Lexical Summary mashowt: Drawing out, rescue Original Word: מְשׁוֹט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance oar Or mishshowt {mish-shote'}; from shuwt; an oar -- oar. see HEBREW shuwt Brown-Driver-Briggs מָשׁוֺט noun [masculine] oar; — ׳תֹּפְשֵׂי מ Ezekiel 27:29. [מָשׁוֺט] noun [masculine] id.; plural suffix מִשּׁוֺטַ֫יִךְ Ezekiel 27:6 (Köii. 153, compare Ges§ 72e), made of oak-trees. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery The term מְשׁוֹט evokes the long wooden oar that propels a vessel when the wind slackens. While a sail harnesses invisible currents, an oar demands human strength applied in rhythmic unity. Scripture capitalizes on that contrast to expose the limits of human industry when set against divine sovereignty. Occurrences in Ezekiel • Ezekiel 27:6: “Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars.” Here the oar is a luxury item hewn from the prized Bashan timber, underscoring Tyre’s unrivaled resources. Historical and Cultural Background Phoenician ships of the sixth century B.C. combined square sails with banks of oars, allowing Tyrian merchants to navigate the Mediterranean regardless of fickle winds. Oared galleys required trained crews who moved in disciplined cadence to a coxswain’s call. That labor-intensive system mirrored the commercial empire Tyre built—innovative, organized, and proud. By selecting the oar rather than the mast as his emblem, Ezekiel highlights Tyre’s dependence on human skill and coordinated effort. Symbolic Significance in the Oracle against Tyre 1. Human Expertise. Oarsmen represent mastery over the elements, yet the prophecy shows that mastery collapsing under divine decree (Ezekiel 27:26–27). Theological Themes • Sovereignty of God over Commerce and Craft. The finest materials and most disciplined crews submit to His verdict. Intercanonical Echoes Revelation 18:17–19 reprises Ezekiel’s seaborne lament, depicting shipmasters casting dust on their heads when Babylon falls. Though written in Greek, the picture of abandoned oars reverberates behind John’s vision, linking Tyre’s demise to the ultimate downfall of every world-system that exalts itself. Practical Ministry Applications 1. Preaching and Teaching: Use the oar image to contrast human exertion with reliance on the Spirit. Just as rowing without wind exhausts a crew, ministry undertaken without prayer drains workers and drifts off course. Christological Resonance In the Gospels Jesus calms storms by a word (Mark 4:39), accomplishing effortlessly what oars could not. He embodies the divine mastery Ezekiel intimates. The Church, therefore, rows faithfully but trusts the One who commands wind and waves. Eschatological Horizon The abandoned oar foreshadows the day when every enterprise built on human pride will halt. Believers are called to labor now in what cannot be shaken—“a kingdom that cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28). Related Biblical Concepts • Mast and Sail (Ezekiel 27:5, 7) – complementary images of natural provision. In sum, מְשׁוֹט is a small word carrying a mighty warning: the strongest oars and the most unified crews cannot outrun the purposes of God. Forms and Transliterations מִשּׁוֹטָ֑יִךְ מָשׁ֔וֹט משוט משוטיך mā·šō·wṭ maShot māšōwṭ miš·šō·w·ṭā·yiḵ mishshoTayich miššōwṭāyiḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 27:6 HEB: מִבָּ֔שָׁן עָשׂ֖וּ מִשּׁוֹטָ֑יִךְ קַרְשֵׁ֤ךְ עָֽשׂוּ־ NAS: they have made your oars; With ivory KJV: have they made thine oars; the company INT: Bashan have made your oars your deck have inlaid Ezekiel 27:29 2 Occurrences |
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