Lexical Summary ebus: Threshing floor, stall, manger Original Word: אֵבוּס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance crib From 'abac; a manger or stall -- crib. see HEBREW 'abac NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom abas Definition a crib, feeding trough NASB Translation manger (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֵבוּס noun masculineProverbs 14:4 crib (= feeding-trough, on form see Ges§ 84a 12. R.) of ass Isaiah 1:3 (construct); oxen Proverbs 14:4 (absolute); אִםיָֿלִין עַלאֲֿבוֶּס֑ךָ Job 39:9 (of wild-ox). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery אֵבוּס denotes a manger, crib, or feeding-trough—an indispensable fixture wherever oxen, donkeys, or other working animals were kept. By its very nature a manger suggests provision, dependence, and the intimate daily rhythm between master and beast. Scripture employs the object both as a literal element of agrarian life and as a vehicle for moral and spiritual instruction. Historical and Cultural Background In biblical Israel stables were often attached to family dwellings; a stone or wooden אֵבוּס might be recessed into a wall or fashioned as a freestanding trough. Because the welfare of draft animals directly affected plowing, transportation, and harvest, the condition of the manger reflected the diligence or negligence of the household. A well-stocked crib meant forethought and prosperity; an empty one exposed poverty or sloth. Job 39:9 – Divine Sovereignty and Human Limitations “Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?” (Job 39:9). God confronts Job with a creature that will not be domesticated. The rhetorical “your manger” underscores the boundary between what humankind can control and what remains solely under divine command. Job’s inability to compel the wild ox to linger at his trough magnifies the Creator’s incomparable authority. Proverbs 14:4 – Fruitfulness Through Labor and Stewardship “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes by the strength of oxen.” (Proverbs 14:4). The proverb weighs cleanliness against productivity. An unused אֵבוּס stays spotless, yet it also signals barrenness. Conversely, the mess created by feeding oxen is the necessary prelude to a plenteous crop. Wisdom therefore embraces diligent labor, accepting temporary inconvenience for enduring gain. The text also cautions against a façade of orderliness that masks spiritual unfruitfulness (compare John 15:8). Isaiah 1:3 – Spiritual Perception and Covenant Faithfulness “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.” (Isaiah 1:3). Here the manger becomes a moral mirror. Even unreasoning animals recognize the hand that feeds them, yet covenant people have failed to acknowledge their Redeemer. The indictment reveals a tragic reversal: the rational creature shows less gratitude than the beasts it commands. The verse invites sober self-examination regarding awareness of God’s daily mercies (Lamentations 3:23). Intertextual Echoes and Christological Significance Although אֵבוּס appears only in the Hebrew Scriptures, its symbolism reverberates into the New Testament narrative of Luke 2 where the infant Messiah is laid in a manger (Greek φάτνη). Isaiah’s contrast between brute recognition and Israel’s blindness anticipates the paradox of shepherds and Gentile seekers discerning in that lowly trough the promised King, while many of His own people remained unaware (John 1:11). Thus the humble feeding-place becomes a stage upon which divine provision, human dependency, and saving revelation converge. Ministry Application 1. Dependence: Like the ox that returns instinctively to the crib, believers are called to seek daily sustenance in the Word and presence of God (Matthew 4:4). Summary אֵבוּס, though mentioned only three times, conveys enduring lessons: God’s unrivaled sovereignty, the fruitful cost of faithful work, and the call to grateful recognition of divine provision. From Job’s wild ox to Isaiah’s indictment and the exemplary wisdom of Proverbs, the manger invites every generation to acknowledge the Giver, embrace diligent stewardship, and behold in humble settings the unfolding purposes of God. Forms and Transliterations אֲבוּסֶֽךָ׃ אֵב֣וּס אבוס אבוסך׃ ’ă·ḇū·se·ḵā ’ăḇūseḵā ’ê·ḇūs ’êḇūs avuSecha eVusLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 39:9 HEB: יָ֝לִ֗ין עַל־ אֲבוּסֶֽךָ׃ NAS: will he spend the night at your manger? KJV: to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? INT: spend and crib Proverbs 14:4 Isaiah 1:3 3 Occurrences |
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