Lexical Summary mebuqah: Emptiness, Desolation Original Word: מְבוּקָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance void From the same as buwqah; emptiness -- void. see HEBREW buwqah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as buqah Definition emptiness NASB Translation desolate (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְבוּקָה noun feminine id., Nahum 2:11 see above Topical Lexicon Etymology and Basic Sense מְבוּקָה conveys the idea of utter emptiness, void, or evacuation. In context it pictures a scene left stripped, hollow, and lifeless after an overwhelming catastrophe. Biblical Occurrence and Context Nahum 2:10: “She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale.” The prophet Nahum foretells the ruin of Nineveh. The piling up of synonymous terms—“emptied … desolate … laid waste”—culminates in מְבוּקָה to stress total depletion. This single use gives the word a dramatic intensity; it stands as the climactic declaration that nothing remains of the proud Assyrian capital once divine judgment falls. Historical Background Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, epitomized cruelty and arrogance in the eighth–seventh centuries B.C. Its armies had devastated Israel and threatened Judah. By 612 B.C. the combined forces of the Medes and Babylonians breached its walls. Nahum’s prophecy, probably delivered decades earlier, describes that downfall with prophetic precision. Archaeological layers at Kuyunjik reveal burn lines, smashed structures, and looted granaries—material echoes of the “emptied” city Nahum foresaw. Literary Function within Nahum 1. Intensification: Nahum structures 2:10 as a triplet of devastation, reserving מְבוּקָה for the final blow. Theological Significance 1. Divine Justice: מְבוּקָה underscores that God’s retribution is exhaustive. “The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Nahum 1:3). Canonical Echoes Though the term itself appears only once, its theme resonates: Jerusalem’s streets “sit desolate” (Lamentations 1:1) and Babylon becomes “a haunt for jackals” (Isaiah 13:22). מְבוּקָה forms part of this prophetic vocabulary of emptiness following judgment. Application for Ministry Today 1. Proclamation: Preachers may employ מְבוּקָה to warn against persistent sin, emphasizing that unrepentant hearts may one day find themselves spiritually vacated. Reflection and Prayer Meditating on מְבוּקָה invites believers to examine whether their security rests in fleeting structures or in the LORD, who alone fills the void with enduring hope through Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations וּמְבוּקָ֖ה ומבוקה ū·mə·ḇū·qāh ūməḇūqāh umevuKahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Nahum 2:10 HEB: בּוּקָ֥ה וּמְבוּקָ֖ה וּמְבֻלָּקָ֑ה וְלֵ֨ב NAS: She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste! KJV: She is empty, and void, and waste: INT: is emptied is desolate and waste Hearts 1 Occurrence |
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