Original Word: מַרְבֵּק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: marbeq
Pronunciation: mar-bake'
Phonetic Spelling: (mar-bake')
KJV: X fat(-ted), stall
NASB: fattened, stall
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to tie up]

1. a stall (for cattle)

fatted, stall

From an unused root meaning to tie up; a stall (for cattle) -- X fat(-ted), stall.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a stall
NASB Translation
fattened (2), stall (2).

מַרְבֵק noun [masculine] stall (literally tying-place); — ׳עֲגָלִים מִתּוֺךְ מ Amos 6:4 calves out of the stall (where they were fattened); ׳עֵגֶלמֿ 1 Samuel 28:24 i.e. a stall-fed, fatted, calf; so ׳כְּעֶנְלֵי מ Malachi 3:20 (simile of prosperity), Jeremiah 46:21 (simile of well-fed and arrogant mercenaries).

Overview

The term מַרְבֵּק appears four times in the Old Testament and denotes the well-fed, stall-raised calf. Its rare distribution gives it a pointed, evocative force wherever it occurs, drawing on the imagery of deliberate fattening—either for honored hospitality, forthcoming sacrifice, or impending slaughter. The word therefore oscillates between blessing and warning, depending on the moral posture of the people addressed.

Agricultural Background in Israelite Life

Stall-feeding required surplus grain, space, and labor. It signified settled prosperity and the ability to reserve prime livestock for special use. Calves raised in this way developed tender meat and added weight quickly; they were the costliest animals a household could present at a banquet or on an altar. Consequently, the image carried connotations of affluence, intentional preparation, and finality—an animal is not fattened indefinitely.

Canonical Contexts

1. Hospitality in Crisis – 1 Samuel 28:24

When Saul seeks the medium at Endor, the woman “had a fattened calf at the house, and she quickly slaughtered it”. The ready availability of such an animal underscores the immediacy and sincerity of her hospitality, even in the shadowy setting of Saul’s disobedience. The lavish meal heightens the tragic irony: a king who once feasted with Samuel now eats a final meal prepared by a necromancer.

2. Luxury and Complacency – Amos 6:4

“You … eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.” The prophet condemns the northern elites, whose self-indulgence blinds them to looming judgment. The stall-calf becomes a symbol of an opulent lifestyle deaf to social inequity and covenantal accountability.

3. Inevitable Judgment – Jeremiah 46:21

Egypt’s mercenaries “are like fattened calves; they too will turn and flee together”. The picture of pampered cattle, unsuspecting of sudden slaughter, portrays a military force lulled into false security. The very prosperity that produced these “calves” hastens their downfall when the Lord’s sword falls.

4. Eschatological Release – Malachi 4:2

“You will go out and leap like calves from the stall.” Here the image reverses. The righteous remnant, long confined, will burst forth in jubilant freedom when the “sun of righteousness” rises. The stall, once a place of restraint, becomes the staging ground for exuberant life.

Symbolic and Theological Trajectories

• Provision and Fellowship: In 1 Samuel, the fattened calf underscores costly fellowship, foreshadowing the gracious generosity God extends in covenant meals (cf. Exodus 24:11; Matthew 26:26).
• Self-Indulgence and Blindness: Amos employs the image to indict those who mistake material comfort for divine favor, a warning that resonates with the rich fool of Luke 12:16–21.
• Ripeness for Judgment: Jeremiah shows how fattening can signal nearness to slaughter, a sober reminder that unchecked prosperity may mask imminent ruin.
• Joyful Liberation: Malachi turns the metaphor toward hope, anticipating the messianic age when those who fear the Lord experience healing and unrestrained joy.

Relation to Sacrificial Worship

While מַרְבֵּק itself does not name a sacrificial category, stall-fattened animals were prime offerings (Leviticus 22:21). The deliberate feeding echoes the requirement that sacrifices be without blemish and of the best. Thus, the word hints at the larger sacrificial economy whereby costly life is given in place of worshipers.

Christological Echoes

Luke 15:23 recounts the father’s command, “Bring the fattened calf and kill it.” Though Greek, the thought-world parallels מַרְבֵּק: abundant grace expressed through an animal raised for a decisive moment of reconciliation. The stall-fed calf anticipates the once-for-all offering of Jesus Christ, whose prepared body (Hebrews 10:5) secures the believer’s everlasting feast.

Pastoral and Homiletical Implications

• Warn against the deception of prosperity: Like the Amos audience, modern believers can equate comfort with security.
• Encourage costly hospitality: The woman of Endor reminds congregations that generous provision can accompany even the most unlikely gospel encounters.
• Announce the certainty of divine reckoning: Jeremiah’s imagery underscores that apparent strength without righteousness invites judgment.
• Proclaim future joy: Malachi provides a vivid picture for sermons on resurrection freedom and the exuberance of the redeemed creation.

Summary

מַרְבֵּק gathers themes of preparation, value, and outcome—either joyous release or sudden destruction. By tracing its four occurrences, Scripture teaches that what humans fatten reveals their hearts, but what God prepares culminates in everlasting blessing for those who fear His name.

מַרְבֵּ֔ק מַרְבֵּֽק׃ מַרְבֵּק֙ מרבק מרבק׃ mar·bêq marBek marbêqInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts