4062. madhebah
Lexical Summary
madhebah: Treasure, Gold

Original Word: מַדְהֵבָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: madhebah
Pronunciation: mad-hay-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mad-hay-baw')
KJV: golden city
Word Origin: [perhaps from the equivalent of H172 (אָהֳלִיבָּה אָהֳלִיבָּהּ - Oholibah)2]

1. goldmaking, i.e. exactness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
golden city

Perhaps from the equivalent of dhab; goldmaking, i.e. Exactness -- golden city.

see HEBREW dhab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
see marhebah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַרְהֵבָה noun feminine boisterous, raging, behaviour; — Isaiah 14:4; so read (for ᵑ0 מַדְהֵבָה) Thes and most, after ᵐ5; "" נגשׂ (compare Isaiah 3:5).

רהג (√ of following; Arabic is raise (dust, a tumult, conflict, etc.), Lane).

Topical Lexicon
Translation and Range of Meaning

Although rendered variously as “oppressor,” “agitator,” or “golden city,” the term centers on the idea of aggressive, pride-filled domination. The nuance captures both the inner arrogance that drives tyranny and the outward extraction of wealth and security from weaker peoples.

Occurrence in Scripture

Isaiah 14:4 is the sole attestation: “How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!” (Berean Standard Bible). The word stands at the head of the prophetic taunt against the king of Babylon, framing the entire oracle.

Historical Background

Isaiah ministers during the rise of the Neo-Assyrian power, yet he foresees Babylon’s ascendancy and fall. In the Near Eastern world, Babylon symbolized ostentatious wealth, forced tribute, and religious arrogance. The single use of מַדְהֵבָה embodies that reputation. Whether the word pictures Babylon as a “gold-laden city” or as a ruthless “oppressor,” both senses fit the empire that drained conquered nations of their treasures while boasting in its own splendor (compare Isaiah 39:1-6; Habakkuk 2:5-8).

Themes of Oppression and Pride

1. Arrogance invites divine reversal. Isaiah 14:4 introduces a song that culminates in the fall of the proud (Isaiah 14:12-15). The term therefore becomes shorthand for every self-exalting power that imagines itself secure.
2. Economic exploitation as moral evil. The picture of extracting gold or enforcing heavy tribute links political oppression with theft (Jeremiah 51:13).
3. God’s sovereignty over nations. The sudden cessation of the מַדְהֵבָה underscores that empires end precisely when the LORD decrees (Isaiah 14:22-23).

Prophetic and Canonical Connections

• The word resonates with the “taunt” genre later echoed by Habakkuk 2:6-20 against Babylon and Revelation 18:1-19 against “Babylon the Great.”
• Isaiah’s oracle anticipates the downfall language used for Tyre (Ezekiel 28:5-8) and Nineveh (Nahum 3:1-7). Each oppressive city is toppled despite apparent invincibility.
• The motif of seized wealth reappears in Exodus 12:35-36 and Zechariah 14:14, texts that portray the LORD redistributing plunder to vindicate His people.

Christological and Eschatological Significance

Jesus declares in Luke 4:18 that He has been anointed “to proclaim liberty to the captives,” echoing Isaiah’s liberation theme. The final abolition of every מַדְהֵבָה-like power reaches its climax in Revelation 19:1-3 when heaven rejoices over the downfall of the last global oppressor. Thus Isaiah 14:4 foreshadows both Christ’s first-coming deliverance from sin’s tyranny and His second-coming judgment on human pride.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Preaching: The word exposes the spiritual pathology of pride and exploitation; sermons can press hearers to repent of subtler forms of domination—financial, relational, or ecclesial.
• Pastoral care: Victims of oppression draw hope from the certainty that the LORD ends every מַדְהֵבָה.
• Missions and social action: The text sanctions efforts to oppose human trafficking, economic injustice, and corrupt governance, aligning with Isaiah’s vision of righteous rule.
• Worship: Hymns and prayers may incorporate the language of Isaiah 14:4 to celebrate God’s triumph over arrogant powers and to anticipate the consummation of His kingdom.

Summary

מַדְהֵבָה functions as a potent emblem of Babylonian pride and rapacity. Its single biblical appearance anchors a sweeping prophecy that affirms God’s unfailing commitment to humble the lofty, liberate the oppressed, and establish everlasting righteousness through the reign of His Messiah.

Forms and Transliterations
מַדְהֵבָֽה׃ מדהבה׃ maḏ·hê·ḇāh maḏhêḇāh madheVah
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Englishman's Concordance
Isaiah 14:4
HEB: נֹגֵ֔שׂ שָׁבְתָ֖ה מַדְהֵבָֽה׃
KJV: ceased! the golden city ceased!
INT: the oppressor has ceased city

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4062
1 Occurrence


maḏ·hê·ḇāh — 1 Occ.

4061
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