מִכְלָה
mikh.la.ah
fold
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "מִכְלָה" (mikh.la.ah) translates to "fold." As a noun, its primary function is to represent a place or area of enclosure. This concept can be physical, like a fold in cloth, or metaphorical, referring to a confined space or a shelter. The word "כלה" (kalah) within the lemma "מִכְלָה" carries a connotation of wholeness, entirety, or completeness. This aspect adds depth to the concept of a fold, implying a comprehensive or self-contained area. The physical and metaphorical dimensions of "מִכְלָה" make its usage versatile within the context of the Bible. Within the three recorded occurrences in the Bible, this word's significance is tied to themes of enclosure, wholeness, and confinement. The varied contexts in which it appears – such as a location or a condition – suggest that "מִכְלָה" plays a nuanced role in conveying spatial and metaphorical boundaries in the biblical narrative.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male goats from your pens.
Psalms 78:70He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
Habakkuk 3:17For though the fig tree doesn’t flourish, nor fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive fails, the fields yield no food; the flocks are cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls: