Lexical Summary sechabah: Rag, cloth Original Word: סְחָבָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cast clout From cachab; a rag -- cast clout. see HEBREW cachab NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom sachab Definition a rag NASB Translation clothes (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs סְחָבָה noun feminine rag, clout (stuff pulled or dragged about; > LagBN 143 √  ,  become altered for the worse); — only plural סְחָבוֺת Jeremiah 38:11,12 (both + מְלָחִים). Topical Lexicon Context of Usage The noun designates discarded or threadbare cloth—garments no longer useful for their original purpose. Both attestations occur in the account of Jeremiah’s deliverance from the muddy cistern (Jeremiah 38:11-12). There, Ebed-melech gathers such cast-off pieces and lets them down by rope so that the prophet can pad his arms and be lifted out without injury. Historical Setting Jeremiah’s imprisonment takes place while Jerusalem is under Babylonian siege (circa 587 BC). Court officials, angered by his call to surrender, have lowered him into a pit intended to hasten his death. Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian courtier, appeals to King Zedekiah, who authorizes the rescue. The old cloths are fetched from a storeroom below the royal treasury—an area that would have collected refuse from palace life. Their presence underscores the dire conditions in the city: scarce resources forced the reuse of whatever could be found. Literary Significance 1. Humble means for divine deliverance. “So Ebed-melech took the men with him … and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes” (Jeremiah 38:11). The narrative deliberately highlights the quality of the cloths to contrast human weakness with God’s effective salvation. Theological Reflections • God values faithfulness over status. The Cushite, not the Judean nobility, becomes the agent of deliverance; discarded cloth becomes the instrument. Intertextual Echoes While the term appears only in Jeremiah 38, related imagery abounds: Isaiah 64:6 compares self-righteousness to “a polluted garment,” and Zechariah 3:3-4 depicts Joshua clothed in filthy clothes before being reclothed by grace. Such parallels expand the symbolism of soiled cloth to encompass both human frailty and divine cleansing. Implications for Ministry 1. Compassionate pragmatism. Ministry often requires simple, even mundane resources employed with love. Christological Perspective The righteous Prophet delivered from the pit by despised materials prefigures the greater Prophet, Jesus Christ, lifted from the grave despite His apparent humiliation. The account therefore contributes to the larger biblical trajectory in which God’s power is perfected in weakness, culminating at the cross and empty tomb. Summary The word translated “old rags” may seem minor, yet it anchors a memorable episode revealing God’s providence, the power of compassionate action, and the consistent biblical pattern of exalting what the world discards to accomplish redemption. Forms and Transliterations הַסְּחָב֤וֹת הסחבות סְחָבֹ֔ות סחבות has·sə·ḥā·ḇō·wṯ hassechaVot hassəḥāḇōwṯ sə·ḥā·ḇō·wṯ sechaVot səḥāḇōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 38:11 HEB: [הַסְּחָבֹות כ] (סְחָבֹ֔ות ק) וּבְלוֹיֵ֖ NAS: worn-out clothes and worn-out KJV: thence old cast clouts and old INT: there worn-out cast clout and worn-out rags Jeremiah 38:12 2 Occurrences |
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