Original Word: מִבְטָח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mibtach
Pronunciation: MIB-takh
Phonetic Spelling: (mib-tawkh')
KJV: confidence, hope, sure, trust
NASB: confidence, trust, secure, security, which they trust, who are the trust, whom you trust
Word Origin: [from H982 (בָּטַח - trust)]

1. (properly) a refuge, i.e. (objective) security, or (subjective) assurance

confidence, hope, sure, trust

From batach; properly, a refuge, i.e. (objective) security, or (subjective) assurance -- confidence, hope, sure, trust.

see HEBREW batach

Word Origin
from batach
Definition
confidence
NASB Translation
confidence (5), secure (1), security (1), trust (5), which they trust (1), who are the trust (1), whom you trust (1).

מִבְטָח noun [masculine] confidence Ezekiel 29:16 — construct מִבְטַח Proverbs 14:26 2t.; suffix מִבְטַהִי Job 31:24 6t. (dag. implicit); מִבְטֶחָם Jeremiah 48:13; מִבְטֶחָהֿ Proverbs 21:22; plural מִבְטַחִים Isaiah 32:18; מִבְטָחַיִךְ Jeremiah 2:37; —

1 the act of confiding Proverbs 21:22; Proverbs 22:19; Proverbs 25:19.

2 the object of confidence Job 8:14; Job 18:14; Job 31:24; Psalm 40:5; Psalm 65:6; Psalm 71:5; Jeremiah 2:37; Jeremiah 17:7; Jeremiah 48:13; Ezekiel 29:16.

3 the state of confidence, security Proverbs 14:26; Isaiah 32:18.

Overview

מִבְטָח (mivtaḥ) conveys the idea of a place or attitude of safety—“trust,” “confidence,” or “refuge.” Whether the object is God, wealth, a city wall, or an idol, the term always forces a verdict on where true security is found.

Literary Distribution

The word appears fifteen times, concentrated in Job (3), Psalms (3), Proverbs (4), and the Prophets (5). Wisdom texts probe personal motivations; prophetic contexts expose national delusions; poetic passages celebrate Yahweh as the sure refuge.

Trust as spiritual refuge

Psalm 71:5 grounds lifelong hope in God alone: “For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth”. Here מִבְטָח blends present security with covenant memory—God’s past faithfulness guarantees future safety. Psalm 40:4 expands the blessing to all who “have made the LORD their trust,” contrasting such faith with “those who turn aside to falsehood.” In Isaiah 32:18 the term describes the peaceful stability of a restored Zion: “Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe homes, in secure dwellings.” Spiritual refuge ultimately produces tangible, societal peace.

False trusts exposed

Job exposes bankrupt confidences. Job 31:24 repudiates wealth as מִבְטָח: “If I have put my trust in gold….” Job 8:14 pictures the godless whose “confidence is fragile, and his trust is a spider’s web.” Prophets echo the warning. Jeremiah 2:37 mocks Judah’s political alliances: “From this place you will also depart with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those you trust.” Ezekiel 29:16 indicts Egypt: “They will never again be Israel’s confidence.” Every counterfeit refuge is unmasked so that exclusive reliance on the Lord may stand.

National and communal security

Proverbs 21:22 views מִבְטָח in military terms: “A wise man scales the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.” Proverbs 14:26 links family flourishing to reverent confidence: “In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.” Thus personal trust radiates outward, shaping civic and domestic stability.

Personal devotion and wisdom

Proverbs 22:19 expresses didactic purpose: “So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you.” Instruction aims at relocating confidence from self-reliance to God-dependence, the essence of biblical wisdom. Proverbs 25:19 warns, “Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble,” reminding believers to test both their own reliability and the objects they lean upon.

Prophetic witness and eschatological hope

Jeremiah 17:7 situates מִבְטָח in covenant blessing: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is the LORD.” The verse anticipates the new-covenant heart that delights to rely on God. Isaiah 32 projects the ultimate kingdom where societal structures mirror divine security. The prophetic corpus thus moves from rebuke of false trusts to vision of universal, unshakable refuge in God.

Theological significance

1. Exclusivity: Scripture tolerates no divided confidence; God alone is worthy.
2. Relational depth: Trust is not abstract optimism but covenant intimacy.
3. Ethical fruit: Genuine confidence births obedience, courage, and compassion.
4. Christological fulfillment: New Testament faith centers on Jesus Christ, the embodied refuge (compare John 14:1; Ephesians 1:12-13). מִבְטָח finds its fullest expression in Him who secures salvation eternally.

Practical ministry implications

• Preaching: Expose modern idols of security—finance, technology, nationalism—and direct hearers to the Lord as sole refuge.
• Pastoral care: When counseling anxiety, anchor believers in passages like Jeremiah 17:7-8, encouraging disciplined remembrance of God’s fidelity.
• Discipleship: Train believers to evaluate daily choices through the lens, “Where is my מִבְטָח today?”
• Mission: Present the gospel as the ultimate invitation to abandon false confidences and enter the sure shelter of Christ.

In every age מִבְטָח calls God’s people to renounce unstable supports and rest in the steadfast Lord, whose faithfulness renders all other shelters obsolete.

בְּמִבְטַחַ֔יִךְ במבטחיך לְמִבְטָח֙ למבטח מִבְטֶחָֽה׃ מִבְטֶחָֽם׃ מִבְטַח֑וֹ מִבְטַחִ֔ים מִבְטַחִ֥י מִבְטַחִֽי׃ מִבְטַחֶ֑ךָ מִבְטַחֽוֹ׃ מִבְטַח־ מִבְטָ֥ח מבטח מבטח־ מבטחה׃ מבטחו מבטחו׃ מבטחי מבטחי׃ מבטחים מבטחך מבטחם׃ bə·miḇ·ṭa·ḥa·yiḵ bəmiḇṭaḥayiḵ bemivtaChayich lə·miḇ·ṭāḥ ləmiḇṭāḥ lemivTach miḇ·ṭa·ḥe·ḵā miḇ·ṭa·ḥî miḇ·ṭa·ḥîm miḇ·ṭa·ḥōw miḇ·ṭāḥ miḇ·ṭaḥ- miḇ·ṭe·ḥāh miḇ·ṭe·ḥām miḇṭāḥ miḇṭaḥ- miḇṭaḥeḵā miḇṭaḥî miḇṭaḥîm miḇṭaḥōw miḇṭeḥāh miḇṭeḥām mivTach mivtaChecha mivtaChi mivtaChim mivtaCho mivteChah mivteChamInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts