Lexical Summary maaratsah: Terror, dread, fear Original Word: מַעֲרָצָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance terror From arats; violence -- terror. see HEBREW arats NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom arats Definition an awful shock, a crash NASB Translation terrible crash (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַעֲרָצָה noun feminine awful shock, crash; — Isaiah 10:33, of ׳י's lopping off (tree-)crown (figurative). Topical Lexicon Linguistic and Imagery Overview Although the noun appears only once, it evokes the vivid scene of a lumberjack’s decisive swing. The single usage pictures whole limbs crashing down in a forest, an image deliberately chosen to dramatize the sudden removal of human arrogance. Biblical Setting Isaiah 10 moves from God’s chastening of His own people (verses 1–11) to His turning of the sword against the very empire He had temporarily employed—Assyria (verses 12–19). Having traced the invader’s march through Judah (verses 28–32), the prophet climaxes with the declaration that the LORD of Hosts will “lop off the branches with terrifying power” (Isaiah 10:33). מַעֲרָצָה depicts that lethal swing. In the next verse the prophet extends the arboreal symbolism to include Lebanon’s cedars, renown for height and strength. Together the two verses form a picture of total political and military deforestation: every proud trunk and towering limb of Assyria is toppled by Yahweh’s axe. Historical Background By 701 B.C. Assyria under Sennacherib had become the axe in God’s hand (Isaiah 10:5). Yet hubris infected the empire: “By the strength of my hand I have done this” (Isaiah 10:13). In response, the God who raised the axe now wields it against the axe-bearer. מַעֲרָצָה encapsulates the pivot from instrument to victim. Assyria’s fall began within a generation, and by 609 B.C. its capital lay in ruins, confirming Isaiah’s oracle. Theological Emphases 1. Divine sovereignty—The same Lord who authorizes foreign powers also restrains and removes them. The singular noun underscores the ease with which God accomplishes what armies cannot. Prophetic and Messianic Flow Isaiah 11 immediately introduces the “shoot from the stump of Jesse.” The connection is intentional: once every boastful branch is felled, a humble sapling—Messiah—grows. מַעֲרָצָה therefore serves the larger literary strategy of clearing the stage for the Davidic Redeemer. Ministry Applications • Preaching—Use the image to warn against institutional or personal pride. Even God-used ministries can be removed when self-exaltation supplants dependence. Intertextual Echoes Jeremiah 46:22–23 and Ezekiel 31:3–14 pick up Isaiah’s lumberyard motif to announce later judgments. Revelation 18 echoes the same principle: Babylon’s lofty merchants collapse “in a single hour.” The lone Hebrew noun thus reverberates through Scripture, illustrating a consistent divine pattern—when nations, leaders, or believers tower in self-confidence, the heavenly Woodman still swings the axe. Forms and Transliterations בְּמַעֲרָצָ֑ה במערצה bə·ma·‘ă·rā·ṣāh bəma‘ărāṣāh bemaaraTzahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 10:33 HEB: מְסָעֵ֥ף פֻּארָ֖ה בְּמַעֲרָצָ֑ה וְרָמֵ֤י הַקּוֹמָה֙ NAS: the boughs with a terrible crash; Those also who are tall KJV: the bough with terror: and the high ones INT: will lop the bough A terrible are tall stature 1 Occurrence |
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