Lexical Summary melunah: Lodge, shelter, encampment Original Word: מְלוּנָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cottage, lodge Feminine from luwn; a hut, a hammock -- cottage, lodge. see HEBREW luwn NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom lun Definition a lodge, hut NASB Translation shack (1), watchman's hut (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְלוּנָה noun feminine lodge, hut; — בְּמִקְשָׁה ׳מ Isaiah 1:8 (i.e. a watchman's hut); simile of frail, insecure structure בַּמְּלוּנָה וְהִתְנוֺדֲדָה Isaiah 24:20 and it [the earth] shall shake (or totter) like a hut. Topical Lexicon Overview מְלוּנָה (melunah) designates a temporary hut or shelter erected in a field or vineyard for overnight watch. Built of branches or rough boards and covered with leaves, it served farmers or watchmen during harvest or while guarding ripening produce from thieves and animals. Though flimsy and short-lived, the structure supplied necessary refuge, and Scripture employs the term both literally and figuratively. Scriptural Occurrences • Isaiah 1:8 – Zion, forsaken through sin and judgment, “is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city”. Historical and Cultural Setting Ancient Near-Eastern agriculture required continual vigilance during the weeks when grapes, cucumbers, or melons ripened. Farmers built crude lodges beside the plots, often on stilts for ventilation and visibility. The structures were occupied only seasonally; once the crop was gathered they were abandoned and soon deteriorated. Their presence in prophetic discourse would have been immediately understood by Isaiah’s eighth-century audience. Prophetic Imagery 1. Vulnerability—A solitary field-hut lacked fortification; storms or invaders could easily destroy it. Isaiah employs the picture to expose the exposed, besieged state of Jerusalem after repeated covenant breaches. Theological Significance • Judgment and Mercy—The image underscores the severity of divine discipline yet also implies remaining potential: even a fragile hut can still shelter. Zion’s very survival, though reduced, demonstrates God’s self-imposed limit on judgment in anticipation of future restoration (Isaiah 1:26-27). Applications for Ministry 1. Call to Repentance—Preachers may employ the melunah to illustrate how unconfessed sin leaves individuals or congregations defenseless, urging a return to covenant faithfulness. Christological and Eschatological Connections The fragile shelter anticipates the incarnate Son who “tented” among us (John 1:14) in human vulnerability, yet rose in power to establish an eternal dwelling for His people (John 14:2-3). At His return the temporary order, typified by the swaying hut, will give way to “a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). Related Terms and Concepts • סֻכָּה (sukkah) – Booths of the Feast of Tabernacles, likewise temporary yet celebrating divine provision (Leviticus 23:42). Thus מְלוּנָה stands as a vivid reminder of human frailty, divine oversight, and the hope of permanent refuge in the Lord. Forms and Transliterations כִּמְלוּנָ֥ה כַּמְּלוּנָ֑ה כמלונה kam·mə·lū·nāh kammeluNah kamməlūnāh kim·lū·nāh kimluNah kimlūnāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 1:8 HEB: כְּסֻכָּ֣ה בְכָ֑רֶם כִּמְלוּנָ֥ה בְמִקְשָׁ֖ה כְּעִ֥יר NAS: in a vineyard, Like a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, KJV: in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, INT: A shelter A vineyard A watchman's A cucumber city Isaiah 24:20 2 Occurrences |