Lexical Summary maakoleth: Food, provision Original Word: מַאֲכֹלֶת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fuel From 'akal; something eaten (by fire), i.e. Fuel -- fuel. see HEBREW 'akal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom akal Definition fuel NASB Translation fuel (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַאֲכֹּ֫לֶת noun feminine fuel construct, only אֵשׁ ׳מַא Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 9:18. Topical Lexicon Semantic field and imagery מַאֲכֹלֶת combines the idea of “something eaten” with its vivid metaphorical extension, “that which a fire consumes.” Scripture uses the term not for food on a table but for the combustible material that “feeds” a flame. The image is intentionally ironic: what ordinarily sustains life is here what sustains destruction. Occurrences in Isaiah • Isaiah 9:5 – In the oracle against proud nations, “every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.” Combat gear that once symbolized military might becomes mere מַאֲכֹלֶת, powerless before the LORD’s purging flame. Military context The word appears in a passage describing the end of warfare (Isaiah 9:4-5). Boots, garments, and weaponry that once asserted dominance are destined for the flames. מַאֲכֹלֶת thus underscores the futility of trusting in arms; what men prize for security God reduces to kindling when He ushers in the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). Theology of divine judgment Fire in Scripture often conveys God’s holiness in action (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). By calling the combustible debris מַאֲכֹלֶת, Isaiah presents judgment as an inevitable consumption: sin is “devoured,” the land “scorched,” and the people themselves become the fire’s sustenance. The word links moral corruption with self-destruction—evil does not merely suffer judgment; it feeds it. Connection to sacrificial worship Burnt offerings on the altar were totally consumed, prefiguring complete consecration (Leviticus 1:9). While מַאֲכֹלֶת is not used of sacrifices, the shared concept of total consumption sharpens Isaiah’s contrast: what should have been offered in worship is forfeited in wrath. The nation’s polluted deeds are incinerated rather than accepted. Christological and eschatological foreshadowing The immediate context of Isaiah 9 moves from burning battlefield remnants to the birth of the Messianic King. The shift anticipates the Gospel: Christ ends hostilities by bearing judgment in Himself (1 Peter 2:24), so that believers need not become מַאֲכֹלֶת in the final fire (2 Peter 3:7-13). The term therefore highlights both the certainty of wrath and the grace that delivers from it. Pastoral application 1. Idolatry of might: Any reliance on human strength is destined for the flames; believers are called to “be strong in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:10). Related terms and themes • אֵשׁ (fire) – agent of judgment and holiness. Together they frame מַאֲכֹלֶת as a sober reminder that whatever does not submit to God’s reign ultimately serves only as fuel for His purifying justice. Forms and Transliterations כְּמַאֲכֹ֣לֶת כמאכלת מַאֲכֹ֥לֶת מאכלת kə·ma·’ă·ḵō·leṯ kəma’ăḵōleṯ kemaaCholet ma’ăḵōleṯ ma·’ă·ḵō·leṯ maaCholetLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 9:5 HEB: וְהָיְתָ֥ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֖ה מַאֲכֹ֥לֶת אֵֽשׁ׃ NAS: will be for burning, fuel for the fire. KJV: but [this] shall be with burning [and] fuel of fire. INT: will be for burning fuel the fire Isaiah 9:19 2 Occurrences |
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