מְחִיר
me.chir (H4242)
price
AI Word Study
# The Hebrew Word for Price: מְחִיר (Mechir) The Hebrew term מְחִיר (mechir) denotes "price"—the monetary value assigned to goods or services in exchange. As a concrete noun appearing fifteen times throughout the biblical text, it represents a fundamental commercial concept essential to the ancient Israelite economy. The word functions as a straightforward semantic unit for discussing transactions and the valuation of property or commodities. The relatively modest frequency of this term (15 occurrences) suggests that while price-setting and economic exchange were regular features of biblical life, explicit discussion of pricing mechanisms was selective rather than central to biblical narrative or instruction. The word appears in contexts where specific monetary values mattered to the narrative—likely including purchase agreements, compensation, and commercial negotiations. This limited usage pattern indicates that biblical authors employed the term when the precise cost of acquisition or exchange was important to their immediate purpose, whether recording historical transactions or establishing legal or ethical principles about fair dealing. Understanding mechir provides insight into how ancient Hebrew speakers conceptualized economic value and commercial relationships. The existence of a dedicated term for "price" reflects a society engaged in active trade where the quantification of value through agreed-upon monetary exchange was a recognized and necessary practice.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
The king said to Araunah, “No; but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt. The king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”
The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt and from Kue. The king’s merchants purchased them from Kue.
It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.
You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale.
Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, since he has no understanding?
The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of a field.
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says Yahweh of Armies.
“Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
I will give your substance and your treasures for a plunder without price, and that for all your sins, even in all your borders.
We have drunken our water for money. Our wood is sold to us.
He will deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. He will increase with glory whoever acknowledges him. He will cause them to rule over many, and will divide the land for a price.
Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, “Isn’t Yahweh among us? No disaster will come on us.”