Lexical Summary mebusah: Trodden place, trampled Original Word: מְבוּסָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance treading trodden down under foot From buwc; a trampling -- treading (trodden) down (under foot). see HEBREW buwc NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom bus Definition a treading down, subjugation NASB Translation oppressive (2), subjugation (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְבוּסָה noun feminine down-treading, subjugation, גּוֺי קַוקַֿו וּמְבוּסָה Isaiah 18:2,7 a nation of might and of down-treading (Che all-subduing); יוֺם מְהוּמָה וּמְבוּכָה ׳וּמ Isaiah 22:5, compare מְבוּכָה below בוך. Topical Lexicon Concept and Semantic Range מְבוּסָה denotes the trampling that results when armies march, besiege, or plunder. It evokes images of feet crushing grain on the threshing floor, yet in the prophetic writings the term is transferred to the ruthless stomping of peoples and cities. The word carries both the physical sense of pounding and the figurative sense of humiliation and judgment. Each occurrence in Isaiah links trampling with divine intervention: God either allows a land to be trodden or promises to reverse the trampling for His own glory. Old Testament Occurrences 1. Isaiah 18:2 and 18:7 describe “a nation powerful and oppressive” (BSB footnote: “a nation measured and trodden”—מְבוּסָה). Cush is portrayed as a people habitually engaged in subjugation, yet ultimately destined to offer tribute to the LORD on Mount Zion. Historical Context Isaiah 18 addresses diplomats from Cush (ancient Ethiopia or upper Nile regions) who sought to enlist Judah in an anti-Assyrian coalition. The prophet counters their overture with a vision of God’s sovereign timing: He will prune the enemy at the appointed season, and Cush—once a trampler—will become a worshiper. Isaiah 22 belongs to the period when Jerusalem fortified her walls and stored water against an Assyrian siege, yet ignored the call to repentance (Isaiah 22:11–13). The impending trampling underscores that political prudence without spiritual contrition cannot avert divine chastening. Theological Significance 1. Divine Sovereignty over Nations. Mְבּוּסָה reminds readers that the LORD alone determines who is trampled and who tramples. “The LORD of Hosts has purposed it, to defile the pride of all glory” (Isaiah 23:9). Applications for Ministry • Preaching Against Pride: מְבוּסָה is a vivid motif for sermons on the danger of national or personal arrogance. Modern hearers must confront the possibility that their own strategies can invite divine trampling if they eclipse humble reliance on God. Related Terms and Themes • דַּךְ (dak, “crushed”) – concentrates on the broken state resulting from trampling. Summary מְבוּסָה encapsulates God’s authoritative right to humble the lofty and to lift the lowly. Its limited but strategic appearances in Isaiah frame the entire spectrum of divine action—warning, judgment, and eventual restoration—inviting every generation to seek refuge not in political power or human foresight but in the King who alone decides whose feet will tread and whose hearts will bow. Forms and Transliterations וּמְבוּסָ֔ה וּמְבוּסָ֗ה וּמְבוּסָ֜ה ומבוסה ū·mə·ḇū·sāh ūməḇūsāh umevuSahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 18:2 HEB: קַו־ קָ֣ו וּמְבוּסָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ בָּזְא֥וּ NAS: A powerful and oppressive nation KJV: meted out and trodden down, whose land INT: nation A powerful and oppressive Whose divide Isaiah 18:7 Isaiah 22:5 3 Occurrences |
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