H4759 — מַרְאָה (marʼâh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4759
Original: מַרְאָה
Transliteration: marʼâh
Pronunciation: mar-aw
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From רָאָה (raʼah, H7200) — to see; feminine counterpart of מַרְאֶה (marʼeh, H4758)
Occurrences: 11 tokens across 10 unique verses in 6 books
First Occurrence: Gen 46:2 — "And God spake unto Israel in the visions (marʼâh) of the night"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Feminine of מַרְאֶה (H4758); a vision; also (causatively) a mirror. KJV renderings: looking glass, vision.

A concrete-to-abstract noun: the "thing seen" — either literally (a reflective surface) or experientially (a revelatory scene perceived by a prophet). Unlike the more common abstract words for mental revelation (חָזוֹן chazon, H2377) it is tied to visual sight — what appears to the eye, whether physical or in prophetic perception.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
"in the visions" / "In the visions"	3	30.0%
"the vision"	2	20.0%
"by the vision"	1	10.0%
"in a vision"	1	10.0%
"vision"	1	10.0%
"visions"	1	10.0%
"of the lookingglasses"	1	10.0%

Nine of ten uses render some form of vision; a single non-revelatory use (Exod 38:8) renders lookingglasses — mirrors of polished bronze.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Daniel	3	0.8
Ezekiel	3	0.2
Genesis	1	0.1
Exodus	1	0.1
Numbers	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1

Concentrated in prophetic apocalyptic contexts — Daniel shows the highest density, and Daniel+Ezekiel together account for 6 of 10 uses. The Pentateuch/Samuel uses are all foundational revelation scenes (Jacob, the tabernacle mirrors, the Mosaic prophet-principle, Samuel's call).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Night Vision / Dream-Revelation¶

Visions received during sleep or visionary sleep-like states. - Gen 46:2 — "God spake unto Israel in the visions (marʼâh) of the night" - Num 12:6 — "I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision (marʼâh), and will speak unto him in a dream" — paired with חֲלוֹם (chalom) as the normative mode of non-Mosaic prophecy

2. Auditory-Visual Prophetic Call¶

First-encounter prophetic commissioning experience. - 1 Sam 3:15 — "Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision (marʼâh)" — the childhood call of Samuel

3. Transported / Panoramic Prophetic Experience¶

Extended, immersive visionary states where the prophet is "brought" somewhere by the Spirit. Consistently paired with אֱלֹהִים (elohim) — "visions of God." - Ezek 1:1 — "the heavens were opened, and I saw visions (marʼôth) of God" - Ezek 8:3 — "the spirit lifted me up... and brought me in the visions (marʼôth) of God to Jerusalem" - Ezek 40:2 — "In the visions (marʼôth) of God brought he me into the land of Israel"

4. Climactic Apocalyptic Vision (Daniel 10)¶

A singular great vision that produces physical weakness and terror in the seer. All three Daniel uses cluster in one pericope. - Dan 10:7 — "I Daniel alone saw the vision (marʼâh)... but a great quaking fell upon them" - Dan 10:8 — "I... saw this great vision (marʼâh), and there remained no strength in me" - Dan 10:16 — "by the vision (marʼâh) my sorrows are turned upon me"

5. Mirror / Looking-Glass (concrete sense)¶

The single causative/concrete use — the "thing-that-reflects-a-sight." - Exod 38:8 — "he made the laver of brass... of the lookingglasses (marʼôth) of the women assembling"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
עַל (al)	H5921	5x (50%)	Spatial/directional particle in vision narration ("upon," "concerning")
אֱלֹהִים (elohim)	H430	4x (40%)	"visions of God" — defining genitive in Ezekiel
אָמַר (amar)	H559	3x (30%)	Vision accompanied by divine speech ("and said...")
רָאָה (raʼah)	H7200	3x (30%)	Cognate verb: "saw the vision" — figura etymologica
פָּתַח (pathach)	H6605	3x (30%)	"opened" — mouth/heavens/doors opened in vision contexts
יְהוָה (YHWH)	H3068	2x (20%)	Vision issued by the covenant God
יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisraʼel)	H3478	2x (20%)	Recipient nation or patriarch
בּוֹא (boʼ)	H935	2x (20%)	"brought" into the vision (Ezekiel's transportive pattern)
דָבַר (dabar)	H1696	2x (20%)	Divine speech within the visionary frame
הִנֵּה (hinneh)	H2009	2x (20%)	"Behold" — demonstrative introducing vision content

Word Family / Cognates¶

H7200 רָאָה (raʼah) — root verb: to see, perceive, appear
H4758 מַרְאֶה (marʼeh) — masculine counterpart: appearance, sight, visual form (103x) — overlaps semantically but leans concrete ("appearance/looks") rather than revelatory
H7203 רֹאֶה (roʼeh) — seer (participial noun)
H4236 מַחֲזֶה (machazeh) — vision (from the alternate root חזה chazah)

Synonyms¶

No synonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H4759.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H4759.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
חָזוֹן (chazon)	H2377	"vision" (13v)	From חזה (to perceive mentally); the standard abstract term for prophetic revelation, including where no literal sight occurs. marʼâh emphasizes what is seen.
מַרְאֶה (marʼeh)	H4758	"vision" (4v)	Same root (raʼah), masculine form; broader semantic range including physical appearance, form, and beauty. marʼâh is narrower — almost exclusively revelatory/mirror.
מַחֲזֶה (machazeh)	H4236	"vision" (2v)	Parallel form from chazah; closer to chazon semantically — mental perception.
חֵזֵו (chezev)	H2376	"visions" (1v)	Aramaic equivalent used in Daniel's Aramaic sections and Ezra; cognate of chazon.
חָזוּת (chazuth)	H2380	"vision" (1v)	From chazah; "a look" / "conspicuousness."

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
002004002015	Vision	Primary domain for marʼâh as a prophetic/night vision or revelatory appearance.
001002008001017	Tools	Secondary concrete domain from Exod 38:8, where marʼâh denotes the women's polished mirrors / looking-glasses.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ὀπτασία (optasia)	G3701	3	10.15	Highest PMI — "an appearing, vision." The word Luke uses for Zacharias's vision (Luke 1:22) and Paul's (2 Cor 12:1).
ὅρασις (horasis)	G3706	4	6.72	Most frequent — "act of gazing, appearance, vision."
ἀνοίγω (anoigō)	G455	3	5.85	Co-translational — "open" (heavens/mouth opened in vision narratives).
ὁράω (horaō)	G3708	3	2.63	Cognate verb — "to see."
θεός (theos)	G2316	4	1.77	Carries the "of God" collocation into Greek.

Strong LXX bridge: marʼâh maps consistently to the optasia/horasis cluster — both derivatives of ὁράω, preserving the "seen-thing" nuance against the more mental חזה family.