H4687 — מִצְוָה (mitsvâh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4687
Original: מִצְוָה
Transliteration: mitsvâh
Pronunciation: mits-vaw
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: H6680 צָוָה (tsavah) — to command, charge, appoint
Occurrences: 177 unique verses (190 tokens), 23 books
First Occurrence: Gen 26:5 — "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law):—(which was) commanded(-ment), law, ordinance, precept.

The word denotes a specific enjoined directive — a concrete charge issued by an authority. In most OT usage the authority is God (commandments of the LORD), though it extends to kings (royal decrees) and fathers (patriarchal charges).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
commandments (all possessive forms)	~148	~84%
commandment (singular forms)	~24	~14%
precept/precepts	3	1.7%
ordinances	1	0.6%
law	1	0.6%

Note: KJV distributes possessive pronouns separately (his/my/thy commandments); all refer to the same noun. Aggregate: commandment/commandments accounts for 98%+ of renderings.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Deuteronomy	42	4.4
Malachi	2	3.6
Nehemiah	14	3.4
2 Chronicles	18	2.2
1 Kings	12	1.5
Ezra	4	1.4
Leviticus	10	1.2
2 Kings	8	1.1
Psalms	26	1.1
Proverbs	10	1.1
Ecclesiastes	2	0.9
Daniel	2	0.6
Esther	1	0.6
Numbers	5	0.4
Exodus	4	0.3
1 Chronicles	3	0.3
Judges	2	0.3
Joshua	2	0.3
Jeremiah	4	0.3
Isaiah	3	0.2
Genesis	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1
Job	1	0.1

Deuteronomy is the word's natural home — it accounts for 24% of all occurrences at the highest density. Post-exilic literature (Nehemiah, 2 Chronicles, Ezra) clusters next, reflecting covenant renewal. The heavy Psalm 119 presence (16 of 26 Psalms occurrences) shows the term entering devotional/liturgical use.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Mosaic Law-Code (Commandments Given at Sinai)¶

The normative use: mitsvah as the specific legal directives of the covenant law.

Lev 27:34 — "These [are] the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai."
Deut 6:1 — "Now these [are] the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you"
Num 15:39 — "ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them"
Exo 24:12 — "I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written"

2. Covenant Faithfulness Formula (Keeping/Doing Commandments)¶

The most frequent construction: shâmar (keep) or asah (do) + mitsvah. This is the standard expression for covenant loyalty in Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomistic History.

Deut 7:9 — "the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments"
Deut 28:1 — "if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments"
1 Ki 2:3 — "keep... his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses"
Psa 119:47 — "And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved"

3. Covenant Consequences (Blessing, Curse, and Life)¶

Keeping or breaking commandments carries covenantal stakes — life/death, blessing/curse.

Deut 11:27-28 — "A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God... And a curse, if ye will not obey"
Deut 6:25 — "it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God"
Prov 4:4 — "keep my commandments, and live"
Prov 19:16 — "He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; [but] he that despiseth his ways shall die"

4. Penitential Confession (Breaking/Forsaking Commandments)¶

Post-exilic prayer and confession uses mitsvah to name what was abandoned.

Ezra 9:10 — "what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments"
Neh 1:7 — "we have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments"
2 Ki 17:16 — "they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images"
Dan 9:5 — "We have sinned... and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments"

5. Royal and Administrative Decree (Human Command)¶

The word extends to human authority — king's orders, a father's charge, official directives.

2 Ki 18:36 — "the people held their peace... for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not"
2 Chr 24:21 — "they... stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king"
Jer 35:16 — "the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father"
Job 23:12 — "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food]"

6. Wisdom Tradition (Commandments as Light and Life)¶

Proverbs and Qohelet treat keeping commandments as the path to flourishing — framed as parental instruction rather than Sinai law, but using the same vocabulary.

Prov 6:23 — "For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light"
Prov 3:1 — "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments"
Psa 119:98 — "Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies"
Ecc 12:13 — "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yahweh)	H3068	85x (48%)	"commandments of the LORD" — primary possessive phrase
שָׁמַר (shamar)	H8104	74x (42%)	"keep my/his commandments" — covenant loyalty formula
אֱלֹהִים (Elohim)	H430	64x (36%)	"commandments of thy/your God"
עָשָׂה (asah)	H6213	57x (32%)	"observe to do all his commandments"
צָוָה (tsavah)	H6680	46x (26%)	"commandments which I command thee this day"
שָׁמַע (shama)	H8085	26x (15%)	"hearken unto my commandments"
חֻקָּה (chuqqah)	H2708	23x (13%)	"commandments and statutes" — standard legal pair
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	23x (13%)	"commandments, statutes, and judgments" — Deuteronomic triad
תּוֹרָה (torah)	H8451	22x (12%)	"commandment and the law" — full law-complex
חֹק (choq)	H2706	22x (12%)	"commandments, statutes, and decrees"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H6680 צָוָה (tsavah) — root verb: to command, charge, appoint (494 occurrences — the verbal form that generates mitsvah)

Synonyms¶

H548 אֲמָנָה (amanah) — covenant obligation or binding provision; overlaps with mitsvâh in legal-obligational contexts.
H2706 חֹק (choq) — statute, fixed decree; a close law-term neighbor for prescribed obligations.
H2708 חֻקָּה (chuqqah) — statute, ordinance; often paired with mitsvâh in covenant-law formulas.
H4931 מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmereth) — charge, obligation to be kept; overlaps in "keep the charge/commandment" contexts.
H4941 מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) — judgment, ordinance; another core covenant-law term alongside mitsvâh.
H5713 עֵדוּת (eduth) — testimony, covenant witness; part of the same covenant-instruction cluster.
H6490 פִּקּוּדִים (piqqudim) — precepts; especially close in Psalm 119's legal vocabulary.
H8451 תּוֹרָה (torah) — law, instruction; broader than a single commandment but semantically adjacent.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H4687.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
חֹק (choq)	H2706	"commandment/s" (1v)	choq = a fixed decree or boundary; mitsvah = a specific enjoined act
פִּקּוּד (piqqud)	H6490	"his commandments" (2v)	piqqud = an enumerable precept/oversight; Psalm 119's vocabulary; mitsvah = a standing command
תּוֹרָה (torah)	H8451	"law/commandment" overlap	torah = the whole body of divine instruction; mitsvah = a single specific commandment within it
דָּבָר (dabar)	H1697	"commandment" (8v)	dabar = the authoritative word/thing spoken; mitsvah = the standing charge itself

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
002003003016	Laws	`search_relationships.py` places mitsvâh in the law/legislation field, matching its role as a specific enjoined command within the broader covenant code.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἐντολή (entolē) G1785	153x	6.75	Dominant; primary LXX translation — carries the word directly into NT
ἐντέλλομαι (entellomai) G1781	46x	4.05	Cognate verb; used when LXX renders the context verbally rather than nominally
δικαίωμα (dikaiōma) G1345	27x	4.84	"righteous requirement, statute" — used when mitsvah appears in legal-judgment contexts

The mapping to G1785 is nearly exclusive and highly reliable (PMI 6.75, score 34.01), creating a direct lexical bridge to NT entolē usage.