Exodus 1:11; — 1 labour-band, labour-gang, body of task-workers for public service, formed by levy upon the people by Solomon מִכָּליִֿשְׂרָאֵל מַס שׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּ֫עַל 1 Kings 5:27, amounting to 30, 000 men v.1 Kings 5:27; ׳הַמּ הֶעֱלָה אֲשֶׁר 1 Kings 9:15; עֹבֵד לְמַס שׁ ׳וַיַּעֲלֵם 9:21 and Solomon levied them for a toiling labour-band (compare Genesis 49:15; Joshua 16:10) = שׁ וַיַּעֲלֵם ׳לְמַס2 Chronicles 8:8; apparently instituted, earlier, by David, compare עַלהַֿמַּ֑ס וַאֲדֹרָם 2 Samuel 20:24, i.e. had charge of the body of labourers, so 1 Kings 4:6; 1 Kings 5:28; 12:18 2 Chronicles 10:18. 2. a. of labour-bands, slave-gangs of Israel in Egypt, only מִסִּים שָׂרֵי Exodus 1:11 (J) gang-overseers. b. of conquered populations, subject to forced labour: וַעֲבָדוּךָ לָמַס לְךָ יִהְיוּ Deuteronomy 20:11 compare Judges 1:30, 33, 35 (see GFM), Isaiah 31:8; Lamentations 1:1; so עֹבֵד לְמַס ויהי Joshua 16:10 (compare Genesis 49:15; 1 Kings 9:21); לָמַ֑ס אֶתהַֿכְּנַעֲנִי וַיִתְּנוּ Joshua 17:13, compare (וגו ׳וַיָּ֫שֶׂם) Judges 1:28. 3 in General: לְמַסעֹֿבֵד וַיְהִי Genesis 49:15 and he (Issachar) became a slaving labour-band (poem in J; compare Joshua 16:10; 1 Kings 9:21); compare לָמַ֑ס תִּהְיֶה רְמִיָּה Proverbs 12:24 (here apparently of individual) 4 forced service, serfdom (or possibly (in late passage) tribute = enforced payment, compare Late Hebrew, ᵑ7, see above), only of Ahasuerus: וגו עַלהָֿאָרֶץ מַס הַמֶּלֶךְ ׳וַיָּשֶׂם Esther 10:1. II. מַס see מסס. מֵסֵב מֵסַב, see סבב. מִסְגֶּ֫רֶת מַסְגֵּר, see סגר. מַסַּד see יסד. [מִסְדְּרוֺן] see סדר |