Lexical Summary muk: To be low, to be poor, to be impoverished Original Word: מוּךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be waxen poorer A primitive root; to become thin, i.e. (figuratively) be impoverished -- be (waxen) poor(-er). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be low or depressed, to grow poor NASB Translation becomes poor (3), becomes poor (1), poorer (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מוּךְ] verb be low, depressed, grow poor (Late Hebrew id., Niph`al; Aramaic מוּךְ, sink or bend down; compare מָכַח, Syriac  , be brought low, humble); — Qal Perfect consecutive וּמָח Leviticus 27:8 (P); Imperfect יָמוּח Leviticus 25:25,35,39 (all H); Participle מָח Leviticus 25:47 (P): all of impoverished Israelites. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Core Idea The verb מוּךְ depicts a downward movement into poverty so deep that normal means of support are exhausted. It is the slipping from self-sufficiency to utter need, a condition that threatens covenant participation unless mercy intervenes. Context within Leviticus Every appearance of מוּךְ lies in the holiness code of Leviticus 25–27, a section devoted to Sabbath, Jubilee, and consecration. These chapters frame Israel’s life as stewardship under Yahweh’s ownership. Poverty is therefore treated not as fate but as a temporary crisis that summons communal obedience and divine compassion. Socio-economic Implications In an agrarian society land was livelihood. When a brother “becomes destitute and sells some of his property” (Leviticus 25:25), he loses both income and inheritance. The text assumes that economic collapse can strike anyone; its repetition of מוּךְ normalizes, rather than stigmatizes, poverty. At the same time it prescribes mechanisms—redemption of land, interest-free loans, release from debt-slavery—that prevent a permanent underclass. Legal Safeguards for the Vulnerable 1. Kinsman redemption (Leviticus 25:25). These statutes balance personal responsibility with communal obligation, reflecting the divine character: just, merciful, and committed to the dignity of every image-bearer. Theology of Dependence and Redemption The regulations assume that God is Israel’s ultimate Redeemer (Leviticus 25:55). Human kinsmen merely imitate His prior act of grace. Poverty thus becomes a stage on which God’s redemptive nature is displayed; rescue of the poor mirrors the exodus, reinforces covenant solidarity, and foreshadows the greater redemption accomplished in Christ. Christ-centered Implications Jesus identified Himself with the poor (Luke 4:18; 2 Corinthians 8:9). His incarnation embodies the downward movement implied by מוּךְ, yet He rises to redeem others from spiritual destitution. The Jubilee motifs in Leviticus 25 reach their fulfillment in His proclamation of “the year of the Lord’s favor,” offering freedom from sin-debt and restoration of inheritance. Pastoral Applications • Churches should view benevolence as covenant duty, not optional charity. Forms and Transliterations וּמָ֥ךְ ומך יָמ֣וּךְ יָמ֥וּךְ ימוך מָ֥ךְ מך mach māḵ ū·māḵ uMach ūmāḵ yā·mūḵ yaMuch yāmūḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 25:25 HEB: כִּֽי־ יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָכַ֖ר NAS: countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell KJV: If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold INT: If becomes A fellow sell Leviticus 25:35 Leviticus 25:39 Leviticus 25:47 Leviticus 27:8 5 Occurrences |
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