Lexical Summary maos: Rejection, loathing, abhorrence Original Word: מָאוֹס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance refuse From ma'ac; refuse -- refuse. see HEBREW ma'ac NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom maas Definition refuse NASB Translation refuse (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מָאוֺס noun [masculine] refuse סְחִי וּמָאוֺס תְּשִׂימֵנוּ Lamentations 3:45 off scouring and refuse thou makest us. Topical Lexicon Definition and Semantic Range Expresses what is thrown away as worthless—an image of utter contempt, impurity, and rejection. Scriptural Occurrences • Lamentations 3:45 – “You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.” Historical Setting Both instances arise from the aftermath of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The surviving remnant voices the shame of a people whose covenant privileges have been stripped away. “Refuse” captures how Jerusalem, once “the joy of all the earth” (Lamentations 2:15), now lies discarded like garbage, while “utterly rejected” conveys the dread that the Lord’s anger might be final. Theological Significance 1. Covenant Discipline: The word binds physical uncleanness to spiritual rebellion. Israel’s sin made the holy city as detestable as what is swept from a threshing floor (cf. Leviticus 26:14-39). Literary Function in Lamentations The first use is poetic hyperbole describing national humiliation; the second climaxes the book’s final prayer, leaving resolution outside the text and pressing readers to look beyond the ruin toward restoration. Foreshadowing Christ’s Work The Servant “despised and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3) experiences in His passion what Israel only tasted. By bearing reproach outside the camp (Hebrews 13:13), He gathers the discarded and makes them “a chosen people” (1 Peter 2:9). Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Identity in Shame: Believers crushed by guilt or social scorn may echo Lamentations, yet find assurance that God does not discard the contrite (Psalm 51:17). Related Themes Rejection (Isaiah 54:6), uncleanness (Ezra 9:11), divine wrath (Romans 1:18), redemptive reversal (Ephesians 2:12-13). Conclusion The sparse use of מָאוֹס sharpens its impact: God’s people may feel discarded, yet the very lament that names their filth draws them back to the God who alone can cleanse and restore. Forms and Transliterations וּמָא֛וֹס ומאוס מְאַסְתָּ֔נוּ מאסתנו mə’astānū mə·’as·tā·nū measTanu ū·mā·’ō·ws ūmā’ōws umaosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Lamentations 3:45 HEB: סְחִ֧י וּמָא֛וֹס תְּשִׂימֵ֖נוּ בְּקֶ֥רֶב NAS: us mere] offscouring and refuse In the midst KJV: us [as] the offscouring and refuse in the midst INT: offscouring and refuse have made the midst Lamentations 5:22 2 Occurrences |
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