Original Word: מַס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mac
Pronunciation: mahs or mees
Phonetic Spelling: (mas)
KJV: discomfited, levy, task(-master), tribute(-tary)
NASB: forced labor, forced laborers, forced, forced laborer, men subject to forced labor, tribute
Word Origin: [from H4549 (מָסַס - melt)]

1. (properly) a burden (as causing to faint), i.e. a tax in the form of forced labor

discomfited, levy, taskmaster, tributary

Or mic {mees}; from macac; properly, a burden (as causing to faint), i.e. A tax in the form of forced labor -- discomfited, levy, task(-master), tribute(-tary).

see HEBREW macac

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
body of forced laborers, forced service, taskworkers, taskwork, serfdom
NASB Translation
forced (2), forced labor (13), forced laborer (1), forced laborers (5), laborers* (2), men subject to forced labor (1), taskmasters* (1), tribute (1).

I. מַס noun masculine^{1Ki 5:27} usually

collective body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour-band or gang, also (late) forced service, task-work, serfdom ( ᵑ7 מִסָּא, especially in phrase מַסְּקֵי מִיסִּין (implying late and [for Biblical Hebrew] false sense 'tribute,' so Late Hebrew מַעֲלֵי מָסִּים; √ unknown, probably loan-word; follows analogue of ע׳׳ע); — absolute ׳מ 1 Kings 5:27 +; לָמַ֑ס Joshua 17:13 +; הַמַּ֑ס 2 Samuel 20:24 +; plural מִסִּים Exodus 1:11; —

1 labour-band, labour-gang, body of task-workers for public service, formed by levy upon the people by Solomon וַיַּ֫עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שׁלֹמֹה מַס מִכָּליִֿשְׂרָאֵל 1 Kings 5:27, amounting to 30,000 men v.1 Kings 5:27; אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה ׳הַמּ 1 Kings 9:15; ׳וַיַּעֲלֵם שׁ לְמַס עֹבֵד 1 Kings 9:21 and Solomon levied them for a toiling labour-band (compare Genesis 49:15; Joshua 16:10) = ׳לְמַס וַיַּעֲלֵם שׁ2Chronicles 8:8; apparently instituted, earlier, by David, compare וַאֲדֹרָם עַלהַֿמַּ֑ס 2 Samuel 20:24, i.e. had charge of the body of labourers, so 1 Kings 4:6; 1 Kings 5:28; 1 Kings 12:18 2Chronicles 10:18.

2. a. of labour-bands, slave-gangs of Israel in Egypt, only שָׂרֵי מִסִּים Exodus 1:11 (J) gang-overseers.

b. of conquered populations, subject to forced labour: יִהְיוּ לְךָ לָמַס וַעֲבָדוּךָ Deuteronomy 20:11 compare Judges 1:30,33,35 (see GFM), Isaiah 31:8; Lamentations 1:1; so ויהי לְמַס עֹבֵד Joshua 16:10 (compare Genesis 49:15; 1 Kings 9:21); וַיִתְּנוּ אֶתהַֿכְּנַעֲנִי לָמַ֑ס Joshua 17:13, compare (׳וַיָּ֫שֶׂם וגו) Judges 1:28.

3 in General: וַיְהִי לְמַסעֹֿבֵד Genesis 49:15 and he (Issachar) became a slaving labour-band (poem in J; compare Joshua 16:10; 1 Kings 9:21); compare רְמִיָּה תִּהְיֶה לָמַ֑ס Proverbs 12:24 (here apparently of individual)

4 forced service, serfdom (or possibly (in late passage) tribute = enforced payment, compare Late Hebrew, ᵑ7, see above), only of Ahasuerus: ׳וַיָּשֶׂם הַמֶּלֶךְ מַס עַלהָֿאָרֶץ וגו Esther 10:1.

II. מַס see מסס. מֵסַב, מֵסֵב see סבב.

מַסְגֵּר, מִסְגֶּ֫רֶת see סגר.

מַסַּד see יסד. [מִסְדְּרוֺן] see סדר

Meaning and Scope

The term refers to compulsory service exacted by a superior power—whether the corvée labor of citizens, the tribute of subject peoples, or the slave-like tasks imposed by a conqueror. It ranges from agricultural drudgery (Genesis 49:15) to massive state projects (1 Kings 9:15) and oppressive taxation (Esther 10:1).

Patriarchal Foreshadowing

Jacob’s blessing over Issachar offers the first biblical glimpse: “he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant” (Genesis 49:15). In the prophetic style of Genesis 49, forced labor becomes a symbol of trading God-given freedom for material ease—an ominous preview of national compromises that would surface in later eras.

Bondage in Egypt

“So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with forced labor” (Exodus 1:11). Israel’s bitter service under Pharaoh defines the quintessential experience of מַס. It was systematic, large-scale, and intentionally dehumanizing. The memory of this oppression becomes a moral touchstone; later Israelite kings are repeatedly warned not to replicate Egyptian tyranny (Deuteronomy 17:14–20).

Conquest Era Compromises

In the land allotments, several tribes tolerated Canaanite enclaves and converted them into a labor pool rather than obeying the command to remove them (Joshua 16:10; 17:13; Judges 1:28-35). What appeared pragmatic soon proved spiritually corrosive: economic expediency took precedence over covenant purity, and the very peoples left under tribute became snares (Judges 2:1-3).

Royal Administration and National Projects

Solomon institutionalized corvée to build “the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem” (1 Kings 9:15). Thirty thousand Israelites rotated to Lebanon (1 Kings 5:13-14); non-Israelite remnants were drafted permanently (1 Kings 9:21; 2 Chronicles 8:8). Adoniram (also called Hadoram) headed the department (2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 4:6). The arrangement financed unprecedented splendor, yet it seeded popular resentment that later exploded: “Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram… but all Israel stoned him to death” (1 Kings 12:18). Thus מַס stands at the crossroads of royal grandeur and national rupture.

Wisdom and Prophetic Commentary

Proverbs distills a universal principle: “The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor” (Proverbs 12:24). Here מַס becomes a moral metaphor—industriousness grants mastery, sloth invites servitude. Isaiah reverses the picture when foretelling Assyria’s fall: its elite “will become forced labor” (Isaiah 31:8). Lamentations mourns Jerusalem’s downfall in similar terms: “She who was a queen among the provinces has been forced to slave for others” (Lamentations 1:1). In both cases the burden is covenantal judgment: those who refuse God’s yoke eventually bear a harsher one (Jeremiah 2:20).

Imperial Taxation after the Exile

“King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the land, even to its farthest shores” (Esther 10:1). The word now spans the Persian Empire, reminding post-exilic Jews that earthly kingdoms still exact their dues while they await the fullness of divine deliverance.

Theological Motifs

1. Freedom versus servitude: From Exodus forward, redemption is framed as release from מַס. The Exodus therefore prefigures the greater liberation accomplished in Christ (Luke 4:18; John 8:36).
2. Leadership under God: Legitimate authority builds without crushing; illegitimate power treats people as expendable commodities. Solomon’s declining sensitivity to this distinction foreshadows the split kingdom.
3. Judgment and reversal: Nations that enslave others eventually taste the same yoke (Isaiah 14:2; Revelation 13:10).

Ministry and Discipleship Applications

• Guard against spiritual compromise that trades obedience for convenience—Israel’s levies on Canaanites illustrate how half-measures breed long-term bondage.
• Exercise leadership that honors image-bearers; coercive, manipulative ministry models echo Pharaoh, not the Good Shepherd (1 Peter 5:3).
• Proclaim the gospel as emancipation from every form of forced labor—whether sin’s tyranny (Romans 6:16-18) or legalistic religion (Galatians 5:1).
• Cultivate diligence; Proverbs links stewardship to freedom, laziness to servitude.

Summary

מַס traces a storyline from patriarchal warning through Egyptian oppression, tribal shortcomings, royal exploitation, prophetic indictment, and imperial taxation. Every stage accents the same moral: human rulers may impose heavy burdens, but the covenant-keeping God calls His people out of servitude into responsible, joyful service under His gracious rule.

הַמַּ֑ס הַמַּ֔ס הַמַּ֜ס הַמַּֽס׃ המס המס׃ לְמַ֔ס לְמַס־ לָמַ֑ס לָמַ֖ס לָמַ֥ס לָמַֽס׃ למס למס־ למס׃ מִסִּ֔ים מַ֖ס מַ֛ס מס מסים ham·mas hammas lā·mas laMas lāmas lə·mas lə·mas- lemas ləmas ləmas- mas mis·sîm misSim missîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts