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H4003 · Hebrew · Old Testament
מְבוּקָה
Mebiqah
Noun, feminine
emptiness, void, desolation, hollowness

Definition

The rare Hebrew noun mebiqah means emptiness or void. It appears in Nahum 2:10 describing the desolation of Nineveh after God's judgment: "She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale." The word captures utter hollow emptiness — a city stripped of everything.

Usage & Theological Significance

Mebiqah (emptiness/void) represents the end result of living apart from God. The prophets consistently describe pagan cities and unfaithful Israel as ultimately empty — their glory stripped away, their strength hollow. This desolation is not random but covenantal consequence. The same God who fills Zion with His glory (Isaiah 6:3) empties the city that rejects Him. Theologically, only what is filled with God's presence has lasting substance; everything else is mebiqah.

Key Bible Verses

Nahum 2:10 She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale.
Isaiah 24:1 See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants.
Jeremiah 4:23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone.
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath.
Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

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