Lexical Definition

‎מֵאָה‎ mêʼâh (may-aw') hundred ^H:N-F
or מֵאיָה mêʼyâh (may-yaw'); properly, a primitive numeral

hundred((-fold), -th), [phrase] sixscore.

• a hundred
• also as a multiplicative and a fraction

1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: מְאָה
I. ‎מֵאָה‎₅₈₃ noun feminine hundred (Late Hebrew id.; MI²⁰ ‎מאתן‎ (dual); SI⁵ ‎מאת‎, ‎מאתים‎ (dual); Phoenician ‎מאת‎ ‎מאתם‎ (dual); Assyrian mê (probably, Dl^{§ 75}), Tel Amarna mê-at Wkl^{TelAm 20}*; Arabic Sabean ‎מאת‎ ‎מאתם‎ Os^{ZMG x. 1856, 49}; CIS^{iv. i. 6, 4; 46, 6}; ‎מאה‎ Eut^{Sin 457}; Ethiopic ; Aramaic ‎מְאָה‎, ; Palmyrene ‎תלת מאה‎ 300 Vog^{Palm 6, 4}; Nabataean ‎מאה‎ Eut^{Nab 8, 9}); — ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Gen 6:3 + 144 t.; construct ‎מְאַת‎ Gen 5:3 + 30 t. (on ‎מְאַת‎ Eccl 8:12 see 2 d below); plural absolute ‎מֵאוֺת‎ Gen 5:9 + 324 t. (‎מֵאֹת‎ only Gen 5:4; Gen 5:30); ‎המאיות‎ Kt 2Kgs 11:4 + 3 t. 2Kgs 11 dual ‎מָאתַיִם‎ (‎תָ֑יִם‎-) Gen 11:19 + 76 t. (but 1Sam 18:27 read ‎מֵאָה‎ (‎מְאַת‎) ᵐ5 We Dr Kit Bu HPS); — hundred: —

1. as simple number:
a. absolute singular, (I) following by singular of noun enumerated: ‎מֵאָה קְשִׂיטָה‎ Gen 33:19; Josh 24:32 (both E); ‎אִישׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Judg 7:19; 1Kgs 18:13; 2Kgs 4:43 ‎אַמָּה‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Kgs 7:2; Ezek 40:19 +; ‎כִּכָּר‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 2Kgs 23:33; 2Chr 25:6; 2Chr 27:5; 2Chr 36:3; Ezra 8:26 ‎אֶלֶף‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ = 100,000 1Kgs 20:29 + 6 t. Kings Chronicles; compare also Gen 17:17 (P), 2Sam 8:4; Isa 65:20 (twice in verse), and followed by collective noun ‎רֶכֶב‎ 2Sam 8:4 = 1Chr 18:4, ‎צאֹן‎ 1Kgs 5:3* (2) less often followed by plural ‎מֵאָה שְׁעָרִים‎ Gen 26:12 (J), ‎פְּעָמִים‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 2Sam 24:3 = 1Chr 21:3, ‎נְבִיאִים‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Kgs 18:4, etc.; (3) seldom, and late, preceded by plural noun: ‎הָרִמֹּנִים מֵאָה‎ Jer 52:23, ‎אַמּוֺת הַמֵּאָה‎ Ezek 42:2, compare Ezra 2:69; 2Chr 3:16; 2Chr 4:8; 2Chr 29:32 (4) exceptional is ‎מֵאָה לְכִּכָּרִים כְּלֵי כֶסֶף‎ Ezra 8:26 also, with ellipsis, ‎מֵאָה כֶסֶף‎ Deut 22:19 (i.e. shekels); ‎מֵאָה קַיִץ‎ 2Sam 16:1 (i.e. cakes); (5) ‎מֵאָה‎ without noun enumerated, especially = a hundred (men, persons) Judg 20:10 (twice in verse); Amos 5:3 (twice in verse); Lev 26:8 (twice in verse) (H), 1Chr 12:14* ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Prov 17:10 = 100 (blows), Eccl 6:3 = 100 (children), (times). — On Neh 3:1; Neh 12:39 see below
b. absolute dual, (I) foll, by singular, ‎מָאתַיִם אִישׁ‎ 1Sam 18:27; 1Sam 30:10; 2Sam 15:11, ‎לֶחֶם‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Sam 25:18; 2Sam 16:1, ‎צִנָּה‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Kgs 10:16 = 2Chr 9:15, ‎אֶלֶף‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Sam 15:4 +, ‎שָׁנָה‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Gen 11:23 (P); (2) less often followed by plural ‎שְׁקָלִים‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Josh 7:21 (JE), 2Sam 14:26, ‎דְּבֵלִים‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Sam 25:18, ‎אֲנָשִׁים‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 1Sam 30:21, compare Ezra 8:4 (3) also preceded by plural noun: ‎׳‎‎עִוִּים מ‎ Gen 32:15*, ‎׳‎‎רְחֵלִים מ‎ Gen 32:15* (E), ‎׳‎‎הָרִמּוֺנִים מ‎ 1Kgs 7:20, compare 1Chr 15:8; 2Chr 29:32; Ezra 2:65 (4) with ellipsis ‎כֶּסֶף‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Judg 17:4 (5) as predicate, ‎׳‎‎רָאשֵׁיהֶם מ‎1Chr 12:32* (33 van d. H).
c. absolute plural ‎׃מֵא(וֺ)ת‎ — (1) alone, = hundreds, ‎לְמֵאוֺת‎ 1Sam 29:2 by hundreds, so 2Sam 18:4 (both + thousands); especially ‎׳‎‎שָׂרֵי (הַ)מּ‎ captains of (the) hundreds Exod 18:21; Exod 18:25 (E), 2Kgs 11:4; 2Kgs 11:9; 2Kgs 11:10; 2Kgs 11:15 +; (2) multiplied, followed by noun enumerated, in singular: ‎אִישׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎שְׁלשׁ מ‎ Judg 7:6, 300 men, compare vJudg 7:7 vJudg 7:8 vJudg 7:16; Judg 8:4; Exod 12:27 (E), etc.; ‎שָׁנָה‎ ‎׳‎‎אַרְבַּע מ‎ Gen 15:13 (JE) 400 years; ‎אֶלֶף‎ ‎׳‎‎חֲמֵשׁ מ‎ 2Sam 24:9 500,000, compare 2Chr 13:17 ‎רֶכֶב‎ ‎׳‎‎שֵׁשׁ מ‎ Exod 14:7 (J) 600 chariots; ‎אִישׁ שְׁבַע‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Judg 20:15; Judg 20:16 700 men; ‎חָלָל‎ ‎׳‎‎שְׁמֹנֶה מ‎ 2Sam 23:8 800 slain; ‎רֶכֶב‎ ‎׳‎‎תְּשַׁע מ‎ Judg 4:3; Judg 4:13 900 chariots; (3) less often followed by plural noun: ‎שׁוּעָלִים‎ ‎׳‎‎שְׁלשׁ מ‎ Judg 15:4 300 foxes; ‎אֲתוֺנוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎חֲמֵשׁ מ‎ Job 1:3 500 she-asses, etc.; (4) rare, and chiefly late, after plural noun ‎׳‎‎פִּלַגְשִׁים שְׁלשׁ מ‎ 1Kgs 11:3 300 concubines, compare 1Kgs 7:42 = 2Chr 4:13; 1Chr 4:42; 2Chr 14:8* etc.; after n.collective ‎׳‎‎בָּקָר חֲמֵשׁ מ‎ 2Chr 35:9 (5) rare is ‎בַּשֶּׁקֶל‎ ‎׳‎‎חֲמֵשׁ מ‎ Exod 30:24 (P); (6) ellipsis of n., ‎כֶּסֶף‎ ‎׳‎‎שְׁלשׁ מ‎ Gen 45:22 (E), etc.
d. construct singular, only followed by singular, and late: ‎מְאַתשָֿׁנָה‎ Gen 11:10; Gen 21:5; Gen 25:7 (all P) + 25 t. P, 1Chr 25:9; Esth 1:4 (Dr^{Intr. 124}) (also with other numerals, see 2 below); ‎מְאַ֖ת‎ Eccl 8:12 = 100 times ‎(מֵאָה פְּעָמִיםׅ‎, sc. ‎פַּעַם‎, or perhaps only apparently construct (Kö^{ii. 228} compare Ew^{§ 269 b. 279 e}). — Neh 5:11 see 3 below

2. as part of larger number:
a. usually preceding tens and units, (1) with noun expressed once, or not at all, earlier usage, usually with ‎וְ‎ before ten if no unit follows, otherwise without ‎וְ‎ before ten (see Kö^{ii. 218 ff.}): ‎מֵאָה וְעֶשֶׂר שָׂרִים‎ Judg 2:8 ‎שִׁשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ כִּכָּר שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֺת‎ 1Kgs 10:14 666 talents, etc. (exceptions are Neh 7:24 and vNeh 7:31); (2) chiefly late, with noun and ‎וְ‎ repeated: ‎שָׁנָה‎ ‎וְעֶשְׂרִים‎ ‎שָׁנָה‎ ‎מֵאָה‎ ‎שָׁנִים‎ ‎וְשֶׁבַע‎ Gen 23:1 (P) (compare ‎ואלף אמה ומאת אמה‎ SI^5.6 Da^{Expos. Times. May, 1898}).
b. less often, following tens and units, chiefly late, with ‎וְ‎ repeated: — ‎עֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה‎ Num 7:86 (P); ‎שֶׁבַע וּשְׁלשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה‎ Exod 6:16 (P), etc.; with noun after ten and after hundred, ‎חָמֵשׁ וְשִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה וּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֺת שָׁנָה‎ Gen 5:23(P), etc. — On these usages see, further, Kö^{ii. 217 ff.} Da^{Synt. §§ 36 R. 3, 37} (d) Ges ^{§§ 97, 134 and} especially Herner^{Synt. d. Zahlw-rter im AT (1893).}

3. ‎מְאַת הַכֶּסֶף‎ Neh 5:11 = a hundredth part of the money; but read quite possibly ‎מַשַּׁאת‎ the debt (Gei^{Jüd. Zeitschr. viii. 1870, 227 Gr}.)

‎מְאָיוֺת‎ Kt see ‎מֵאָה‎. ‎מַאֲכָל‎, ‎מַאֲכֹ֫לַת‎, ‎מַאֲכֶ֫לֶת‎ see ‎אבל‎. [‎מַאֲמָץ‎, ‎מַאֲמַצִּים‎] see ‎אמץ‎. [‎מַאֲמָר‎] see ‎אָמַר‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References