4178. morat

Lexical Summary

morat: Razor

Original Word: מוֹרָט
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: mowrat
Pronunciation: mo-rat'
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-rawt')
KJV: peeled
Word Origin: [from H3399 (יָרַט - contrary)]

1. obstinate, i.e. independent

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

peeled

From yarat; obstinate, i.e. Independent -- peeled.

see HEBREW yarat

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
the same as marat, q.v.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Imagery

• מוֹרָט paints the picture of something “polished, smoothed, stripped of roughness.” In Isaiah it is applied to human appearance, evoking the sheen of metal that has been burnished or the skin that has been deliberately shaven.
• The idea of deliberate removal of what is superfluous carries moral overtones of refinement, preparation, and suitability for presentation before a king.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Isaiah 18:2 – “Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth-skinned…”
2. Isaiah 18:7 – “At that time a gift will be brought to the LORD of Hosts from a people tall and smooth-skinned…”

Historical and Cultural Background

• The passages set the scene in Cush (Nubia/Ethiopia) during the late eighth century B.C., when that kingdom was asserting influence over Egypt.
• Egyptian and Cushite elites practiced full-body shaving for ritual purity; the prophet’s descriptor would have been instantly recognizable.
• Polished metal was the hallmark of advanced craftsmanship in the Nile region; the same Hebrew word could describe fine bronze shields (compare 1 Kings 14:27 for the verb “polish”). Isaiah therefore fuses two familiar cultural images—gleaming metal and hairless skin—to describe one distinctive people.

Prophetic Context in Isaiah 18

• The “land of whirring wings” rallies the Cushite power bloc to send emissaries against Assyria. Isaiah, however, directs attention away from geopolitical maneuvering to divine sovereignty: the LORD will “watch quietly” (Isaiah 18:4) until He acts in judgment.
• The double use of מוֹרָט brackets the passage, signaling that the same polished people first addressed by Judah’s messengers will later present tribute to Zion’s King. The word functions as a pointer from human intrigue to God’s missionary purpose.

Theological Themes

• Universal lordship: Even the remote, formidable Cushites stand under Yahweh’s reign.
• Missionary anticipation: The movement from verse 2’s political envoys to verse 7’s worshipful pilgrims foreshadows the ingathering of nations (compare Psalm 68:31; Zephaniah 3:10; Acts 8:27-38).
• Purity and preparation: “Polished” flesh suggests removal of defilement, echoing covenant calls to holiness (Leviticus 19:28; 2 Corinthians 7:1).

Practical Ministry Reflection

• God already sees and names every culture, even those perceived as distant. Isaiah’s use of מוֹרָט urges believers to recognize God’s prior claim upon the unreached.
• The Cushites’ transformation—from potential adversaries to worshipful gift-bearers—encourages prayer for current nations in turmoil.
• Gospel proclamation polishes hearts as metal is burnished; it removes what is “rough” so that lives may reflect the glory of Christ (Ephesians 5:26-27).

Related Biblical Parallels

• Psalm 68:31 anticipates “Envoys will arrive from Egypt; Cush will stretch out her hands to God,” echoing the tribute motif.
• Acts 8:27-38 records the salvation of the Ethiopian official, a direct historical fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision of Cushite pilgrimage.
• Revelation 21:24-26 portrays the eschatological consummation when “the nations will walk by its light… and they will bring into it the glory and honor of the nations,” completing the trajectory that begins with the polished people of Isaiah 18.

Summary Insight

מוֹרָט serves as more than an ethnographic adjective; it is a theological signpost. Isaiah boldly employs the image of polished skin to declare that the God of Israel is polishing a people for Himself from every nation—starting, in this oracle, with Cush.

Forms and Transliterations

וּמוֹרָ֔ט ומורט ū·mō·w·rāṭ umoRat ūmōwrāṭ

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 18:2
HEB: גּוֹי֙ מְמֻשָּׁ֣ךְ וּמוֹרָ֔ט אֶל־ עַ֥ם
KJV: scattered and peeled, to a people
INT: A nation tall and peeled to A people

Isaiah 18:7
HEB: עַ֚ם מְמֻשָּׁ֣ךְ וּמוֹרָ֔ט וּמֵעַ֥ם נוֹרָ֖א
KJV: scattered and peeled, and from a people
INT: A people tall and peeled A people feared

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4178
2 Occurrences

ū·mō·w·rāṭ — 2 Occ.