Grafted Biblical Concept · Concept

Mezuzah

מְזוּזָה · Mezuzah · H4201

The Hebrew word mezuzah literally means doorpost.

17 Scripture references1 lexical sources0 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

The Hebrew word mezuzah literally means doorpost.
In Jewish practice, the term commonly refers to the small case affixed to a doorpost containing passages from Torah.

Torah Foundation

The command derives from:
• Deuteronomy 6:4–9
• Deuteronomy 11:13–21
Israel is commanded to write God's words:
"on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Shema Connection

The mezuzah is directly connected with the Shema and the command to keep God's words continually before the household.

Later Jewish Practice

Jewish tradition developed specific practices involving:
• handwritten parchment
• designated Torah passages
• placement
• blessings
• inspection
These traditional details should be distinguished from the wording of the biblical command itself.

Theological Significance

The mezuzah illustrates a recurring Torah principle: divine instruction is intended to shape ordinary household life.
Editorial source: Grafted Bible Dictionary · Entry 55

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Hebrew Word Study

מְזוּזָה

mᵉzûwzâh · H4201

Unified Lexical Definition

a door-post (as prominent)

Lexical Sources

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

a door-post (as prominent)

View original lexicon entry
{
    "strongs": "H4201",
    "language": "hebrew",
    "lemma": "מְזוּזָה",
    "transliteration": "mᵉzûwzâh",
    "pronunciation": "mez-oo-zaw'",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "glosses": [
        "(door, side) post."
    ],
    "definitions": [
        "a door-post (as prominent)"
    ],
    "administrator_commentary": "",
    "source": {
        "dataset": "Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon",
        "provider": "Open Scriptures",
        "url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
        "license": "CC BY-SA"
    },
    "version": 1,
    "updated_at": "2026-08-05T10:41:39-05:00",
    "strong": "H4201"
}

Hebrew Bible Usage

19 occurrences

View All Hebrew Occurrences

Sources: Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

17Exact Lemma2Conceptual Relationship
Torah · 6
Prophets / Historical Books · 5
Writings / Wisdom · 1
Prophets · 5

Context

Historical and Jewish Context

Historical context

Jewish tradition developed specific practices involving:
• handwritten parchment
• designated Torah passages
• placement
• blessings
• inspection
These traditional details should be distinguished from the wording of the biblical command itself.

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