Original Word: מִשְׁחָת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mishchath
Pronunciation: mish-khath'
Phonetic Spelling: (mish-khawth')
KJV: corruption, marred
Word Origin: [from H7843 (שָׁחַת - destroy)]

1. disfigurement

corruption, marred

Or moshchath {mosh-khawth'}; from shachath; disfigurement -- corruption, marred.

see HEBREW shachath

מִשְׁחַת noun [masculine] disfigurement of face Isaiah 52:14.

מָשְׁחָת noun [masculine] corruption (ritual), Leviticus 22:25 (H).

שַׁ֫חַת see שׁוח

Overview

מִשְׁחָת (mishchath) denotes physical damage or disfigurement severe enough to render something unfit for sacred use or to evoke shock and revulsion. Though used only twice, the term spans the Law and the Prophets, linking the purity of sacrificial worship with the prophetic anticipation of the suffering Messiah.

Occurrences

1. Leviticus 22:25 – of animals whose “defects” (mishchath) disqualify them from being offered on the altar.
2. Isaiah 52:14 – of the Servant whose “appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man” (mishchath), stunning onlookers.

Sacrificial Purity and Covenantal Integrity

In Leviticus the word safeguards the sanctity of offerings. Anything possessing mishchath is barred from the altar because worship must reflect God’s own perfection (Leviticus 22:20-25). The priesthood, sanctuary, and sacrifices were designed to teach Israel that access to the Holy One demands wholeness. Mishchath symbolizes the intrusion of sin and decay into creation; to present it before the LORD would distort the covenant picture of unblemished substitution.

Prophetic Portrait of the Suffering Servant

Isaiah’s use intensifies the term. The Servant’s visage is so marred that “His form [is] beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14). The horror ordinarily disqualifying a sacrifice is borne by the Servant Himself, indicating purposeful, redemptive suffering. What Israel must never place on the altar, God places upon His chosen One. Thus mishchath, once an exclusion, becomes the very instrument of atonement, foreshadowing Jesus Christ, “the Lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19), who nevertheless “became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Theological Synthesis

• Holiness versus corruption: Mishchath exposes the gulf between a perfect God and a fallen world.
• Substitution and identification: Leviticus guards substitutionary integrity; Isaiah reveals divine identification with the corrupted.
• Continuity of revelation: The Law sets the standard; the Prophets unveil its fulfillment. Together they affirm that every requirement finds its resolution in the Messiah’s person and work.

Historical Perspective

Second Temple literature echoes Leviticus by expanding lists of disqualifying blemishes. Rabbinic discussions (e.g., Mishnah, tractate Bekhorot) debate minute defects, underscoring Israel’s heightened concern for ritual perfection. Early Christian writers, however, read Isaiah 52–53 christologically; Justin Martyr argued that the Servant’s mishchath proves the crucified Christ is foretold in Torah and Prophets.

Ministry Applications

• Worship: Leaders should pursue excellence that reflects divine holiness, avoiding symbolic “defects” in doctrine or practice (Malachi 1:7-8).
• Preaching: Mishchath supplies a vivid bridge from sacrificial law to the passion narratives, highlighting Christ’s voluntary humiliation.
• Pastoral care: Believers bearing physical or emotional scars can find comfort in the Servant who knows disfigurement yet brings healing (Isaiah 53:5).
• Missions: The Servant’s marred appearance “sprinkles many nations” (Isaiah 52:15), motivating global proclamation of a gospel that transforms corruption into glory.

Contemporary Reflection

Mishchath reminds the Church that God’s standard remains unblemished holiness, yet His mercy embraces the disfigured through the perfect sacrifice of Christ. In a world fractured by sin, the contrast between unacceptable blemish and redemptive suffering calls believers to grateful worship, holy living, and compassionate mission.

מִשְׁחַ֥ת מָשְׁחָתָ֤ם משחת משחתם mā·šə·ḥā·ṯām māšəḥāṯām mashechaTam miš·ḥaṯ mišḥaṯ mishChatInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts