Mattock

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

mat’-ok: The translation of 3 Hebrew words:

(1) machereshah, probably "a pick-axe" (1Sa 13:20,21; compare 1Sa 13:21 margin);

(2) cherebh, "sword," "ax," "tool" (2Ch 34:6 the [[King James Version]], "with their mattocks," the King James Version margin "mauls," the [[Revised Version]] (British and American) "in their ruins," the Revised Version margin "with their axes");

(3) ma`-der, "a hoe," "rake," "chopping instrument" (Isa 7:25). Vines were usually grown on terraces on the hills of Palestine, and then the mattock was in constant use. The usual mattock is a pick with one end broad, the other pointed.