Bible Encyclopedias
Mattock

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mat´ok : The translation of 3 Hebrew words: (1) מחרשה , maḥărēshāh , probably "a pick-axe" ( 1 Samuel 13:20 , 1 Samuel 13:21; compare 1 Samuel 13:21 margin); (2) חרב , ḥerebh , "sword," "ax," "tool" (2 Chronicles 34:6 the King James Version, "with their mattocks," the King James Version margin "mauls," the Revised Version (British and American) "in their ruins," the Revised Version margin "with their axes"); (3) מעדּר , ma‛dēr , "a hoe," "rake," "chopping instrument" (Isaiah 7:25 ). Vines were usually grown on terraces on the hills of Palestine, and then the mattock was in constant use. The usual mattock is a pick with one end broad, the other pointed.