Original Word: אֲשׁוּיָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ashuwyah
Pronunciation: ah-shoo-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ash-oo-yah')
KJV: foundation
Word Origin: [feminine passive participle from an unused root meaning to found]

1. foundation

foundation

Feminine passive participle from an unused root meaning to found; foundation -- foundation.

Word Origin
see asheyah.

[אָשְׁיָה] noun feminine (support) buttress (Arabic column, support, AW Nö^{M 113}, ᵑ7 אוּשָּׁא, plural אוּשָּׁיָיתָא, אוּשְּׁוָותָא) only plural suffix buttresses of city of Babylon Jeremiah 50:15 אשׁויתיה Kt, אָשְׁיוֺתֶיהָ Qr ("" חוֺמוֺתֶיהָ).

[אָשְׁיָה]

noun feminine wall, bulwark (Talmud אָשִׁיתָא (Levy Nö); Mandean אשיתא wall Nö^{M 113}; ᵑ7 plural suffix אֲשִׁיתָהָא (Dalm^WB אָשְׁיָתַהָא) Jeremiah 50:15, אשיתנא Cant 2:9; Arabic column, support is loan-word according to Frä¹¹); — only plural suffix bulwarks of city of Babylon,' etc.

Term and Essential Sense

The noun אֲשׁוּיָה denotes the defensive “foundation-work” or “bulwark” of a city—masonry that undergirds ramparts and towers. It evokes what is humanly considered inviolable security.

Biblical occurrence

Jeremiah 50:15 is the single occurrence, describing Babylon’s collapse under divine judgment: “She surrenders; her towers have fallen; her walls are torn down”. The phrase translated “her towers” (or “bulwarks”) is אֲשׁוּיוֹתֶיהָ, the plural possessive of אֲשׁוּיָה.

Historical setting

Jeremiah 50–51 records oracles against Babylon delivered in the era of Nebuchadnezzar’s dominance, yet anticipating the Medo-Persian conquest seventy years later (Jeremiah 25:11-12; Daniel 5). Archaeology confirms Babylon’s elaborate fortifications: double walls reinforced by baked-brick foundations and immense watch-towers. To the ancient mind they appeared impregnable, but Jeremiah’s prophecy declared that even these foundational defenses (אֲשׁוּיוֹת) would crumble at Yahweh’s word.

Theological significance

1. Judgment on pride. Babylon trusted in masonry and engineering rather than in the Lord (Isaiah 47:8-11). By specifying the fall of the very “foundations,” Jeremiah underscores total overthrow—judgment reaching the lowest structural level, leaving no ground for revival.
2. Vindication of covenant faithfulness. The same God who allowed Babylon to discipline Judah (Jeremiah 25:9) now repays Babylon “as she has done to others” (Jeremiah 50:15), demonstrating His just governance of the nations.
3. Foreshadowing eschatological collapse. Revelation 18 echoes Jeremiah’s language when predicting end-time Babylon, implying that even the most fortified world systems cannot withstand Christ’s final victory.

Literary connections

Although אֲשׁוּיָה appears once, Scripture frequently contrasts man-made strongholds with divine refuge:
• Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength.”
• Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower.”

By using the rare term for Babylon’s bulwarks, Jeremiah highlights the inadequacy of physical defenses compared with the Lord’s protection.

Ministry and pastoral application

• Expose false securities. Modern believers may rely on wealth, technology, or institutions; Jeremiah’s oracle reminds the church to rest in God alone.
• Encourage trust during cultural upheaval. As Babylon’s seemingly unshakable foundations fell, so present-day powers will give way to God’s Kingdom (Hebrews 12:27-28).
• Fuel mission and prayer. Knowing the fragility of earthly fortifications should move Christians to proclaim the gospel while “the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:14).

Summary

אֲשׁוּיָה captures the concept of foundational human strength brought to nothing by divine decree. Its solitary appearance in Jeremiah 50:15 magnifies the completeness of Babylon’s downfall and calls every generation to place ultimate confidence, not in man-made bulwarks, but in the unshakeable foundation laid in Zion—Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6).

אָשְׁיֹותֶ֔יהָ אשיותיה ’ā·šə·yō·w·ṯe·hā ’āšəyōwṯehā asheyoTeihaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts