מַשָּׁאָה

# Mashaah: The Hebrew Term for Loan The Hebrew word *mashaah* (מַשָּׁאָה) refers to a **loan**—a transfer of goods or resources from one party to another with the expectation of repayment. This term appears only twice in the biblical text, which suggests it represented a specific legal or economic concept that was significant enough to warrant its own distinctive terminology, even if it was not frequently discussed in the surviving biblical literature. The rarity of this word's occurrence indicates that while lending practices existed in ancient Hebrew society, explicit vocabulary for this transaction was limited. The two biblical instances where *mashaah* appears would have been sufficient for ancient readers to understand the concept of a temporary transfer of property requiring eventual return. This contrasts with other economic transactions that might have been more frequently discussed or regulated in biblical law and narrative. Understanding *mashaah* provides insight into the economic vocabulary of biblical Hebrew and reflects the existence of credit and borrowing practices in ancient Israelite society. However, without additional contextual information from the specific passages where it appears, the definition remains straightforward: a formal arrangement whereby something is given with the understanding that it will be returned to its original owner.