Lexical Summary qibbuts: Gathering, assembly, collection Original Word: קִבּוּץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance company From qabats; a throng -- company. see HEBREW qabats NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom qabats Definition assemblage NASB Translation collection (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [קִבּוּץ] noun masculine (si vera 1) heap; — plural suffix קִבוּצַיִךְ Isaiah 57:13 thy heaps (of idols); but read perhapsשִׁקּוּצַיִךְ Weir in Che, CheHpt Kit-Di Marti. Topical Lexicon Meaning and imagery The term denotes a “gathering” that has been deliberately amassed. While the basic sense of collecting or assembling can be morally neutral, Isaiah presents it as a picture of spiritually charged accumulation—objects or allegiances that a person gathers in place of trusting the Lord. The singular occurrence turns the notion of togetherness on its head: rather than depicting a holy convocation, it exposes an idolatrous heap. Biblical context in Isaiah Isaiah 57:13 speaks to a people who had surrounded themselves with tangible and intangible substitutes for the covenant God: “When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! But the wind will carry all of them off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain” (Berean Standard Bible). The contrast is stark. Their painstakingly curated collection is weightless before the Lord, while a solitary act of trust secures the inheritance promised to Abraham, reaffirmed through Moses, and envisioned by the prophets. Prophetic significance 1. Exposes counterfeit security. The “gathering” becomes an indictment of misdirected faith. Under Assyrian pressure, Judah sought protection by multiplying cultic objects, political alliances, and ritual forms. Isaiah unmasks these as wind-scattered chaff (Isaiah 57:13; compare Hosea 8:7). Historical background: idolatrous Judah Eighth-century Judah stood at a crossroads. External threats from Assyria and internal syncretism bred anxiety. Archaeological strata from this period reveal household figurines and imported cultic ware, corroborating the prophetic charge of idolatry. The “collection” in Isaiah 57:13 likely includes these very items—amulets, carved images, treaty tokens—objects meant to placate multiple deities or guarantee political favor. Their physical accumulation mirrored the spiritual fragmentation of the nation. Contribution to the doctrine of salvation The fleeting “gathering” underscores the exclusivity of divine deliverance. Salvation is not additive—one does not assemble the Lord among other helps. Scripture consistently portrays God as the sole Gatherer (Genesis 49:10; John 11:52). Isaiah’s polemic anticipates the New Testament call to abandon self-crafted securities, whether moral, ritual, or material, and to look to Christ alone (Philippians 3:8–9). Ministry application 1. Discern modern “collections.” Congregations and individuals still accumulate substitutes—technological convenience, social influence, even religious programs—that can eclipse reliance on God. In the end, Strong’s Hebrew 6899 serves as a miniature parable: what humanity gathers for self-preservation scatters at a breath; what God gathers endures forever. Forms and Transliterations קִבּוּצַ֔יִךְ קבוציך kibbuTzayich qib·bū·ṣa·yiḵ qibbūṣayiḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 57:13 HEB: בְּזַֽעֲקֵךְ֙ יַצִּילֻ֣ךְ קִבּוּצַ֔יִךְ וְאֶת־ כֻּלָּ֥ם NAS: When you cry out, let your collection [of idols] deliver KJV: When thou criest, let thy companies deliver INT: cry deliver your collection all will carry 1 Occurrence |
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