6097. etsah
Lexical Summary
etsah: trees

Original Word: עֵצָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `etsah
Pronunciation: ay-tsaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (ay-tsaw')
KJV: trees
NASB: trees
Word Origin: [feminine of H6086 (עֵץ - wood)]

1. timber

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
trees

Feminine of ets; timber -- trees.

see HEBREW ets

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as ets
Definition
trees
NASB Translation
trees (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. עֵצָה noun feminine collective trees Jeremiah 6:6, but read עֵצָהּ (עֵץ with suffix 3 feminine singular), so Orient. Manuscripts ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9 ᵑ7 Hi Gf Gie. — 1. עֵצָה see below יָעֵץ.

III. עצה (√ of following; meaning dubious; compare Assyrian eƒên-ƒêri,eƒên of the back, probably spine; Arabic os cruris, Lane2068c bone of the shank, os caudae coccygisve).

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Setting

The noun עֵצָה appears once, in Jeremiah 6:6, within a prophecy that announces impending judgment on Jerusalem. The verse reads, “For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Cut down the trees and build up a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her’ ” (Jeremiah 6:6). The reference to felling timber sets the scene for an enemy army methodically preparing siege works against the covenant city.

A Single but Strategic Occurrence

Though the word surfaces only here, its placement is strategic. Jeremiah 6 describes Babylon’s advance as the outworking of divine justice. In a striking irony, the created resources of the land promised to Israel—its very trees—are conscripted as tools of chastisement. The prophet therefore links ecological blessing, military technology, and covenant accountability in a single image.

Historical Background and Military Context

Ancient Near Eastern armies regularly cut timber to construct battering ramps, towers, and reinforced earthworks. 2 Samuel 20:15 and Isaiah 37:33 illustrate similar tactics, though they use other Hebrew terms. By spotlighting the cutting of trees, Jeremiah emphasizes the invasiveness and permanence of the siege. Once the ramp was erected, the city’s fate was usually sealed, underscoring the seriousness of Judah’s spiritual apostasy.

Symbolic and Theological Implications

1. Reversal of Blessing: Trees often signify life, prosperity, and divine favor (Psalm 1:3; Ezekiel 47:12). Their reduction to siege material dramatizes how blessing can be reversed when covenant obligations are ignored (Deuteronomy 28:15–24).
2. Stewardship and Judgment: Creation is not neutral; it serves God’s redemptive purposes. In judgment as in blessing, the natural order responds to His voice (Jeremiah 12:4; Romans 8:20–21).
3. Foreshadowing Greater Salvation History: Wood employed as an instrument of judgment in Jeremiah anticipates the wood of the cross, where ultimate judgment and mercy converge (1 Peter 2:24).

Relationship to Other Old Testament Passages on Siegecraft

Deuteronomy 20:19–20 restricts Israel from destroying fruit trees during a siege, highlighting mercy even in warfare. Jeremiah 6:6 reverses the situation: foreign aggressors now strip the land without restraint.
Ezekiel 4:2 and Nahum 3:14 contain similar siege imagery, reinforcing Jeremiah’s claim that divine judgment can take the form of calculated, prolonged military pressure rather than an instantaneous calamity.

Prophetic Warning and Covenant Accountability

Jeremiah’s employment of עֵצָה serves the larger prophetic argument that outward religion without inner righteousness invites catastrophe. The siege ramp embodies the cumulative weight of persistent injustice inside Jerusalem: “There is nothing but oppression within her” (Jeremiah 6:6). The prophecy therefore calls God’s people to examine both societal structures and personal conduct in the light of His holiness.

Implications for Ministry Today

• Preaching and Teaching: The verse furnishes a graphic illustration of how divine patience has limits. It aids in explaining eschatological themes of judgment and restoration.
• Discipleship: The movement from blessing to judgment warns believers not to presume upon grace. Spiritual decline can invite forms of discipline that dismantle previously enjoyed resources.
• Environmental Stewardship: While the immediate context is military, the passage underscores that misuse of creation—whether by invading armies or careless consumption—carries moral weight before God.
• Mission and Mercy: Even as Jeremiah foretells destruction, his book also anticipates renewal (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Ministries that announce judgment should likewise proclaim hope grounded in the new covenant.

In sum, עֵצָה reminds readers that every element of creation, including the humble tree, participates in God’s sovereign narrative—either as a conduit of blessing or, when necessary, as an agent of judgment meant to steer His people back to covenant fidelity.

Forms and Transliterations
עֵצָ֔ה עצה ‘ê·ṣāh ‘êṣāh eTzah
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 6:6
HEB: צְבָא֔וֹת כִּרְת֣וּ עֵצָ֔ה וְשִׁפְכ֥וּ עַל־
NAS: Cut down her trees And cast up a siege
KJV: Hew ye down trees, and cast
INT: of hosts Cut her trees and cast against

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6097
1 Occurrence


‘ê·ṣāh — 1 Occ.

6096
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