The Hebrew word miqneh means cattle, livestock, or possessions (particularly moveable wealth in the form of animals). It comes from the root qanah (H7069), meaning to acquire or buy. In the ancient Near East, livestock was the primary form of wealth, and miqneh captures both the literal animals and the wealth they represented.
In the pastoral world of the Old Testament, miqneh was foundational to economic and social life. The patriarchs' wealth was measured in cattle, sheep, and camels. Job's restoration was expressed in terms of doubled livestock. The word connects to the broader theological theme of stewardship — all miqneh ultimately belongs to God ('the cattle on a thousand hills are mine,' Psalm 50:10). The Levitical laws surrounding animals also carry theological weight: the animal that stood in the place of the worshiper in sacrifice, and later, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Miqneh thus connects material wealth to sacrificial theology.