Lexical Summary mishlachath: Sending, mission, expedition, outstretching Original Word: מִשְׁלַחַת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance discharge, sending Feminine of mishlowach; a mission, i.e. (abstractly) and favorable) release, or (concretely and unfavorable) an army -- discharge, sending. see HEBREW mishlowach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shalach Definition a discharge, deputation, sending NASB Translation band (1), discharge (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מִשְׁלַ֫חַת noun feminine 1. discharge; 2 deputation, sending; — 1 absolute ׳בַּמִּלְח ׳אֵין מ Ecclesiastes 8:8 there is no discharge in war. 2 construct מַלְאֲכֵי רָעִים ׳מ Psalm 78:49 a deputation (or sending) of angels of evil. II. שׁלח (√ of following; Arabic Topical Lexicon Semantic Scope and Nuances מִשְׁלַחַת carries the idea of an intentional “sending-out,” whether of agents, forces, or persons. Because the term can denote either benevolent or destructive deployment, its nuance is determined by context. In Psalm 78 it describes a divinely commissioned host of angels; in Ecclesiastes 8 it speaks of the inability of a soldier to obtain a “discharge” from the day of conflict or death. Occurrences and Contexts • Psalm 78:49 – “He unleashed His burning anger, wrath, indignation, and calamity—a band of destroying angels.” Here מִשְׁלַחַת depicts a “band” or “deployment” of angels who execute covenantal judgment upon Egypt. The verse forms part of a litany of God’s acts during the Exodus (Psalm 78:42-53), underscoring that every plague—visible or invisible—was dispatched under God’s sovereign command. Here the noun points to the impossibility of a “discharge” from cosmic warfare against mortality. Solomon contrasts human limitation with God’s unassailable authority over life and death. Theological Implications 1. Divine Sovereignty in Judgment: The Exodus narrative reveals that even angelic forces of destruction operate only when God “sends” them (Psalm 78:49; compare Exodus 12:23). מִשְׁלַחַת therefore testifies to a universe in which judgment is purposeful rather than random. Historical Background In ancient Near Eastern warfare, a commander issued formal “discharges” to retiring soldiers. Ecclesiastes 8 leverages that socio-military reality to illustrate that no human authority can grant exemption from death’s call-up. For Egypt, Psalm 78 evokes plague traditions familiar to Israelite hearers who knew that divine “dispatches” had toppled the world’s mightiest empire. Practical Ministry Applications • Intercession and Spiritual Warfare: Psalm 78 invites believers to recognize unseen spiritual agencies. Prayer may petition the Lord to restrain or redirect what He alone can “send” (2 Kings 19:35). Related Concepts • שָׁלַח (shalach, “to send”) – the verbal root whose broad usage (Genesis 12:20; Isaiah 6:8) frames מִשְׁלַחַת. Christological Perspective Though none of the two occurrences mention Messiah directly, they enrich New Testament revelation. The “band” of judgment angles forward to Revelation 15:1, while the absence of “discharge” underscores the necessity of Christ’s substitutionary death and victorious resurrection, which alone secures eternal release for the redeemed (Romans 7:24-25). Forms and Transliterations מִ֝שְׁלַ֗חַת מִשְׁלַ֖חַת משלחת miš·la·ḥaṯ mishLachat mišlaḥaṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 78:49 HEB: וָזַ֣עַם וְצָרָ֑ה מִ֝שְׁלַ֗חַת מַלְאֲכֵ֥י רָעִֽים׃ NAS: and trouble, A band of destroying KJV: and trouble, by sending evil INT: and indignation and trouble A band angels of destroying Ecclesiastes 8:8 2 Occurrences |
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strip off hide, 
piece of hide stripped off; Aramaic שְׁלַח, 
take off garment; Arabic 
, Aramaic שִׁלְחָא, 
hide, perhaps also Palmyrene שלחא (plural ? Lzb; ReckendZMG xiii (1888), 415 compare I. שֶׁלַח); hence שֻׁלְחָן, q. v. (also Late Hebrew, Ecclesiasticus), see GFMPAOS 1890, ixx; especially