4767. mirbah
Lexical Summary
mirbah: much

Original Word: מִרְבָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mirbah
Pronunciation: meer-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (meer-baw')
KJV: much
NASB: much
Word Origin: [from H7235 (רָבָה - To increase)]

1. abundance, i.e. a great quantity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
much

From rabah; abundance, i.e. A great quantity -- much.

see HEBREW rabah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from rabah
Definition
much
NASB Translation
much (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מִרְבָּה noun feminine much; — only לְהָכִיל ׳מ Ezekiel 23:32 much to contain, i.e. which contains much; but read מַרָבָּה Hiph`il Participle Hi-Sm Co Berthol Krae (see √ Hiph`il 1 d (1)).

Topical Lexicon
Conceptual Overview

מִרְבָּה appears only once in Scripture, Ezekiel 23:32, where it modifies the “cup” destined for Oholibah (Jerusalem). Though the narrative pictures the cup of judgment as “deep and wide,” the added phrase לְמִרְבָּה presses the idea of overwhelming quantity—an excess that cannot be contained. The term thereby intensifies both the certainty and the magnitude of divine retribution.

Literary Setting in Ezekiel 23

Ezekiel 23 recounts the allegory of two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), whose infidelities mirror the northern and southern kingdoms’ covenant unfaithfulness. Verse 32 is the climax of Yahweh’s indictment:

“This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, which is deep and wide; you will be an object of scorn and derision, for it holds so much’ ” (Ezekiel 23:32).

Here מִרְבָּה turns a punitive object (the cup) into a symbol of superabundant wrath. The depth and breadth of the cup are no longer metaphorical flourishes; they are quantitatively qualified. Jerusalem’s judgment will be neither token nor partial but overflowing.

Historical and Prophetic Significance

1. Babylon on the Horizon: Ezekiel prophesied while the Babylonian threat loomed. The imagery of an overflowing cup anticipates the siege and destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.).
2. Covenantal Consistency: By choosing one rare term to magnify quantity, the Spirit underscores a consistent biblical principle—persistent sin invites proportional judgment (Leviticus 26:21; Romans 2:5).
3. Echoes of Earlier Warnings: Isaiah had warned Judah that its sins were “as scarlet” (Isaiah 1:18). Jeremiah foresaw a cup that would cause nations to stagger (Jeremiah 25:15-27). Ezekiel’s מִרְבָּה crystallizes those cumulative warnings into an image of final, multiplied reckoning.

Theology of Divine Cup Imagery

• Cup of Wrath: Psalms 75:8 speaks of a foaming cup held by the Lord, “and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.” Ezekiel 23:32 contributes the idea that the cup can be filled to overflowing.
• Cup of Blessing: By contrast, Psalms 23:5 celebrates a cup that “overflows” with goodness. Both uses illustrate that the same God who blesses abundantly also judges abundantly, reinforcing His unchanging righteousness.
• Prophetic Foreshadowing: Revelation 14:10 describes those who worship the beast drinking “the wine of God’s anger…poured full strength.” Ezekiel’s solitary מִרְבָּה foreshadows this end-time fullness.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Warning Against Presumption: The overflowing cup warns congregations not to trivialize sin. Persistent rebellion stores up an abundance (מִרְבָּה) of consequences.
2. Call to Repentance: Just as judgment can be multiplied, so can mercy (Isaiah 55:7). Preachers may contrast Ezekiel 23:32 with Luke 15:20-24 to show that genuine repentance exchanges the cup of wrath for the feast of reconciliation.
3. Holiness and Corporate Responsibility: Jerusalem’s leaders shared guilt for filling the cup. Church leaders today bear responsibility to guard doctrine and practice so the “cup” is not filled by communal neglect (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
4. Communion Reflection: The Lord’s Supper presents Christ’s cup of the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25). Recognizing the cup He drank in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39) offers a vivid contrast to Ezekiel’s cup, moving believers to gratitude and reverent self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28).

Inter-Biblical Connections and Typology

• Overflowing Measure: Luke 6:38 promises a “good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” The same Hebraic concept of excess applies, whether judgment or blessing.
• Dregs Imagery: Isaiah 51:17 describes Jerusalem drinking the cup of wrath “to the dregs,” confirming that Ezekiel’s מִרְבָּה is not hyperbole but covenant reality.
• Christ’s Substitution: By absorbing the Father’s wrathful cup (John 18:11), Jesus fulfills the prophetic tension created by terms like מִרְבָּה. The cross is the decisive moment where overflowing wrath meets overflowing grace.

Summary

Though מִרְבָּה appears only once, its strategic placement amplifies the narrative of Ezekiel 23 and enriches the biblical theology of divine recompense. The term’s emphasis on abundance transforms a symbolic cup into a sobering declaration that God’s judgments, like His mercies, are magnified in proportion to human response.

Forms and Transliterations
מִרְבָּ֥ה מרבה mir·bāh mirBah mirbāh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezekiel 23:32
HEB: לִצְחֹ֛ק וּלְלַ֖עַג מִרְבָּ֥ה לְהָכִֽיל׃
NAS: It contains much.
KJV: it containeth much.
INT: will be laughed mock much contains

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4767
1 Occurrence


mir·bāh — 1 Occ.

4766
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