Lexical Summary mabbat or mebbat: Look, gaze, regard, view Original Word: מַבָּט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance expectation Or mebbat {meb-bawt'}; from nabat; something expected, i.e. (abstractly) expectation -- expectation. see HEBREW nabat NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nabat Definition expectation NASB Translation expectation (1), hope (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מַבָּט] noun masculineZechariah 9:5 expectation = object of hope or confidence (literally thing looked to); — suffix מַבָּטֵנוּ Isaiah 20:6, מַבָּטָם Isaiah 20:5, מֶבָּטָהּ Zechariah 9:5; — of Cush as ally of Judah Isaiah 20:5,6; of Tyre as ally of l'hilistia Zechariah 9:5. Topical Lexicon Overview מַבָּט (mabbat) highlights what people fix their gaze upon as their ground of safety, prestige, or future security. By selecting this rare noun only three times, the Spirit alerts readers to the deadly seriousness of misplaced confidence and to the living alternative of trust in the Lord. Scriptural Usage • Isaiah 20:5 – “Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.” In each passage mabbat is rendered “hope,” “source of hope,” or “object of hope”. The term appears in prophetic warnings where the nations’ confident gaze rests on political allies, fortified cities, or idolatrous deities rather than on the covenant God. Historical Context Isaiah addresses the early eighth-century B.C. crisis in which Judah eyed Egypt and Cush as potential saviors against Assyria. Zechariah speaks after the exile, foretelling the downfall of Philistine strongholds that trusted in their own strength. Both moments expose a recurring temptation: securing national or personal futures by human strategies divorced from faith. Theological Emphasis 1. False hopes collapse. The prophecies envision shame, dismay, and withering—graphic outcomes that underline divine sovereignty over geopolitical realities (compare Psalm 118:8-9). Ministry Significance • Preaching: Mabbat supplies a concise biblical vocabulary for addressing modern idols—economics, technology, alliances—anything that claims ultimate trust. Echoes in the New Testament The warning against misplaced mabbat finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who embodies the “hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Paul contrasts earthly confidences with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:3-8), echoing Isaiah’s critique of reliance on Egypt. Peter urges believers to “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13), transferring the prophetic call into the eschatological horizon. Contemporary Application Believers confront subtle forms of Egypt and Philistia—careers, medical advances, governmental systems—which, though good, must not become ultimate hopes. Mabbat invites continual heart-examination: where do we instinctively turn when threatened? The antidote is deliberate fixation on God’s character and promises, cultivating habits of prayer, Scripture meditation, and corporate worship that redirect our gaze. Summary מַבָּט exposes the fragility of every human refuge and beckons all generations to anchor their expectation in the living God, whose covenant faithfulness never fails. Forms and Transliterations מֶבָּטָ֑הּ מַבָּטֵ֗נוּ מַבָּטָ֔ם מבטה מבטם מבטנו mab·bā·ṭām mab·bā·ṭê·nū mabbaTam mabbāṭām mabbaTenu mabbāṭênū meb·bā·ṭāh mebbaTah mebbāṭāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 20:5 HEB: וָבֹ֑שׁוּ מִכּוּשׁ֙ מַבָּטָ֔ם וּמִן־ מִצְרַ֖יִם NAS: of Cush their hope and Egypt KJV: of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt INT: and ashamed of Cush their hope because and Egypt Isaiah 20:6 Zechariah 9:5 3 Occurrences |
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