מׇעֳמָ֑ד

# Ma'omad (H4613): A Single Foothold in Scripture The Hebrew word *ma'omad* appears only once in the biblical text, making it one of Scripture's rarest terms. Its definition—"foothold"—suggests a stable position or secure standing place, conveying the idea of firm ground beneath one's feet. The literal sense of a physical foothold carries implications of stability and security. Because this word occurs just once in the Bible, its full semantic range remains limited in the textual record. The single occurrence provides our only window into how ancient Hebrew speakers employed this term, which restricts our ability to determine whether it was used primarily in literal contexts (describing physical positioning) or metaphorical ones (describing figurative security or advantage). This hapax legomenon—a word appearing only once—represents a genuine gap in our understanding of biblical Hebrew vocabulary, as isolated occurrences offer little comparative data for establishing broader patterns of usage or theological significance. The rarity of *ma'omad* underscores how much biblical vocabulary remains anchored to specific literary moments rather than recurring themes. For readers seeking to understand this word's importance, the evidence available here is definitional only: it means "foothold," it appears once, and beyond these facts, interpretation must remain cautious and context-dependent on its single biblical occurrence.