ma.en denotes a person's refusal to carry out a stated action, such as releasing, sending, or going out.

The attested use describes a person's refusal to do a specified action: releasing or sending people in Exodus 10:4 and Exodus 9:2, and going out in Jeremiah 38:21.

1. Refusal to perform a specified action · dominant

   The same Piel active participle form occurs in conditional clauses. In Exodus 10:4 the APB renders the clause "if you refuse to let my people go," and in Exodus 9:2, "if you refuse to send them"; in Jeremiah 38:21 it renders, "if you refuse to go out."

   Exodus 10:4Exodus 9:2Jeremiah 38:21

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across all three verses, the APB presents the clause with "refuse," followed by the action not undertaken: letting people go, sending them, or going out. The verse is read as a whole.