H4390 — מָלֵא (male')¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4390
Original: מָלֵא
Transliteration: male' (maw-lay)
Pronunciation: maw-lay'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Occurrences: 242 unique verses (289 tokens) across 32 books
First Occurrence: Gen 1:22 — "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively): accomplish, confirm, consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-)full, have wholly.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	101	be full, fill (stative/active)
Niphal	20	be filled (passive)
Piel	73	fill (intensive/causative), consecrate

Qal dominates (52%) with both stative "be full" and active "fill" senses. Piel (38%) is the intensive/causative stem used for deliberate filling and the technical priestly idiom "fill the hand" (= consecrate). Niphal (10%) is passive — "was filled," particularly in theophanic contexts (temple filled with glory/smoke).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Consolidating by semantic root (case/tense variants grouped):

Translation	Verses	%
fill / filled / filleth / filling	~75	31%
full / be full / is full	~50	21%
fulfilled / fulfil / accomplish	~32	13%
consecrate / consecrated	~14	6%
replenish / replenished	~7	3%
wholly / fully (follow)	~8	3%
expired / at an end	~5	2%
satisfy / satisfied	~3	1%
overflow / overflown	~3	1%
set (stones)	~4	2%
Other (gather, presume, fenced, etc.)	~41	17%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Habakkuk	2	3.6
Esther	5	3.0
Joel	2	2.7
Haggai	1	2.6
Ecclesiastes	5	2.3
Exodus	23	1.9
Micah	2	1.9
Ezekiel	23	1.8
Isaiah	21	1.6
Job	17	1.6
Jeremiah	21	1.5
1 Kings	12	1.5
2 Kings	10	1.4
Zechariah	3	1.4
2 Chronicles	10	1.2
Genesis	15	1.0
Leviticus	8	0.9
Psalms	22	0.9
Proverbs	7	0.8
Joshua	5	0.8
Daniel	2	0.6
Lamentations	1	0.6
Numbers	7	0.5
Judges	3	0.5
1 Samuel	3	0.4
Ezra	1	0.4
1 Chronicles	3	0.3
2 Samuel	2	0.3
Deuteronomy	2	0.2
Song of Solomon	2	—

Highest density in the prophets (Habakkuk, Joel, Micah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah) and Exodus (priestly consecration + Spirit-filling + glory-filling). Present across all major OT genres: Torah, historical, wisdom, prophetic. Notably absent from Ruth, Nehemiah, Obadiah, Jonah, Malachi.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Physical Filling (vessels, spaces, land)¶

Gen 21:19 — "she went, and filled the bottle with water"
Gen 42:25 — "Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn"
Josh 9:13 — "these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new"
1 Ki 18:33 — "Fill four barrels with water"

2. Theophanic Filling (glory/cloud fills sacred space)¶

Exo 40:34 — "the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle"
1 Ki 8:10-11 — "the cloud filled the house of the LORD"
2 Chr 7:1 — "the glory of the LORD filled the house"
Eze 10:4 — "the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD's glory"
Eze 43:5 — "the glory of the LORD filled the house"
Isa 6:1 — "his train filled the temple"
Hab 2:14 — "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD"

3. Spirit/Wisdom Filling (divine endowment)¶

Exo 28:3 — "whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom"
Exo 31:3 — "I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding"
Exo 35:31 — "he hath filled him with the spirit of God"
Exo 35:35 — "them hath he filled with wisdom of heart"
Mic 3:8 — "truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD"

4. Earth/Land Filled (creation mandate + moral condition)¶

Gen 1:22 — "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas"
Gen 1:28 — "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth"
Gen 6:11 — "the earth was filled with violence"
Num 14:21 — "all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD"
Isa 11:9 — "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD"
Jer 23:24 — "Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD"

5. Temporal Completion (days fulfilled, time expired)¶

Gen 25:24 — "when her days to be delivered were fulfilled"
Gen 29:21 — "my days are fulfilled"
Exo 7:25 — "seven days were fulfilled"
Lev 12:4 — "the days of her purifying are fulfilled"
Jer 25:12 — "when seventy years are accomplished"
Dan 10:3 — "till three whole weeks were fulfilled"

6. Priestly Consecration (fill the hand)¶

Exo 28:41 — "consecrate them" (lit. "fill their hand")
Exo 29:9 — "the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons"
Exo 32:29 — "Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD"
Lev 21:10 — "that is consecrated to put on the garments"
Jdg 17:5 — "consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest"
1 Ki 13:33 — "whosoever would, he consecrated him"

7. Filled with Negative Substance (violence, wrath, sin)¶

Gen 6:13 — "the earth is filled with violence through them"
Jer 6:11 — "I am full of the fury of the LORD"
Eze 7:23 — "the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence"
Eze 8:17 — "they have filled the land with violence"
Eze 28:16 — "they have filled the midst of thee with violence"
2 Ki 21:16 — "Manasseh... filled Jerusalem [with innocent blood] from one end to another"
Ecc 9:3 — "the heart of the sons of men is full of evil"
Est 3:5 — "Haman full of wrath"

8. Filled with Substance (wine, food, drunkenness)¶

Jer 13:12 — "Every bottle shall be filled with wine"
Eze 23:33 — "Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow"
Prov 3:10 — "thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine"
Joel 2:24 — "the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil"
Zep 1:9 — "fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit"
Prov 24:4 — "by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yehovah)	H3068	64x (26%)	"the glory of the LORD filled..." — theophanic formula
אֶרֶץ (erets)	H776	48x (20%)	"the earth was filled with..." — creation mandate or moral judgment
כֹּל (kol)	H3605	48x (20%)	"full of all..." — totality intensifier
יוֹם (yowm)	H3117	38x (16%)	"the days were fulfilled" — temporal completion formula
בּוֹא (bo')	H935	34x (14%)	"when... came... filled" — sequential narration of filling
בַּיִת (bayith)	H1004	32x (13%)	"filled the house" — temple/dwelling theophany
יָד (yad)	H3027	28x (12%)	"fill the hand" = consecrate — priestly ordination idiom
אֱלֹהִים (elohiym)	H430	25x (10%)	"filled with the spirit of God" — divine endowment
פֶּה (peh)	H6310	24x (10%)	"fill the mouth" — with words, laughter, or arguments
כֹּהֵן (kohen)	H3548	16x (7%)	"consecrated... priest" — ordination context

Word Family / Cognates¶

H4392 מָלֵא (male') — adjective: "full" (67v; from same root)
H4393 מְלֹא (melo') — noun: "fulness, that which fills" (36v; "the earth and the fulness thereof")
H4394 מִלֻּא (millu') — noun: "installation, setting" (15v; priestly consecration offerings)
H4391 מְלָא (mela') — Aramaic verb: "to fill" (corresponding to H4390; Dan 2:35)

Synonyms¶

H7646 שָׂבַע (saba') — a relationship neighbor for fullness/satiation; overlaps with male' when a thing reaches fullness or satisfaction.
H7301 רָוָה (ravah) — a relationship neighbor for being saturated or filled to abundance, especially in overflowing contexts.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H4390.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
שָׂבַע (saba')	H7646	"filled," "satisfied," "full"	saba' = satiation, appetite satisfied; male' = spatial/temporal filling, capacity reached
כָּלָה (kalah)	H3615	"fulfilled," "accomplished"	kalah = end/finish/consume; male' = fill to completion
πληρόω (pleroo)	G4137	"fill," "fulfil"	Greek NT equivalent; carries both senses through LXX bridge
πλήθω (pletho)	G4130	"filled"	Greek; more physical/sudden filling (Luke's preferred term for Spirit-filling in Acts)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
πληρόω (pleroo) G4137	62	6.17	Primary equivalent — all senses carried over
πλήθω (pletho) G4130	67	6.06	Alternative for literal/sudden filling
ἐμπίπλημι (empiplemi) G1705	46	5.28	Physical filling/satisfying
πλήρης (pleres) G4134	21	4.35	Adjective "full" (maps to stative Qal)
τελειόω (teleioo) G5048	8	5.77	"Perfect/complete" — consecration sense
ἀναπληρόω (anapleroo) G378	6	5.70	"Fill up completely" — intensive

The LXX preserves the dual sense of H4390 under πληρόω: physical filling and temporal/prophetic fulfillment. This becomes the bridge for NT "fulfill" language.

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002002001003] Contain — the core fill/full domain, with neighbors such as H2388 חזק, H3557 כול, H4229 מחה, H4392 מָלֵא, and A4984/A5376 נשׂא.
[002003002002] Associate — indexes contexts where things are brought together or packed together, with neighbors such as H92 אֲגֻדָּה, H262/H264 אַחֲוָה, H548/H549 אֲמָנָה, and H622 אסף.
[002001003003] Complete — reflects the completion/fulfillment sense, with neighbors such as H1214 בצע, H1580 גמל, A1585/H1584 גמר, and H3117/H3118 יֹום.
[002003003011] Engage — a secondary relationship field with neighbors such as H1 אָב, H258 אחד, H270 אחז, A598/H597 אנס, and H662 אפק.
[002002003003] Happen — covers event-fulfillment uses, with neighbors such as A383 אִיתַי, H578/H579 אנה, H661 אפף, H786 אִשׁ, and A858 אתה.
[002001003012] Intense — relates to intensified fullness, with neighbors such as H247 אזר, H430 אֱלֹהִים, H533 אַמִּיץ, H605 אָנוּשׁ/אנשׁ, and H1396 גבר.
[002003002017] Non-Possess — a secondary relationship field with neighbors such as H1890 הַבְהָב, H2010 הֲנָחָה, H2015 הפך, H2064 זבד, H2065 זֵבֶד, and A2255 חבל.
[002001002023] Relief — captures fullness that relieves lack, with neighbors such as H935 בוא, A1778/H1777 דין, H3947 לקח, and H4494/H4495 מָנֹוחַ.
[002002002008] Role — includes the consecration/ordination field, with neighbors such as H530 אֱמוּנָה, H686 אצר, H3027 יָד, H3198 יכח, H3245 יסד, and H3547 כהן.
[002001002025] Shame — a secondary relationship field with neighbors such as H954 בושׁ, H955 בּוּשָׁה, H1317 בָּשְׁנָה, H1322 בֹּשֶׁת, H1442 גדף, and H2490 חלל.
[002002001017] Space — reflects spatial filling, with neighbors such as A638/H637/H639 אַף, A870 אֲתַר, H935 בוא, and A997 בַּיִן.
[002004001009008] Speak — a secondary relationship index with neighbors such as H262/H264 אַחֲוָה, H559/H560 אמר, H561 אֵמֶר, and H562 אֹמֶר.
[002001001057] Stance — links to standing/filling posture with neighbors such as H86 אַבְרֵךְ, H935 בוא, H947 בוס, H982 בטח, H1163 בעט, and A1289 ברך.
[002004002013] Think — a secondary relationship field with neighbors such as A7/H6 אבד, A230 אַזְדָּא, H238/H239 אזן, and H322 אֲחֹרַנִּית.
[002001003018] True — connects fullness with what is fully established or verified, with neighbors such as H539/H540 אמן, H974 בחן, A2857/H2856 חתם, and H3027 יָד.
[002001002028] Willing — a secondary relationship field with neighbors such as H14 אבה, H225 אות, H238/H239 אזן, H977 בחר, and H1320 בָּשָׂר.