Lexical Summary miuttah: Fewness, smallness, diminution Original Word: מָעֹט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance wrapped up Passive adjective of ma'at; thinned (as to the edge), i.e. Sharp -- wrapped up. see HEBREW ma'at NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originscribal error, from marat, q.v. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Nuance מָעֹט conveys the idea of lessening, diminishing, or reducing something in size, strength, or number. It pictures a deliberate decrease rather than a simple lack, a shrinking brought about by decisive action. In prophetic speech it often stands behind images of a cutting down, thinning out, or making small that which once seemed substantial. Canonical Occurrence Ezekiel 21:15 is the only place the specific form מָעֹט appears. Within a prophecy of the coming Babylonian sword, the verb speaks of Yahweh’s intent “to diminish” (BSB footnote) the people at their very gates: “So that their hearts may melt with fear and the many will fall slain, I have appointed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Ah, it is polished to flash like lightning!” (Ezekiel 21:15). Here the diminishing is not merely numerical; it is moral and psychological. Hearts melt, courage evaporates, and the population itself is cut down. The word underscores the exhaustive nature of the judgment. Historical Setting Ezekiel ministered from exile in Babylon during the final years preceding Jerusalem’s fall (circa 593–571 BC). Chapter 21 announces the Babylonian siege and ultimate destruction of the city (586 BC). Against a backdrop of false hopes that the crisis would soon pass, מָעֹט declares the opposite: Judah will be reduced. The polished sword is ready, sure, and divinely appointed. Theological Significance 1. Divine Sovereignty in Judgment: The verb highlights that Judah’s reduction is not accidental but ordained. The LORD “appoints” the sword; human armies are His instrument. Intertextual Connections While the specific form in Ezekiel 21:15 is unique, cognate forms of the root appear widely: These passages frame diminishment as a prelude to either dependence on God or later enlargement, thereby rounding out the biblical theology of משׁעעט rooted words. Practical and Ministry Insights • Call to Repentance: Ezekiel’s audience is confronted with the reality that unrepentant sin invites a God-ordained shrinking of security, resources, and self-confidence. Modern proclamation can draw on this to expose the folly of presuming upon grace while persisting in rebellion. Thus מָעֹט, though a single occurrence, supplies a vivid lens through which to perceive the purposeful severity of divine judgment and the gracious trajectory toward purification and renewal. Forms and Transliterations מְעֻטָּ֥ה מעטה mə‘uṭṭāh mə·‘uṭ·ṭāh meutTahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 21:15 HEB: עֲשׂוּיָ֥ה לְבָרָ֖ק מְעֻטָּ֥ה לְטָֽבַח׃ KJV: bright, [it is] wrapped up for the slaughter. INT: is made lightning up Tebah 1 Occurrence |