Lexical Summary mahpeketh: Overthrow, Overturning Original Word: מַהְפֶּכֶת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance prison, stocks From haphak; a wrench, i.e. The stocks -- prison, stocks. see HEBREW haphak NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom haphak Definition stocks (instrument of punishment) NASB Translation prison* (1), stocks (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַהְמֶּ֫כֶת noun feminine stocks or similar instrument of punishment (compelling crooked posture, or distorting), mentioned rather late; as punishment for Jeremiah אֲשֶׁר בְּשֹׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן ׳הַמּ Jeremiah 20:2 (ᵐ5 εἱς τὸν καταράκτην κ.τ.λ.), compare ׳אֶלהַֿמּ Jeremiah 29:26 (ᵐ5 εἰς τὸ ἀπόκλεισμα; "" אֶלהַֿצִּינֹק, ᵐ5 εἰς τὸν καταράκτην, but order of words perhaps reversed in ᵐ5); הַמַּהְמָּ֑כֶת Jeremiah 20:3; בֵּית הַמַּהְמֶּכֶת assigned also to Asa's time 2 Chronicles 16:10 (ᵐ5 εἰς φυλακήν; ᵐ5L εἰς οἶκον φυλακῆς; compare Acts 16:24, where εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν φυλακήν, + εἰς τὸ ξύλον). Topical Lexicon Instrument of Confinement and Shame The mahpeketh was a rigid wooden or metal frame that clamped the ankles—and sometimes wrists or neck—forcing the body into a painful posture. Placed in public settings, it advertised both the crime and the disgrace of the offender. Because the device immobilized without the expense of a full prison, officials used it to silence and humiliate with maximum visibility and minimum cost. Biblical Occurrences 2 Chronicles 16:10 records that King Asa, angered by Hanani’s prophetic rebuke, “put him in prison,” indicating deliberate public humiliation rather than simple detention. Jeremiah 20:2-3 describes Pashhur striking Jeremiah and confining him “in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin.” After one night Jeremiah is released, immediately pronouncing judgment: “The LORD has called you not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side” (verse 3), illustrating how divine truth outlasts coercion. Jeremiah 29:26 shows Shemaiah urging that Jeremiah be bound “in the stocks and collar,” demonstrating ongoing resistance to God’s word even among exiles. Historical and Cultural Background Excavations in Egypt and Mesopotamia reveal similar contraptions dated to the first millennium B.C., confirming that public stocks were a common judicial tool. Within Israel, their use often signified leadership departing from covenantal justice and resorting to intimidation when confronted by inconvenient prophecy. Prophetic Persecution and Divine Vindication Every mahpeketh scene follows the same contour: This pattern underscores that the word of the LORD remains unstoppable despite physical restraints. Lessons for Ministry 1. Faithful proclamation invites opposition; suffering is not necessarily evidence of failure. Foreshadowing New Testament Suffering The mahpeketh foreshadows the Philippian jailer’s stocks that held Paul and Silas (Acts 16:24). Just as their songs at midnight echoed Jeremiah’s unbroken resolve, so the episode teaches that “the word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9). Theological Reflections Mahpeketh scenes confront readers with a choice between siding with the persecuted truth-speaker or the powerful suppressor. They remind believers that public shame does not invalidate divine commission and that, in God’s economy, the one in stocks may be the true herald of freedom. Forms and Transliterations הַמַּהְפֶּ֔כֶת הַמַּהְפֶּ֖כֶת הַמַּהְפֶּ֗כֶת הַמַּהְפָּ֑כֶת המהפכת ham·mah·pā·ḵeṯ ham·mah·pe·ḵeṯ hammahPachet hammahpāḵeṯ hammahPechet hammahpeḵeṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Chronicles 16:10 HEB: וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֙הוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית הַמַּהְפֶּ֔כֶת כִּֽי־ בְזַ֥עַף KJV: and put him in a prison house; INT: and put house A prison for was enraged Jeremiah 20:2 Jeremiah 20:3 Jeremiah 29:26 4 Occurrences |
    |