Lexical Summary beosh: Stench, foul odor Original Word: בְּאשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance stink From bo'r; a stench -- stink. see HEBREW bo'r NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom baash Definition stench NASB Translation stench (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs בְּאשׁ noun masculine stench — ׳בּ construct Amos 4:10; suffix בָּאְשׁוֺ Joel 2:20; בָּאְשָׁם Isaiah 34:3; — מַחֲנֵיכֶם ׳בּ, i.e. stench of corpses Amos 4:10, also Isaiah 34:3; compare Joel 2:20 of locusts ׳עָלָה בּ "" (תַּעַל צַחֲנָתוֺׅ. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Prophetic Emphasis The noun בְּאשׁ conveys the idea of an unbearable stench that results from putrefaction. Within the prophetic corpus it signals a scene so saturated with death or decay that the odor itself becomes a proclamation of divine judgment. Far from being a mere sensory detail, the term functions rhetorically, forcing readers to confront the physical consequences of covenant violation. Occurrences and Immediate Contexts • Isaiah 34:3: “Their slain will be thrown out, the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will melt with their blood.” Here the stench rising from Edom’s dead underscores the totality of Yahweh’s retribution. The image amplifies cosmic upheaval—mountains dissolving—so that smell, sight, and landscape together communicate the finality of judgment. • Joel 2:20: In the aftermath of the northern horde’s defeat, “its stench will rise; surely He has done great things.” The same odor that once struck terror now becomes evidence of the LORD’s deliverance. The reversal highlights the covenant principle that devastation and restoration alike serve His redemptive purposes. • Amos 4:10: “I sent a plague among you… I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD. The lingering smell in Israel’s own military encampments exposes the futility of self-reliance and the nation’s stubbornness. The motif of smell is paired with the prophetic lawsuit pattern; divine warnings escalate but repentance is withheld. Historical Background Ancient warfare regularly left fields littered with corpses. Without modern burial or sanitation, a pervasive odor followed any large-scale slaughter. Prophets tapped this common experience to give visceral force to their oracles. The association of foul smell with disgrace and impurity is attested throughout the ancient Near East; thus audiences immediately grasped the symbolic weight of בְּאשׁ. Theological Trajectory 1. Manifestation of Judgment: In all three occurrences, the stench is inseparable from the day of the LORD. It materializes the curse language of Deuteronomy 28:26, where unburied bodies become food for birds and beasts. Intertextual Connections • Exodus 7:18 depicts the Nile turning to blood so that Egypt “will grow weary of drinking water,” an event accompanied by foul odor. Judgment again assaults the senses. By juxtaposing stench with fragrance elsewhere, Scripture frames smell as an ethical barometer—evil reeks, righteousness pleases. Practical Ministry Applications – Preaching: The imagery of בְּאשׁ urges congregations to take sin seriously. Moral decay is not abstract; it produces tangible consequences in families, churches, and societies. – Pastoral Counseling: When addressing habitual sin, the motif offers a gentle yet firm reminder that hidden corruption eventually becomes noticeable. Repentance restores a “pleasing aroma” (Ephesians 5:2). – Worship and Liturgy: Contrasting readings of Isaiah 34:3 with passages on fragrant worship underscore the gospel movement from death to life, from stench to sweetness in Christ. Eschatological and Christological Reflection Revelation depicts final judgment with plagues and corpses in a manner reminiscent of Isaiah, Joel, and Amos. The stench motif anticipates the “lake of fire,” a realm of perpetual corruption. Conversely, believers are promised a new creation where every sense is redeemed (Revelation 21:1-4). Through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the ugliness and odor of sin are decisively addressed, enabling His people to become “the aroma of Christ to God” (2 Corinthians 2:15). Summary בְּאשׁ is more than a descriptive noun; it is a theological alarm. Whenever it appears, it announces that covenant breakers have moved beyond warning to irreversible consequence—unless they turn back to the LORD. For those who heed the call, the same God who exposes the stench of death offers the fragrance of life everlasting. Forms and Transliterations בְּאֹ֤שׁ בָאְשָׁ֑ם בָאְשׁ֗וֹ באש באשו באשם ḇā’əšām ḇā’əšōw ḇā·’ə·šām ḇā·’ə·šōw bə’ōš bə·’ōš beOsh vaeSham vaeShoLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 34:3 HEB: וּפִגְרֵיהֶ֖ם יַעֲלֶ֣ה בָאְשָׁ֑ם וְנָמַ֥סּוּ הָרִ֖ים NAS: will give off their stench, And the mountains KJV: also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up INT: and their corpses will give their stench will be drenched and the mountains Joel 2:20 Amos 4:10 3 Occurrences |
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