Original Word: מִשְׁבָּת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mishbath
Pronunciation: mish-bawth'
Phonetic Spelling: (mish-bawth')
KJV: sabbath
NASB: ruin
Word Origin: [from H7673 (שָׁבַת - To cease)]

1. cessation, i.e. destruction

sabbath

From shabath; cessation, i.e. Destruction -- sabbath.

see HEBREW shabath

Word Origin
from shabath
Definition
cessation, annihilation
NASB Translation
ruin (1).

[מִשְׁבָּת] noun [masculine] cessation, annihilation; — plural suffix עַלמִֿשְׁבַּתֶּ֑הָ Lamentations 1:7 (ᵐ5 ἐπὶ κατοικεσίᾳ αὐτῆς = עַלשִֿׁבְתָּהּ; Marti^{LCB 1895, Mar. 2, 282} עַלשְֿׁבִיתָהּ her captivity).

שָׁגֵא see שָׁגֵה.

Occurrence and Literary Setting

The noun מִשְׁבָּת (mishbat) appears once, in Lamentations 1:7. There, Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem: “Her enemies looked on, laughing over her downfall” (Berean Standard Bible). The term sits in a poetic triad—affliction, homelessness, downfall—conveying the catastrophic end of covenant blessings.

Semantic Range in Translation

Most modern English versions render mishbat as “downfall,” “ruin,” or “collapse.” Older versions (for example, King James Version) choose “sabbaths,” following an ancient tradition that linked the calamity to Israel’s failure to honor the Sabbath years. Both renderings converge thematically: Judah’s refusal to rest in God led to devastating judgment (compare Leviticus 26:34; 2 Chronicles 36:21).

Historical Backdrop

The single occurrence of mishbat stands against the smoking ruins of 586 B.C. The city that once hosted the temple, king, priests, and pilgrim feasts now lies desolate. The Babylonian conquerors’ mockery (“laughing over her downfall”) intensifies the shame; humiliation from the nations had been forewarned in Deuteronomy 28:37.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Retribution: Mishbat embodies the principle that disobedience births ruin. Jeremiah had prophesied again and again, yet the people chose rebellion (Jeremiah 7:23–26). Their mishbat is the visible outworking of God’s covenant justice.
2. Loss of Rest: If the word is read against the backdrop of unkept Sabbaths, it illustrates how genuine rest is forfeited when the covenant is trampled. Hebrews 4:1–11 later exhorts believers to “enter that rest” by faith and obedience.
3. Hope through Ruin: Even in downfall, the book of Lamentations hints at restoration (Lamentations 3:21–24). Mishbat is not the last word; God’s steadfast love transcends the wreckage.

Intertextual Echoes

• Leviticus 26:31–35—ruined cities and sabbatical rest for the land.
• Psalm 137—exilic grief paralleling Lamentations’ tone.
• Micah 7:8—“Though I have fallen, I will arise,” anticipating post-exilic mercy.

Practical Ministry Reflections

• Corporate Sin Has Corporate Consequences: Congregations that tolerate habitual disobedience risk collective mishbat—spiritual sterility, loss of witness, and internal strife.
• Grief as Worship: Lamentations teaches believers to bring national and personal ruin before God in honest prayer. Churches should make room for lament alongside praise.
• Gospel Fulfillment: Jesus Christ absorbed the ultimate mishbat of sin at the cross, turning ruin into resurrection glory (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Summary

Mishbat is a single but weighty word. In one line of poetry it captures the collapse of a city, the shame of a people, and the righteousness of God. Yet, set within the canon where judgment yields to grace, it also invites readers to flee from rebellion and find true rest in the Lord who rebuilds ruins (Isaiah 61:4).

מִשְׁבַּתֶּֽהָ׃ משבתה׃ miš·bat·te·hā mišbattehā mishbatTehaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts