Massa

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

MASSA. A son of Ishmael (  Genesis 25:14 =   1 Chronicles 1:39 ), representing a North Arabian tribe. Its exact location is unknown, but it seems to be mentioned in an inscription containing a report to king Ashurbanipal of Assyria (b.c. 668 626) of an attack made by the Massorites upon the people of Nebaioth (wh. see). The tribe of Massa would therefore seem to have lived not very far east of Palestine. This view is confirmed by the fact that   Proverbs 31:1-10 is addressed to ‘ Lemuel , king of Massa’ (see RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ), since   Proverbs 30:1-33;   Proverbs 31:1-31 belong to the border-land wisdom of Israel. It is probably not to be read in   Proverbs 30:1 , where the word ‘Massa’ (RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ) is presumably a gloss. Cf. Mesha, p. 607 a .

J. F. M‘Curdy.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 25:14 1 Chronicles 1:30 2 Proverbs 30:1 Proverbs 31:1 Isaiah 13:1 Nahum 1:1 Habakkuk 1:1

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Mas'sa. (Burden). A son of Ishmael.  Genesis 26:14;  1 Chronicles 1:30. His descendants were not improbably the Masani , placed by Ptolemy in the east of Arabia, near the borders of Babylonia.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Son of Ishmael ( Genesis 25:14). (See Lemuel .) The Masani, placed by Ptolemy the geographer E. of Arabia, may have sprung from Massa.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

A memorable spot in the journies of Israel, signifying temptation. See  Genesis 17:2, etc.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

One of the sons of Ishmael.  Genesis 25:14;  1 Chronicles 1:30 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 25:14

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Massa', מִשָּׂא , a Liftiing up, as often; Sept. Μασσῆ ), one of the sons of Ishmael (B.C. post 2061), who became the progenitor of an Arabian clan ( Genesis 25:14;  1 Chronicles 1:30). The tribe is usually, and not improbably, compared with the Masani (Macavol, Ptol. v. 19, 2), inhabiting the Arabian desert towards Babylonia, doubtless the same as the lascei, a nomad tribe of Mesopotamia (Pliny, H. N. 6:30). This would confirm Forster's theory that the twelve sons of Ishmael peopled the whole of the Arabian peninsula (Geogr. of Arabia, 1:284). As Dumah is named in connection with Seir ( Isaiah 21:11), there is some foundation for the opinion that Massa was a kingdom of considerable size, possibly reigned over by king Lemuel ( Proverbs 30:1, הִמִּשָּׂא , "the prophecy"). (See Lemuel). Hitzig arbitrarily locates Dumah in wady el-Kora, about fifty miles south-east of Akabah, and then places Massa between it and Mount Seir (Zeller's Johrbuch, 1844, p. 288). (See Dumah).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mas´a ( משּׂא , massā' , "burden"): Descendant of Abraham through Ishmael (  Genesis 25:14;  1 Chronicles 1:30 ). His people may be the Masani of Ptolemy, having Eastern Arabia near Babylon as their habitat. The marginal reading of the heading to Prov 31 mentions Lemuel as king of Massa. If that reading is accepted, it would seem that a tribe and probably a place were named from Ishmael's descendant. The reading is doubtful, however, for where the phrase recurs in Prov 30 (Revised Version (British and American)) it appears to be a gloss.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Mas´sa, an encampment of the Israelites [WANDERING].