Original Word: מְזוּזָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mzuwzah
Pronunciation: meh-zoo-zah
Phonetic Spelling: (mez-oo-zaw')
KJV: (door, side) post
NASB: doorposts, doorpost, door post, posts, door posts, post
Word Origin: [from the same as H2123 (זִיז - Abundance)]

1. a door-post (as prominent)

door, side post

Or mzuzah {mez-oo-zaw'}; from the same as ziyz; a door-post (as prominent) -- (door, side) post.

see HEBREW ziyz

Word Origin
from the same as ziz
Definition
a doorpost, gatepost
NASB Translation
door post (2), door posts (1), doorpost (4), doorposts (10), post (1), posts (2).

מְזוּזָה noun feminine door-post, gate-post, absolute ׳מ Exodus 21:6; Isaiah 57:8; construct מְזוּזַת 1 Samuel 1:9; Ezekiel 46:2 + Ezekiel 41:21 (strike out ᵑ6 Co compare ᵐ5 Hi), Ezekiel 45:19 (twice in verse) (in both מְזוּזוֺת ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9 Co); suffix מְזוּזָתִי Ezekiel 43:8, מְזוּזָתָם Ezekiel 43:8; plural מְזוּזוֺת 1 Kings 6:31 2t. (+ Ezekiel 45:19 (twice in verse) Co see above), מְזוּזֹת Exodus 12:7 4t., מְזֻזוֺת Deuteronomy 6:9; Judges 16:3; — door-post, gate-post,

1 of dwelling-house Exodus 12:7 (P), Exodus 12:22; Exodus 12:23; Exodus 21:6 (all J E), Deuteronomy 6:9; Deuteronomy 11:20 compare Isaiah 57:8; also מְּתָחָ֑י ׳מ Proverbs 8:34, מְזוּזָתָם Ezekiel 43:8; of Solomon's house 1 Kings 7:5.

2 of house of ׳י:

a. of the pre-Solomonic sanctuary of ׳י 1 Samuel 1:9.

b. of Solomon's temple 1 Kings 6:33; of the דְּבִיר 1 Kings 6:31.

c. of Ezekiel's temple Ezekiel 41:21 (strike out Co see above), Ezekiel 43:8 (מְזוּזָתִי), הַבַּיִת ׳מ Ezekiel 45:19, שַׁעַר ׳מ Ezekiel 45:9, compare Ezekiel 46:2.

3 of city-gates Judges 16:3.

Physical and Figurative Sense

מְזוּזָה denotes the vertical doorpost or doorframe that flanks an entryway. In Scripture it can refer to the posts of a house (Exodus 12:7), the gate of a city (Judges 16:3), the jambs of the Tabernacle or Temple (1 Kings 6:31), and metaphorically the place of decision or devotion (Proverbs 8:34). Although an ordinary architectural element, the doorpost becomes a stage on which covenant, worship, warning, and hope are displayed.

Passover Origins: The Doorpost as a Place of Deliverance

The first appearance is foundational. On the night of Israel’s redemption, the Lord commanded, “Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and the lintel of the houses where they eat the lambs” (Exodus 12:7). By applying the lamb’s blood to the mezuzah, the Israelites publicly identified with God’s provision of substitutionary atonement. The Destroyer would “pass over the doorway” (Exodus 12:23). Ever after, the doorpost carried Passover’s memory: judgment satisfied, covenant people preserved, and a foreshadowing of the Lamb of God whose blood shields believers.

Covenant Instruction: Writing the Law on Doorposts

Twice Moses commanded Israel to write God’s words “on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:9; 11:20). Placing Scripture upon the mezuzah intertwined daily life with divine truth. Every entrance and exit reminded the family that the Lord is One, that love for Him is total, and that obedience belongs in the home before it reaches the public square. Later Jewish practice enclosed passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21 inside a small case affixed to the doorway; the custom underscores the biblical principle even if the form developed later.

Legal Thresholds: The Doorpost and Bond-Service

Exodus 21:6 illustrates covenant commitment in another sphere: a servant who refused release was brought “to God, and then to the door or doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he will serve him for life.” At the mezuzah the servant’s ear was opened to permanent obedience. The gospel finds an echo here: believers, redeemed yet willingly bound to their Master, acknowledge His lordship at life’s threshold.

Household Protection and Integrity

Judges 16:3 records Samson uprooting Gaza’s gateposts, an act of deliverance and judgment against Philistine oppression. Isaiah 57:8 indicts Israel for placing pagan memorials “behind the door and doorpost,” showing that the mezuzah can become either a testimony of faithfulness or a platform for idolatry. The doorpost therefore calls every generation to guard the doorway of the heart and home.

Temple Architecture: Holiness Defined by the Mezuzah

Solomon’s Temple narrative highlights ornate mezuzot fashioned of olivewood and overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:31, 33; 7:5). These bear carvings of cherubim, palms, and open flowers, proclaiming the holiness that frames approach to God. Ezekiel’s visions likewise linger on doorposts—of the sanctuary (Ezekiel 41:21), of the prince’s gate (Ezekiel 46:2), and of the future Temple where unfaithful kings “set their threshold by My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts” (Ezekiel 43:8). In each scene, the mezuzah delineates what is sacred, warning rulers and worshipers not to blur the boundary between the holy and the profane.

Wisdom Personified at the Door

Proverbs pictures Wisdom standing watch: “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorposts” (Proverbs 8:34). The doorway symbolizes the point of decision where a person chooses companionship with wisdom over folly. Thus the mezuzah marks the meeting place of divine counsel and human response.

Eschatological Cleansing

Ezekiel 45:19 prescribes atonement blood on the Temple doorposts in the future millennial worship system. The rite recalls Passover yet looks forward to a cleansed sanctuary and a purified people. Repeated mention (Ezekiel 43:8; 45:19) stresses that complete restoration will guard every threshold for the glory of God.

Christological Perspective

New Testament writers do not use the term, yet its theology resonates. Jesus is both the Passover Lamb whose blood secures the household (1 Corinthians 5:7) and the Door through which the sheep enter safety (John 10:9). His cross, like the Israelite doorway, bears blood that averts wrath. Moreover, believers’ hearts become temples where God’s law is written, fulfilling the mezuzah’s intent (Hebrews 8:10).

Ministry Applications

1. Family discipleship: Placing Scripture where it is seen and discussed continues the pattern of Deuteronomy. Whether in physical mezuzot, framed verses, or memorization, the principle is to saturate domestic life with God’s word.

2. Spiritual thresholds: Moments of transition—marriage, vocation changes, new homes—offer opportunities to consecrate “doorposts” to the Lord, acknowledging His sovereignty over every entrance and exit.

3. Holiness and hospitality: The mezuzah reminds believers to guard the purity of their homes while opening their doors in gospel welcome, imitating the Passover households that sheltered all within.

4. Worship architecture: Church buildings that frame entrances with biblical art or inscriptions echo the Temple’s testimony, teaching worshipers before a word is spoken.

Summary

Across Scripture the mezuzah stands as a witness: to redemption secured by blood, to law embraced in daily living, to holiness required at every approach to God, and to wisdom waiting at life’s crossroads. From Egyptian night to eschatological dawn, the doorpost proclaims that the Lord reigns over every threshold of human experience.

הַמְּזוּז֔וֹת הַמְּזוּזָ֑ה הַמְּזוּזֹ֑ת הַמְּזוּזֹ֔ת הַמְּזוּזֹ֖ת המזוזה המזוזות המזוזת וְהַמְּזוּז֖וֹת וְהַמְּזוּזָ֔ה וּמְזֽוּזָתָם֙ והמזוזה והמזוזות ומזוזתם מְזוּז֖וֹת מְזוּז֣וֹת מְזוּז֥וֹת מְזוּזַ֔ת מְזוּזַ֖ת מְזוּזַ֣ת מְזוּזָתִ֔י מְזוּזֹ֥ת מזוזות מזוזת מזוזתי ham·mə·zū·zāh ham·mə·zū·zō·wṯ ham·mə·zū·zōṯ hammezuZah hamməzūzāh hammezuZot hamməzūzōṯ hamməzūzōwṯ mə·zū·zā·ṯî mə·zū·zaṯ mə·zū·zō·wṯ mə·zū·zōṯ mezuZat məzūzaṯ mezuzaTi məzūzāṯî mezuZot məzūzōṯ məzūzōwṯ ū·mə·zū·zā·ṯām umezuzaTam ūməzūzāṯām vehammezuZah vehammezuZot wə·ham·mə·zū·zāh wə·ham·mə·zū·zō·wṯ wəhamməzūzāh wəhamməzūzōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts