Original Word: בּג
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bag
Pronunciation: bahg
Phonetic Spelling: (bag)
KJV: spoil (from the margin for H0957)
Word Origin: [a Persian word]

1. food

spoil

A Persian word; food -- spoil (from the margin for baz.)

see HEBREW baz

Word Origin
scribal error for baz, q.v.

[בַּג] Ezekiel 25:7 read בַּז see בזז. P. 103

Usage in Scripture

The term appears a single time, in Ezekiel 25:7, where the Lord announces that the Ammonites will become “plunder to the nations”. The vocabulary conveys utter dispossession: what once belonged to Ammon will be seized, and Ammon itself will be treated as spoil.

Historical Setting

Ammon was a long-standing foe of Israel (Judges 11; 2 Samuel 10–12). When Judah fell to Babylon, Ammon rejoiced (Ezekiel 25:3, 6). Ezekiel’s oracle (25:1-7) therefore pronounces measure-for-measure judgment: as Ammon had preyed upon Judah’s misfortune, so Ammon would itself become prey in the Babylonian campaigns that swept the Transjordan within a few years of Jerusalem’s destruction (circa 582 BC, cf. Jeremiah 49:2-6).

Divine Retribution and Reversal

1. Moral accountability of nations—The solitary use of the word underscores that even seemingly minor peoples are under God’s moral scrutiny (Psalm 24:1; Acts 17:26-27).
2. Lex talionis principle—Ammon’s glee at Judah’s fall is returned in kind; the one who mocks becomes the mocked (Proverbs 17:5).
3. Sovereignty of Yahweh—By turning Ammon into spoil, the Lord displays dominion not only over Israel but over every realm: “you will know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 25:7).

The Motif of Plunder in the Prophets

Ezekiel frequently describes judgment with the language of spoil (Ezekiel 26:12; 29:19; 39:10). Isaiah 10:6 and Zechariah 14:1 employ the same imagery to depict the day of the Lord. Across the Prophets, plunder serves as a concrete picture of comprehensive defeat, social humiliation, and economic ruin—a foretaste of final reckoning.

Theological Implications

• Justice and mercy meet—While Ammon is stripped, Judah receives eventual restoration (Ezekiel 36). The contrast magnifies grace toward those whom God brings back from captivity.
• Warning against schadenfreude—Gloating over another’s downfall invites God’s displeasure (Obadiah 12-15).
• Assurance for the oppressed—Those wronged by nations or individuals may trust the Lord to vindicate in His time (Romans 12:19).

Eschatological Echoes

Revelation portrays the ultimate overthrow of worldly powers using similar economic language: “For in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste” (Revelation 18:17). Ezekiel’s single use of the term therefore foreshadows the climactic plundering of Babylon the Great, when every proud kingdom falls and the Lord alone is exalted.

Lessons for Ministry Today

1. Preach God’s impartial justice—No community stands outside His jurisdiction.
2. Cultivate humility—Triumphalism toward rivals or opponents risks divine rebuke.
3. Offer hope—If God can dismantle a nation in judgment, He can also rebuild a people in grace (Ezekiel 37).

The lone occurrence of this Hebrew word is thus a window into the character of God: meticulous in justice, sovereign over history, and purposeful in bringing all nations to acknowledge His name.

לְבַז֙ לבז lə·ḇaz ləḇaz leVazInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts