Strong's H4578 · Hebrew
מֵעֶה
mêʻeh · /may-aw'/
Definition
used only in plural the intestines, or (collectively) the abdomen, figuratively, sympathy; by implication, a vest; by extension the stomach, the uterus (or of men, the seat of generation), the heart (figuratively)
KJV: belly, bowels, [idiom] heart, womb.
Root / derivation: from an unused root probably meaning to be soft;
KJV usage breakdown
How the Authorized (KJV) translators rendered מֵעֶה across 30 verses.
Every occurrence (KJV)
30 verses use this word, grouped by book — the translated form is highlighted.
Genesis2 verses
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Genesis 25:23And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
2 Samuel3 verses
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2 Samuel 16:11And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.
2 Samuel 20:10But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. struck: Heb. doubled not his stroke
2 Chronicles4 verses
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.
2 Chronicles 21:18And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
2 Chronicles 21:19And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 32:21And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. slew: Heb. made him fall
Job2 verses
Psalms3 verses
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. out of: or, sundered
Psalms 40:8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. within: Heb. in the midst of my bowels
Psalms 71:6By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
Song of Solomon2 verses
Isaiah4 verses
Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
Isaiah 48:19Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Isaiah 49:1Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
Isaiah 63:15Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? the sounding: or, the multitude
Jeremiah2 verses
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. my very: Heb. the walls of my heart
Jeremiah 31:20Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. are: Heb. sound
Lamentations2 verses
Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
Lamentations 2:11Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city. swoon: or, faint
Ezekiel2 verses
And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
Ezekiel 7:19They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity. removed: Heb. for a separation, or, uncleanness it is: or, their iniquity is their stumblingblock
Topics that use this word
Frequently asked questions
What does Strong's H4578 (mêʻeh) mean?
used only in plural the intestines, or (collectively) the abdomen, figuratively, sympathy; by implication, a vest; by extension the stomach, the uterus (or of men, the seat of generation), the heart (figuratively)
How many times does H4578 appear in the Bible?
Strong's H4578 (מֵעֶה) appears in 30 verses of the King James Version, most often translated “bowels.”
How is mêʻeh translated in the KJV?
In the KJV, Strong's H4578 is rendered as “bowels” (27×), “belly” (3×), “heart” (1×), “womb” (1×).
Where does the Hebrew word מֵעֶה come from?
from an unused root probably meaning to be soft;