4878. meshubah
Lexicon
meshubah: Backsliding, apostasy, faithlessness

Original Word: מְשׁוּבָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mshuwbah
Pronunciation: meh-shoo-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mesh-oo-baw')
Definition: Backsliding, apostasy, faithlessness
Meaning: apostasy

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
backsliding, turning away

Or mshubah {mesh-oo-baw'}; from shuwb; apostasy -- backsliding, turning away.

see HEBREW shuwb

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from shub
Definition
turning back, apostasy
NASB Translation
apostasies (3), apostasy (2), faithless (4), faithlessness (1), turning (1), waywardness (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מְשׁוּבָה], מְשֻׁבָה noun feminine turning back, apostasy; — absolute מְשֻׁבָה Jeremiah 3:6 +; construct מְשׁוּבַת Proverbs 1:32; suffix מְשׁוּבָתָם Hosea 14:5; plural suffix מְשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶם Jeremiah 3:22, etc.; — backturning, apostasy, of Israel, Hosea 14:5, מְשׁוּבָתִי Hosea 11:7 apostasy from me (si vera lectio); of Judah Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 3:22; Jeremiah 5:6; Jeremiah 8:5; Jeremiah 14:7 (all plural) + Ezekiel 37:33 (read מְשׁוּבֹתֵיהֶם for ׳מוֺשְׁ, ᵐ5 Comm.); נִצַחַת ׳מ Jeremiah 8:5 enduring, perpetual apostasy; also as noun concrete, apposition of following word, ׳מְשֻׁבָה יִשׂ Jeremiah 3:6,8,11,12 apostate one, Israel. Of individual, מְשׁוּבַת מְּתָיִם Proverbs 1:32.

Topical Lexicon
Word Origin: Derived from the root שׁוּב (shuv), meaning "to turn back" or "to return."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G91 (ἀδικέω, adikeo): To do wrong, to act unjustly. While not a direct equivalent, this term can relate to the concept of turning away from righteousness.
- G266 (ἁμαρτία, hamartia): Sin, offense. This term is often used in the New Testament to describe the state of sinfulness, which can be seen as a form of apostasy or turning away from God.

Usage: The term מְשׁוּבָה appears in the Hebrew Bible primarily in the context of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. It is often used by the prophets to describe the nation's spiritual rebellion and tendency to turn away from their covenant relationship with Yahweh.

Context: The Hebrew term מְשׁוּבָה (meshubah) is a significant theological concept in the Old Testament, particularly in the prophetic literature. It is frequently used to describe the spiritual state of Israel when the people turn away from God and His laws, often resulting in moral and social decay. This term is closely associated with the idea of covenant unfaithfulness, where the people of Israel abandon their commitment to Yahweh and pursue idolatry and other sinful practices.

In the book of Jeremiah, מְשׁוּבָה is used to highlight the persistent unfaithfulness of the Israelites despite God's repeated calls for repentance. For example, Jeremiah 3:6 (BSB) states, "During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, 'Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.'" Here, the term underscores the gravity of Israel's spiritual adultery.

Similarly, in Hosea, the term is used to describe the nation's infidelity and the consequences of their apostasy. Hosea 14:4 (BSB) offers a message of hope and restoration: "I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them." This passage illustrates God's willingness to forgive and restore those who repent from their backsliding.

The concept of מְשׁוּבָה serves as a warning against complacency in one's spiritual life and emphasizes the importance of faithfulness to God. It also highlights the themes of repentance and divine mercy, as God continually calls His people back to Himself, offering forgiveness and restoration to those who turn from their apostasy.

Forms and Transliterations
וּמְשֻֽׁבוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ ומשבותיך לִמְשֽׁוּבָתִ֑י למשובתי מְשֻׁבָ֣ה מְשֻׁבָ֤ה מְשׁ֣וּבָתָ֔ם מְשׁוּבַ֣ת מְשׁוּבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם מְשׁוּבֹותֵיהֶֽם מְשׁוּבֹתֵ֖ינוּ משבה משובותיהם משובת משובתיכם משובתינו משובתם lim·šū·ḇā·ṯî limshuvaTi limšūḇāṯî mə·šū·ḇā·ṯām mə·šu·ḇāh mə·šū·ḇaṯ mə·šū·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem mə·šū·ḇō·ṯê·nū mə·šū·ḇō·w·ṯê·hem meshuVah meshuVat meShuvaTam meshuvoteiChem meshuvoteiHem meshuvoTeinu məšuḇāh məšūḇaṯ məšūḇāṯām məšūḇōṯêḵem məšūḇōṯênū məšūḇōwṯêhem ū·mə·šu·ḇō·w·ṯa·yiḵ umeshuvoTayich ūməšuḇōwṯayiḵ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Proverbs 1:32
HEB: כִּ֤י מְשׁוּבַ֣ת פְּתָיִ֣ם תַּֽהַרְגֵ֑ם
NAS: For the waywardness of the naive
KJV: For the turning away of the simple
INT: For the waywardness of the naive will kill

Jeremiah 2:19
HEB: תְּיַסְּרֵ֣ךְ רָעָתֵ֗ךְ וּמְשֻֽׁבוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ תּוֹכִחֻ֔ךְ וּדְעִ֤י
NAS: will correct you, And your apostasies will reprove
KJV: shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove
INT: will correct is evil and your apostasies will reprove Know

Jeremiah 3:6
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשְׂתָ֖ה מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הֹלְכָ֨ה
NAS: what faithless Israel
KJV: Hast thou seen [that] which backsliding Israel
INT: what done faithless Israel up

Jeremiah 3:8
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִֽאֲפָה֙ מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שִׁלַּחְתִּ֕יהָ
NAS: the adulteries of faithless Israel,
KJV: when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel
INT: after adulteries of faithless Israel had sent

Jeremiah 3:11
HEB: צִדְּקָ֥ה נַפְשָׁ֖הּ מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִבֹּגֵדָ֖ה
NAS: said to me, Faithless Israel
KJV: said unto me, The backsliding Israel
INT: has proved herself Faithless Israel treacherous

Jeremiah 3:12
HEB: וְ֠אָמַרְתָּ שׁ֣וּבָה מְשֻׁבָ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נְאֻם־
NAS: Return, faithless Israel,'
KJV: Return, thou backsliding Israel,
INT: and say Return faithless Israel saith

Jeremiah 3:22
HEB: שׁוֹבָבִ֔ים אֶרְפָּ֖ה מְשׁוּבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם הִנְנוּ֙ אָתָ֣נוּ
NAS: I will heal your faithlessness. Behold,
KJV: [and] I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come
INT: faithless will heal your faithlessness behold come

Jeremiah 5:6
HEB: [מְשֻׁבֹותֵיהֶם כ] (מְשׁוּבֹותֵיהֶֽם ק)
NAS: are many, Their apostasies are numerous.
KJV: are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.
INT: their transgressions are numerous backsliding

Jeremiah 8:5
HEB: הַזֶּ֛ה יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם מְשֻׁבָ֣ה נִצַּ֑חַת הֶחֱזִ֙יקוּ֙
NAS: in continual apostasy? They hold fast
KJV: by a perpetual backsliding? they hold
INT: has this Jerusalem backsliding alway fast

Jeremiah 14:7
HEB: כִּֽי־ רַבּ֥וּ מְשׁוּבֹתֵ֖ינוּ לְךָ֥ חָטָֽאנוּ׃
NAS: Truly our apostasies have been many,
KJV: thou [it] for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many;
INT: Truly have been our apostasies have sinned

Hosea 11:7
HEB: וְעַמִּ֥י תְלוּאִ֖ים לִמְשֽׁוּבָתִ֑י וְאֶל־ עַל֙
NAS: are bent on turning from Me. Though they call
KJV: are bent to backsliding from me: though they called
INT: my people are bent turning about high

Hosea 14:4
HEB: אֶרְפָּא֙ מְשׁ֣וּבָתָ֔ם אֹהֲבֵ֖ם נְדָבָ֑ה
NAS: I will heal their apostasy, I will love
KJV: I will heal their backsliding, I will love
INT: will heal their apostasy will love freely

12 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4878
12 Occurrences


lim·šū·ḇā·ṯî — 1 Occ.
mə·šu·ḇāh — 5 Occ.
mə·šū·ḇaṯ — 1 Occ.
mə·šū·ḇā·ṯām — 1 Occ.
mə·šū·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
mə·šū·ḇō·w·ṯê·hem — 1 Occ.
mə·šū·ḇō·ṯê·nū — 1 Occ.
ū·mə·šu·ḇō·w·ṯa·yiḵ — 1 Occ.















4877
Top of Page
Top of Page