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H4933 · Hebrew · Old Testament
מְשִׁסָּה
meshissah
Noun, feminine
plunder, spoil, booty

Definition

Meshissah (מְשִׁסָּה) means plunder or spoil — the goods seized from a defeated enemy. It appears about 8 times and is primarily used in prophetic literature describing what will happen to Israel or its enemies under divine judgment. Isaiah 42:22 uses it to describe Israel in exile as a people who have become plunder.

Usage & Theological Significance

Isaiah 42:22-24 is the theological heart of meshissah: a people plundered and looted, trapped in pits, with no one to rescue them. The passage asks in verse 24: Who handed Jacob over to become loot [meshissah]? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? Judgment comes when the people God made stewards become the spoil of their enemies. The good news: God does not abandon the plundered permanently (Isaiah 42:1).

Key Bible Verses

Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people plundered [meshissah] and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons.
Isaiah 42:24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot [meshissah], Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned?
Jeremiah 30:16 'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil.'
Nahum 2:9 Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures!
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong...

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External Resources

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