Lexical Summary
mebusah: Trodden place, trampled
Original Word:מְבוּסָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:mbuwcah
Pronunciation:meh-boo-sah
Phonetic Spelling:(meb-oo-saw')
KJV: treading (trodden) down (under foot)
NASB:oppressive, subjugation
Word Origin:[fromH947 (בּוּס - squirming)]
1. a trampling
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
treading trodden down under foot
Frombuwc; a trampling -- treading (trodden) down (under foot).
see HEBREWbuwc
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
busDefinitiona treading down, subjugation
NASB Translationoppressive (2), subjugation (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
Isaiah 18:2,7
a nation of might and of down-treading (Che
all-subduing);
Isaiah 22:5, compare below .
Topical Lexicon
Concept and Semantic Rangeמְבוּסָה denotes the trampling that results when armies march, besiege, or plunder. It evokes images of feet crushing grain on the threshing floor, yet in the prophetic writings the term is transferred to the ruthless stomping of peoples and cities. The word carries both the physical sense of pounding and the figurative sense of humiliation and judgment. Each occurrence in Isaiah links trampling with divine intervention: God either allows a land to be trodden or promises to reverse the trampling for His own glory.
Old Testament Occurrences
1.Isaiah 18:2 and 18:7 describe “a nation powerful and oppressive” (BSB footnote: “a nation measured and trodden”—מְבוּסָה). Cush is portrayed as a people habitually engaged in subjugation, yet ultimately destined to offer tribute to the LORD on Mount Zion.
2.Isaiah 22:5 speaks of “a day of tumult, trampling, and confusion in the Valley of Vision.” Here מְבוּסָה refers to Jerusalem herself being trampled in judgment because of misplaced trust in armaments and alliances instead of the LORD of Hosts.
Historical Context
Isaiah 18 addresses diplomats from Cush (ancient Ethiopia or upper Nile regions) who sought to enlist Judah in an anti-Assyrian coalition. The prophet counters their overture with a vision of God’s sovereign timing: He will prune the enemy at the appointed season, and Cush—once a trampler—will become a worshiper.Isaiah 22 belongs to the period when Jerusalem fortified her walls and stored water against an Assyrian siege, yet ignored the call to repentance (Isaiah 22:11–13). The impending trampling underscores that political prudence without spiritual contrition cannot avert divine chastening.
Theological Significance
1. Divine Sovereignty over Nations. Mְבּוּסָה reminds readers that the LORD alone determines who is trampled and who tramples. “The LORD of Hosts has purposed it, to defile the pride of all glory” (Isaiah 23:9).
2. Reversal of Fortunes. Those identified with trampling inIsaiah 18 eventually bring offerings to Zion, demonstrating that God can transform oppressors into worshipers. This anticipates the inclusion of the nations in the messianic kingdom (Psalm 72:10–11;Revelation 21:24).
3. Judgment Begins with the House of God.Isaiah 22 locates trampling inside Jerusalem’s own “Valley of Vision,” prefiguring the New Testament principle that “judgment begins with the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17).
Applications for Ministry
• Preaching Against Pride: מְבוּסָה is a vivid motif for sermons on the danger of national or personal arrogance. Modern hearers must confront the possibility that their own strategies can invite divine trampling if they eclipse humble reliance on God.
• Missions Outlook:Isaiah 18 encourages expectation that peoples presently characterized by violence or oppression may yet become bearers of tribute to the Lord. The passage fuels hope-driven mission rather than fear-driven isolation.
• Pastoral Counseling: Believers who feel crushed by circumstances can be reminded that God remains sovereign over every “trampling” and can repurpose affliction for worship and witness (2 Corinthians 4:8–10).
Related Terms and Themes
• דַּךְ (dak, “crushed”) – concentrates on the broken state resulting from trampling.
• רָמַס (ramas, “to tread, trample”) – the verb cognate that often describes beastly or military trampling (Isaiah 63:3).
• Threshing Imagery – the floor where grain is beaten is a frequent metaphor for judgment (Micah 4:12–13). מְבוּסָה shares the same agrarian background, now applied militarily.
Summary
מְבוּסָה encapsulates God’s authoritative right to humble the lofty and to lift the lowly. Its limited but strategic appearances in Isaiah frame the entire spectrum of divine action—warning, judgment, and eventual restoration—inviting every generation to seek refuge not in political power or human foresight but in the King who alone decides whose feet will tread and whose hearts will bow.
Forms and Transliterations
וּמְבוּסָ֔ה וּמְבוּסָ֗ה וּמְבוּסָ֜ה ומבוסה ū·mə·ḇū·sāh ūməḇūsāh umevuSah
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
