H4236 — מַחֲזֶה (machazeh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong’s: H4236
Original: מַחֲזֶה
Transliteration: machazeh
Pronunciation: makh-az-eh
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: חָזָה (chazah, H2372) — to gaze at, perceive in vision
Occurrences: 4 unique verses (5 tokens) across 3 books
First Occurrence: Gen 15:1 — "the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision (machazeh)"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H2372 (chazah); a vision. Rendered "vision" in all occurrences.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
the vision	2	40%
in a vision	1	20%
vision	1	20%
a [vision — implied]	1	20%

All 5 tokens render as "vision" in context. The translation "a" in Eze 13:7 is part of the phrase "a vain vision" where machazeh is the noun.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Numbers	2	0.16
Genesis	1	0.07
Ezekiel	1	0.08

Concentrated in Pentateuchal narrative (Gen 15; Num 24). The single Ezekiel occurrence (13:7) is the only prophetic-literature use. Entirely absent from the Psalms, the historical books, and Daniel (which uses the cognates chazon/mar’eh instead).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Authentic Prophetic Vision — Divine Revelation Received¶

Gen 15:1 — "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision (machazeh), saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
Num 24:4 — "He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision (machazeh) of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open"
Num 24:16 — "He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision (machazeh) of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open"

In all three, machazeh denotes the act or mode of receiving divine communication. Gen 15:1 uses it as the medium through which God’s word arrives. Num 24:4, 16 pair it with Shaddai to describe Balaam’s ecstatic prophetic state.

2. False / Vain Vision — Condemned Prophetic Claim¶

Eze 13:7 — "Have ye not seen a vain vision (machazeh), and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?"

The sole negative usage. Ezekiel applies machazeh to the false prophets’ fabricated claims, pairing it with "lying divination" (qecem kazab). The word itself is neutral — the falsity lies in the prophets, not the word.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong’s	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
שַׁדַּי (Shaddai)	H7706	2x (50%)	"vision of the Almighty" — Balaam’s oracle formula
אֵל (El)	H410	2x (50%)	"words of God... vision of the Almighty" — paired divine titles
נָפַל (naphal)	H5307	2x (50%)	"falling [into a trance]" — ecstatic state during vision
עַיִן (ayin)	H5869	2x (50%)	"having his eyes open" — visionary perception with open eyes
גָּלָה (galah)	H1540	2x (50%)	"having his eyes open" (galuy ’enayim) — eyes "uncovered"
שָׁמַע (shama)	H8085	2x (50%)	"heard the words of God" — auditory paired with visual revelation
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	2x (50%)	Gen 15:1 "word of the LORD" + Eze 13:7 "the LORD saith"

The Balaam oracle formula (Num 24:4, 16) accounts for most collocations: machazeh + Shaddai + naphal + galah + ayin form a fixed prophetic-ecstasy cluster.

Word Family / Cognates (חזה root)¶

H2372 חָזָה (chazah) — root verb: to gaze at, perceive in vision (51x) — H2372-chazah.md
H2377 חָזוֹן (chazon) — vision as revelation-content/oracle (35x) — H2377-chazon.md
H2374 חֹזֶה (chozeh) — seer, visionary (17x)
H2384 חִזָּיוֹן (chizzayon) — dream-vision experience (9x) — H2384-chizzayon.md
H2380 חָזוּת (chazuwth) — appearance, compact, vision (5x)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong’s	Shared Translation	Key Difference
חָזוֹן (chazon)	H2377	"vision" (13x for chazon)	chazon = the content/message revealed; machazeh = the act/mode of seeing
מַרְאֶה (mar’eh)	H4758	"vision" (4x for mar’eh)	mar’eh = visual appearance/form seen; machazeh = prophetic perception as mode of revelation
מַרְאָה (mar’ah)	H4759	"vision" (2x for mar’ah)	mar’ah = vision as mirror/reflection (from ra’ah); machazeh = vision from the chazah root
חָזוּת (chazuwth)	H2380	"vision" (1x for chazuwth)	chazuwth = appearance/look, sometimes "agreement"; machazeh = strictly visionary revelation

Semantic Domain¶

[002004002015] Vision — Other words: חזה (H2372), חָזוֹן (H2377), חָזוּת (H2380), חִזָּיוֹן (H2384)

Synonyms (from SDBH)¶

דָבַר (dabar, H1696) — to speak (God’s word comes through machazeh but also through direct speech)
רָאָה (ra’ah, H7200) — to see (general seeing; chazah/machazeh is its prophetic-perception counterpart)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
ὅρασις (horasis) G3706	3x	7.63	Primary — "the act of gazing"; matches machazeh’s sense of visionary perception
ὁράω (horao) G3708	3x	3.95	Verb form appearing in same verses; the LXX sometimes renders the noun with a verbal construction

The LXX consistently maps machazeh to the ὅρασις / ὁράω family rather than ὀπτασία (optasia), confirming machazeh’s emphasis on the act of perceiving rather than the content perceived.