Lexical Summary metsolah: Depths, deep places, abyss Original Word: מְצוֹלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bottom, deep, depth Or mtsolah {mets-o-law'}; also mtsuwlah {mets-oo-law'}; or mtsulah {mets-oo-law'}; from the same as tsuwlah; a deep place (of water or mud) -- bottom, deep, depth. see HEBREW tsuwlah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as tsulah Definition depth, deep NASB Translation deep (4), depths (7). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מְצוֺלָה], מְצוּלָה noun feminine depth, deep; — absolute מְצוּלָה Job 41:23 +; plural absolute מְצוֺלֹת Exodus 15:5; Nehemiah 9:11, מְצֹלוֺת Psalm 88:7; construct מְצוּלוֺת Zechariah 10:11, מְצֻלוֺת Micah 7:19; Psalm 68:23; — depth, plural יָם ׳מ depths of the sea Micah 7:19; Psalm 68:23; absolute Exodus 15:5 (of Red Sea) Nehemiah 9:11 (id.); figurative of deep distress Psalm 88:7 ("" בּוֺר תַּחְתִיּוֺת); יְאֹר ׳מ Zechariah 10:11 (i.e. of Nile); singular = the deep sea, deep, Psalm 107:24; Jonah 2:4; Job 41:23 (in hyperbolic description of crocodile); depth of marsh, swamp, ׳בִּיוֵן מ Psalm 69:3 in mire of (the) depth, figurative of distress ("" מַעֲמַקֵּימַֿיִם), compare ׳מ alone Psalm 69:16 ("" בְּאֵר). Topical Lexicon Summary מְצוֹלָה (metsolah) designates the “depths,” usually of the sea, and serves as a powerful motif for the place where God buries His enemies, tests His servants, reveals His wonders, and ultimately removes His people’s sins. Occurrences and Literary Context 1. Deliverance through Judgment 2. The Depths in Personal Lament 3. Manifestations of Divine Power 4. Redemption from the Depths Theological Themes 1. Sovereign Lord of Chaos Ancient Near Eastern cultures feared the sea as chaotic and hostile. Scripture appropriates that imagery, declaring that the LORD alone tames the chaos. When He “hurled their pursuers into the depths” (Nehemiah 9:11), He demonstrated that no cosmic or political power rivals His reign. 2. Judgment and Salvation Intertwined The same depths that judge Egypt preserve Israel; the same flood that threatens Jonah becomes the womb of renewal. Judgment is never arbitrary but serves covenant purposes: purging evil and vindicating faith. 3. Depths as the Extremity of Human Helplessness The psalmists locate despair “where there is no footing” (Psalm 69:2). By crying out from the lowest point, they confess utter dependence. God’s answer from above magnifies grace, proving that “even the darkness is not dark” to Him. 4. Forgiveness Beyond Retrieval Micah’s vision of sins hurled into the depths anticipates the New Covenant promise that God “will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). The irreversible removal of guilt grounds Christian assurance (Romans 8:1). 5. Eschatological Reversal Zechariah 10 and Psalm 68 look forward to a final gathering. The sea—once barrier and grave—becomes a highway of return, prefiguring Revelation 21:1 where “the sea was no more,” symbolizing the eradication of all hostility toward God’s people. Intertestamental and New Testament Echoes • The “sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:40) draws on metsōlāh imagery: Christ descends into the realm of death and rises, proving Him greater than the prophet and sovereign over the deep. Historical and Ministry Significance 1. Worship Hymns such as “It Is Well with My Soul” (“my sin… is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more”) echo Micah 7:19. Congregations can sing with confidence that their failures lie where God Himself has consigned them—beyond recovery. 2. Pastoral Care Those battling depression or guilt often describe feeling “overwhelmed.” Pointing them to Psalm 69 and Psalm 88 validates their experience and directs them to the God who meets His saints in the darkest depths. 3. Missions and Evangelism The Exodus pattern encourages proclamation: as surely as God once sank chariots, He will topple every modern Pharaoh. The gospel is the power that rescues from bondage and buries sin forever. 4. Ethics Because God removes sin so completely, believers are called to forgive “as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). Harboring grudges contradicts the divine pattern of consigning offenses to the depths. Conclusion מְצוֹלָה is more than a nautical term; it is a theological landmark marking the intersection of judgment, mercy, and victory. From the Red Sea to the empty tomb, God’s saving acts repeatedly move from the depths to deliverance, inviting His people to trust Him when waters rise and to rejoice that their sins have sunk for good. Forms and Transliterations בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃ בִּמְצֻל֥וֹת בִּמְצוּלָֽה׃ בִמְצוֹלֹ֖ת בִמְצוֹלֹ֛ת במצולה׃ במצולת במצלות במצלות׃ מְ֭צוּלָה מְצוּל֣וֹת מְצוּלָ֑ה מְצוּלָה֙ מִֽמְּצֻל֥וֹת ממצלות מצולה מצולות bim·ṣō·lō·wṯ ḇim·ṣō·w·lōṯ bim·ṣū·lāh bim·ṣu·lō·wṯ bimṣōlōwṯ ḇimṣōwlōṯ bimṣūlāh bimṣulōwṯ bimtzoLot bimtzuLah bimtzuLot mə·ṣū·lāh mə·ṣū·lō·wṯ məṣūlāh məṣūlōwṯ metzuLah metzuLot mim·mə·ṣu·lō·wṯ mimetzuLot mimməṣulōwṯ vimtzoLotLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 15:5 HEB: יְכַסְיֻ֑מוּ יָרְד֥וּ בִמְצוֹלֹ֖ת כְּמוֹ־ אָֽבֶן׃ NAS: them; They went down into the depths like KJV: them: they sank into the bottom as INT: cover went the depths like A stone Nehemiah 9:11 Job 41:31 Psalm 68:22 Psalm 69:2 Psalm 69:15 Psalm 88:6 Psalm 107:24 Jonah 2:3 Micah 7:19 Zechariah 10:11 11 Occurrences |
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