Lexical Definition

‎מֵעֶה‎ mêʻeh (may-aw') belly ^H:N-M
from an unused root probably meaning to be soft

belly, bowels, [idiom] heart, womb.

• used only in plural the intestines, or (collectively) the abdomen, figuratively, sympathy
• by implication, a vest
• by extension the stomach, the uterus (or of men, the seat of generation), the heart (figuratively)

1) internal organs, inward parts, bowels, intestines, belly
1a) inward parts
1b) digestive organs
1c) organs of procreation, womb
1d) place of emotions or distress or love (fig.)
1e) external belly

See Greek: κοιλία

Extended Information

• Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (‎מ‎ְ‎ע‎ָ‎א‎ "belly" מְעָה)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[‎מֵעֶה‎] noun masculine^{Isa 16:11} only plural internal organs, inward parts (intestines, bowels), belly (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic ‎מְעָא‎, ‎מַעֲיָא‎, , ; Arabic ; Ethiopic ; — on form compare Lag^{BN 156} Ba^{ZMG xiii. 1888, 345}); — plural [‎מֵעִים‎] construct ‎מְעֵי‎ Ps 71:6 + 3 t.; suffix ‎מֵעַי‎ 2Sam 16:11 + 9 t., ‎מֵעָ֑י‎ Ps 22:15*; Ps 40:9* ‎מֵעֶיךָ‎ Gen 15:4 + 6 t.; ‎מֵעַיִךְ‎ Gen 25:23; Num 5:22 ‎מֵעָיו‎ 2Sam 20:10 + 5 t.; ‎מֵעֵיהֶם‎ Ezek 7:19 —

1. literally:
a. ‎וַיִּשְׁפֹּךְ מֵעָיו אַ֫רְצָה‎ 2Sam 20:10 and he poured out his inward parts on the ground (through a wound); compare ‎׳‎‎מַחֲלֵה מ‎ 2Chr 21:15; 2Chr 21:18, ‎׳‎‎יָָֽצְאוּ מ‎ v2Chr 21:15 v2Chr 21:19.
b. as digestive organs, but without precision, nearly = stomach, belly, Job 20:14; Ezek 3:3 (|| ‎בֶּטֶן‎), Ezek 7:19 (|| ‎נֶפֶשׁ‎; both with ‎מָלֵא‎), Num 5:22 so of fish that swallowed Jonah Jonah 2:1*; Jonah 2:2*.

2. source of procreation: ‎אשׁר יצא‎ ‎׳‎‎מִמּ‎ (said of offspring) Gen 15:4 (JE), 2Sam 7:12 (|| ‎זַרְעֲךָ‎), 2Sam 16:11 ‎׳‎‎צֶאֱצָאֵי מ‎ Isa 48:19 (|| id.); ‎׳‎‎מִיצִיאֵי מ‎ 2Chr 32:21.

3. = womb, ‎שְׁנֵי לְאֻמִּים מִמֵּעַיִח יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ‎ Gen 25:23 (J; || ‎בֶּטֶן‎), compare Isa 49:1 (|| id.), Ps 71:6 (|| id.), Ruth 1:11.

4. in general = inwards, inward part, ‎׳‎‎לִבִּי ֗֗֗ נָמֵס בְּתוֺךְ מ‎ Ps 22:15*, compare ‎׳‎‎תּוֺרָֽתְךָ בְּתוֺךְ מ‎ Ps 40:9*.

5. figurative = seat of emotions: pity, Isa 16:11 (|| ‎קֶרֶב‎); of God's compassion, Jer 31:20 (|| ‎רחם‎; in both subject of verb ‎הָמוּ‎); ‎הֲמוֺן מֵעֶיךָ‎ Isa 63:15 (|| ‎רַחֲמֶיךָ‎); distress, Jer 4:19 (twice in verse) (|| ‎לֵב‎, ‎מֵעַי חֳמַרְמָרוּ‎ Lam 1:20 (|| ‎לֵב‎), Lam 2:11 (|| ‎כָּבֵד‎ liver); ‎מֵעַי רֻתְּחוּ‎ Job 30:27 (dubious, see Bu); love, ‎מֵעַי הָמוּ עָלָיו‎ Song 5:4.

6. the external belly, ‎מֵעָיו עֶשֶׁת שֵׁן‎ Song 5:14.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References