Lexical Summary moqed: Hearth, fire-place, burning place Original Word: מוֹקֵד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance burning, hearth From yaqad; a fire or fuel; abstractly, a conflagration -- burning, hearth. see HEBREW yaqad NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yaqad Definition a burning mass NASB Translation burning (1), hearth (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מוֺקֵד noun [masculine] a burning mass; — absolute עַצְמוֺתַי כְּמוֺקֵד נִחָ֑רוּ Psalm 102:4 my bones are scorched through like a burning mass; plural construct, figurative of ׳יs judgment, מוֺקְדֵי עוֺלָם Isaiah 33:14 ("" אֵשׁ אוֺכֵלָ֔ה). Topical Lexicon Summary of ConceptMoqed evokes the picture of an intense, enduring flame—whether in an altar hearth, in the marrow of one’s bones, or in the consuming judgment of God. Its three occurrences trace a movement from personal lament (Psalm 102:3) to eschatological dread (Isaiah 33:14), allowing Scripture to apply one striking image across varied theological settings. Occurrences in Scripture “For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.” Here the psalmist’s physical frame feels as though set upon a hearth. The image conveys exhaustion, wasting disease, and inward pain, making the lament visceral. The psalm is a prayer “for an afflicted man, when he grows faint” (Psalm 102:1 superscription), and moqed underscores the depth of that affliction. “The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: ‘Who of us can dwell with consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?’” Moqed appears in the phrase “everlasting flames,” portraying divine holiness as a fire none can endure apart from righteousness. The same burning that purifies the faithful consumes the unrepentant. (NOTE: Psalm 102:3 contains the noun twice in parallel clauses in the underlying Hebrew; English translators usually render only one.) Historical Background 1. Temple and sacrificial context Ancient Israel knew perpetual fire on the altar (Leviticus 6:12-13). Moqed naturally drew on that imagery; every worshiper had seen coals glowing on the bronze altar and smelled the rising smoke of atonement. Such sights formed the cultural backdrop for both psalmist and prophet. 2. Near-Eastern associations In surrounding cultures, gods were often pictured enthroned in flames. Scripture redeploys that idea but anchors it in the holiness of the one true God. Isaiah thus presents moqed not as an impersonal force but as the moral presence of Yahweh among His covenant people. Theological Significance 1. Human frailty (Psalm 102) Moqed captures the inner collapse of mortal life, echoing Job’s complaint that his “bones burn with fever” (Job 30:30). The language legitimizes honest lament while directing the sufferer to God, whose unchanging years are contrasted with the psalmist’s fading days (Psalm 102:25-27). 2. Divine judgment and holiness (Isaiah 33) Isaiah’s use of moqed warns that proximity to God is unsafe without cleansing. The immediate context (Isaiah 33:15-16) lists ethical qualities required to withstand the “everlasting flames,” foreshadowing the New Testament insistence on holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and the lake of fire imagery (Revelation 20:14-15). 3. Purification motif Fire in Scripture not only destroys but refines (Malachi 3:2-3; 1 Peter 1:7). Moqed therefore hints at both wrath and grace: what incinerates dross simultaneously purifies gold. The believing heart may find comfort that God’s burning presence, while awesome, ultimately aims to produce righteousness. Typological and Christological Perspective The Psalmist’s burning bones anticipate the Passion, where Jesus, “stricken, smitten by God” (Isaiah 53:4), endured fiery wrath on behalf of sinners. Isaiah’s “everlasting flames” point ahead to the final judgment that Christ alone can satisfy. By bearing that fire, He becomes the refuge promised in Isaiah 33:16: “He will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the fortress of rocks.” Thus moqed, viewed through the cross, magnifies both divine justice and mercy. Ministry Application 1. Pastoral care 2. Discipleship and holiness Exhort congregations to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), recognizing that the same holy fire once resident in the altar now indwells believers by the Spirit (Acts 2:3-4). Pursue purity, knowing that God still searches the marrow of our bones (Hebrews 4:12-13). 3. Evangelism The question “Who of us can dwell with consuming fire?” remains an apologetic doorway. Present Christ as the only mediator who endured and quenched that fire for all who trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Conclusion Moqed serves as a terse but potent reminder that God’s reality is ablaze with both compassion and consuming holiness. It invites the suffering to pour out their hearts, warns the complacent to repent, and calls every disciple to walk in the purifying light of the Lord. Forms and Transliterations כְּמוֹ־ כמו־ מוֹקְדֵ֥י מוקדי קֵ֥ד קד kə·mōw- ked kemov kəmōw- mō·wq·ḏê mokDei mōwqḏê qêḏLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 102:3 HEB: יָמָ֑י וְ֝עַצְמוֹתַ֗י כְּמוֹ־ קֵ֥ד נִחָֽרוּ׃ NAS: have been scorched like a hearth. KJV: and my bones are burned as an hearth. INT: my days and my bones A hearth A hearth have been scorched Psalm 102:3 Isaiah 33:14 3 Occurrences |
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