Mazzaloth
/ˈmæz.ə.lɒθ/noun
A biblical term traditionally understood as referring to constellations or the signs of the zodiac.
Did you know?Mazzaloth appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Job 38:32, where God challenges Job’s ability to control the celestial order.
Etymological Timeline
2nd–1st Millennium BCE
Akkadian
manzaltu
“A station or position, especially a celestial station; often proposed as an ancestor of the Hebrew astronomical term.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מַזָּלוֹת (mazzālōṯ)
“A plural term associated with constellations or the ordered stars.”
c. 6th–5th Century BCE
Hebrew Bible
mazzālōṯ
“The celestial bodies or constellations mentioned in Job 38:32, whose seasonal order lies beyond human control.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek Septuagint
μαζουρωθ (mazourōth)
“A transliterated or adapted form preserved in the Greek biblical tradition.”
4th Century CE
Latin Vulgate
luciferum
“Jerome’s rendering in Job 38:32, commonly interpreted as referring to the morning star or a star-group rather than preserving the Hebrew name.”
1611
English
Mazzaroth
“The King James Bible’s English transliteration; later forms such as Mazzaloth reflect alternate transliterations and interpretations.”