Original Word: מַרְבֵּץ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: marbets
Pronunciation: mar-bayts
Phonetic Spelling: (mar-bates')
KJV: couching place, place to lie down
NASB: resting place
Word Origin: [from H7257 (רָבַץ - lie down)]

1. a reclining place, i.e. fold (for flocks)

couching place, place to lie down

From rabats; a reclining place, i.e. Fold (for flocks) -- couching place, place to lie down.

see HEBREW rabats

Word Origin
from rabats
Definition
(place of) lying down
NASB Translation
resting place (2).

מַרְבֵּץ noun [masculine] id.; — of wild beasts, לַחַיָּה ׳מ Zephaniah 2:15 (sign of desolation, "" שַׁמָּה); of flock, construct מִרְבַּץצֿאֹן Ezekiel 25:5 ("" נְוֵה גְמַלִּים).

רבק (√ of following; compare Arabic tie fast; ᵑ7 רִיבְקָא stall).

Semantic Scope and Literary Nuance

מַרְבֵּץ depicts a place where animals settle down—whether a well-kept pasture for domesticated herds or an abandoned ruin turned into a wild lair. The term suggests repose, safety, and ownership; animals lie where they sense provision or where human civilization has retreated.

Scriptural Occurrences

• Ezekiel 25:5 – “I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a resting-place for flocks. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
• Zephaniah 2:15 – “This carefree city … will become a place for beasts to lie down; all who pass by her will hiss and shake their fists.”

Historical and Cultural Background

Ezekiel prophesies against Ammon shortly after Jerusalem’s fall (circa 586 B.C.). Rabbah, once the fortified Ammonite capital, is threatened with reduction to grazing land. Such a reversal— from bustling urban center to camel pasture—struck the ancient imagination as the ultimate humiliation, demonstrating that God alone establishes or dismantles nations.

Zephaniah foretells Nineveh’s collapse (late seventh century B.C.). Assyria’s proud metropolis, famed for its hanging gardens and walls, would lie silent, frequented only by creatures that need shelter. The prophet’s audience would envision jackals sprawling in once-royal courts, a vivid picture of divine retribution.

Theological Significance

1. Sovereign Judgment. Both prophecies hinge on the Lord’s prerogative to level arrogant societies. Turning them into מַרְבֵּץ reveals that history answers to heavenly decree (Psalm 2:1-4).
2. Reversal Principle. Scripture often flips expectations: cities become deserts; deserts bloom (Isaiah 35:1-2). מַרְבֵּץ captures that motif, underscoring the transient nature of earthly glory.
3. Covenant Assurance. As God vindicates His holiness among the nations, Israel (and today’s Church) gains confidence that no hostile power escapes His oversight (Romans 9:17).

Ministry Application

• Preaching on Pride and Security. Modern centers of commerce, technology, or entertainment may resemble Rabbah or Nineveh in self-confidence. Mַרְבֵּץ warns congregations against finding safety in economic or military strength (Proverbs 18:11).
• Counseling Hope in Ruin. When communities decline—through war, disaster, or moral decay—believers can rest in God’s redemptive storyline: He brings low, yet He also raises up (1 Samuel 2:6-8).
• Missions Perspective. Urban ministry must acknowledge that cities stand under divine evaluation. Presenting the gospel includes calling them from eventual desolation to everlasting refuge in Christ (Hebrews 13:14).

Christological and Eschatological Threads

Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd who grants His flock safe pasture (John 10:9). The bleak מַרְבֵּץ of judgment contrasts with the green pastures of Psalm 23:2, foreshadowing the consummate restoration described in Revelation 7:17. The final New Jerusalem, secure forever, ensures that the lair of beasts shall not triumph over the dwelling of the redeemed.

Key Takeaways

• מַרְבֵּץ symbolizes both the comfort of divinely provided rest and the devastation of divine judgment.
• The term’s dual usage invites sober reflection on pride, hope, and the fleeting nature of worldly splendor.
• In Christ, believers exchange the ruined lair for eternal pasture, moving from desolation to abundance under the watchful care of their Shepherd-King.

לְמִרְבַּץ־ למרבץ־ מַרְבֵּץ֙ מרבץ lə·mir·baṣ- ləmirbaṣ- lemirbatz mar·bêṣ marbêṣ marBetzInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts