Lexical Summary
mot: To totter, shake, slip, be moved
Original Word:מוֹט
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:mowt
Pronunciation:moht
Phonetic Spelling:(mote)
KJV: be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay, X exceedingly, fall(-ing down), be (re-)moved, be ready, shake, slide, slip
NASB:shaken, moved, slip, totter, slipped, bring down, fall
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to waver
2. (by implication) , to slip, shake, fall
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay, exceedingly, falling down
A primitive root; to waver; by implication, to slip, shake, fall -- be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay, X exceedingly, fall(-ing down), be (re-)moved, be ready, shake, slide, slip.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto totter, shake, slip
NASB Translationbring down (1), fall (1), falter (1), gives way (1), immovable* (1), moved (8), shake (1), shaken (11), shaken violently (1), slip (4), slipped (2), slips (1), staggering (1), totter (3), tottered (1), totters (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (usually in poetry) (Late Hebrew
id., derived species; Aramaic
, ; Arabic
(medial )
remove, retire; deviate from right course; repel, push, thrust; Ethiopic
turn; Assyrian
ma‰û is
dwindle, diminish, grow weak Dl
HWB 405; > denominative from
pole, bar Dl
Prol.184 Gerber
Verb. denominative 195 f., compare Buhl); —
Perfect3feminine singularPsalm 60:4 2t.; 3 pluralPsalm 46:7;Imperfect3feminine singularDeuteronomy 32:35;Isaiah 54:10; 3feminine pluralIsaiah 54:10;Infinitive constructPsalm 38:17;Psalm 46:3;absolute id.Isaiah 24:19;ParticipleIsaiah 25:26; pluralProverbs 24:11; —totter, slip, subject (figurative of insecurity)Deuteronomy 32:35;Psalm 38:17;Psalm 94:18: compare (without )Proverbs 24:11 ;Proverbs 25:26;shake, intransitive, subjectLeviticus 25:35 (H; of feebleness); subjectIsaiah 54:10 ("" );Psalm 46:3 ("" , compare ) (both symbolic of extreme insecurity); compare subjectIsaiah 54:10; subjectPsalm 46:7; subject (= land)Psalm 60:4; compareIsaiah 24:19 (see below Hithpa`el)
Perfect3pluralPsalm 17:5;ImperfectPsalm 15:5 8t., etc.; — all in poetry, mostly with negative (13t.; 6t.),be shaken, moved, overthrown, of idolsIsaiah 40:20;Isaiah 41:7; of scales of crocodileJob 41:15; of1 Chronicles 16:30 =Psalm 93:1;Psalm 96:10; ofPsalm 104:5; ofPsalm 125:1, comparePsalm 46:6; figurative of General disorder (no negative), subjectPsalm 82:5; often of righteous, as secure,Psalm 10:6;Psalm 15:5;Psalm 16:8;Psalm 21:8;Psalm 30:7;Psalm 62:3;Psalm 62:7;Psalm 112:6;Proverbs 10:30;Proverbs 12:3 (subject ); compare (without negative)Psalm 13:5;Psalm 140:11 Qr (so apparently AV RV; but meaning of Niph`al not suitable; Kt Hiph`il q. v.); figurative of steadfast obedience (subject )Psalm 17:5.
Imperfect3masculine pluralPsalm 55:4;Psalm 140:11 Kt (Qr
); —dislodge, let fall, dropPsalm 55:4; comparePsalm 140:11 Kt,and may they drop coals upon them, De and others; < read (Hup Gr Bae Dr), which Bi Che insert.
Perfect3feminine singularIsaiah 24:19be greatly shaken (subject in judgment of' ; "" , , Hithpa`el)
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Theological OverviewThe verb מוֹט expresses the experience of tottering, slipping, or being shaken out of place. Used both literally (the quaking of the earth) and metaphorically (emotional or spiritual instability), it creates a vivid contrast between the insecurity of life apart from God and the steadfastness He grants to His own. Across the Torah, Writings, and Prophets, the word underscores that the Lord alone is the immovable foundation of creation, covenant, and personal faith.
Instability and Divine Judgment
1 Samuel 2:8 declares that the Lord “guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness.” Here the security of the righteous is set against the tottering destiny of the wicked.Isaiah 24:19 pictures cosmic disaster: “The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.” National collapse (Psalm 46:6), personal calamity (Psalm 38:16), and final judgment (Nahum 1:5) are all described with מוֹט to emphasize that nothing created can withstand divine wrath.
Security in the Covenant Lord
The Psalter repeatedly uses מוֹט to assure worshipers that covenant trust renders them unshakable:
•Psalm 15:5 “He who does these things will never be shaken.”
•Psalm 16:8 “Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
•Psalm 62:2 “He alone is my rock and my salvation… I will never be shaken.”
•Psalm 121:3 “He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.”
Believers are thus invited to anchor their confidence in the steadfast character of Yahweh rather than in changing circumstances.
Moral and Ethical Applications
Proverbs contrasts righteous stability with wicked instability:
•Proverbs 10:30 “The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not inhabit the land.”
•Proverbs 12:3 “A man cannot be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous cannot be moved.”
Ethical choices determine whether one’s life stands firm or collapses. The wisdom tradition encourages practical holiness as the path to an unshakable future.
Messianic and Eschatological Hints
Psalm 55:22 prefigures the Messiah’s call: “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Peter cites this promise (1 Peter 5:7) and applies it to the church.Hebrews 12:26–28 connects the coming cosmic shaking announced by Haggai to the establishment of an “unshakable kingdom,” grounding Christian hope in the final triumph of Christ.
Liturgical and Devotional Use
Jewish and Christian worship traditions employPsalm 16 andPsalm 62 in liturgy, personal prayer, and hymnody to celebrate divine stability. Pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem recitedPsalm 121, affirming that their footing would not slip on treacherous mountain paths—an image readily adapted by believers today in times of travel, transition, or trial.
Pastoral and Homiletical Reflections
1. Assurance in uncertainty: Pastors often pairPsalm 46 andPsalm 62 when counseling those facing upheaval, highlighting that political, economic, or personal earthquakes cannot unsettle those whose refuge is God.
2. Spiritual vigilance:Psalm 30:6–7 warns against complacency—“When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ … but when You hid Your face, I was dismayed.” Confidence must rest in grace, not self-reliance.
3. Encouragement to perseverance:Proverbs 24:16, though not using מוֹט, complements its theme by affirming that “though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise again.” Even when believers stumble, they are ultimately kept from the irreversible fall.
Intercanonical Connections
The imagery of shaking inHaggai 2:6 is expanded inHebrews 12:26–27, linking Old Testament prophecy to New Testament consummation. Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24–27) echoes the Hebrew concept: foundations matter when storms come. InActs 2, the physical shaking of the house anticipates the Spirit’s empowering presence that secures the church’s witness amid persecution.
Selected Occurrences
Genesis 49:24;Deuteronomy 32:35;1 Samuel 2:10;2 Samuel 22:8;Job 41:23;Psalm 15:5;Psalm 16:8;Psalm 21:7;Psalm 30:6;Psalm 46:5–6;Psalm 55:22;Psalm 62:2, 6;Psalm 66:9;Psalm 93:1;Psalm 112:6;Psalm 121:3;Psalm 125:1;Proverbs 10:30;Proverbs 12:3;Isaiah 24:19;Isaiah 40:20;Isaiah 41:7;Jeremiah 23:12;Ezekiel 23:42;Nahum 1:5;Zechariah 12:3;Haggai 2:6–7.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶמּ֑וֹט אֶמּ֥וֹט אֶמּֽוֹט׃ אמוט אמוט׃ בְּמ֥וֹט במוט הִֽתְמוֹטְטָ֖ה התמוטטה וּבְמ֥וֹט וּמָ֥טָה וּמָטִ֥ים ובמוט ומטה ומטים יִ֝מּ֗וֹט יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ יִמּ֑וֹט יִמּ֣וֹט יִמֹּ֥וטוּ יִמּֽוֹט׃ יָמִ֥יטוּ ימוט ימוט׃ ימוטו ימיטו מ֗וֹט מ֥וֹט מָ֣ט מָ֣טָה מָ֣טוּ מָֽטָה׃ מוט מט מטה מטה׃ מטו נָמ֥וֹטּוּ נמוטו תְּמוּטֶ֑נָה תִּ֝מּ֗וֹט תִּמּ֑וֹט תִּמּֽוֹט׃ תָּמ֣וּט תָמ֔וּט תמוט תמוט׃ תמוטנה ’em·mō·wṭ ’emmōwṭ bə·mō·wṭ beMot bəmōwṭ emMot hiṯ·mō·wṭ·ṭāh hitmotTah hiṯmōwṭṭāh mā·ṭāh mā·ṭū mat māṭ Matah māṭāh Matu māṭū mō·wṭ Mot mōwṭ nā·mō·wṭ·ṭū naMottu nāmōwṭṭū tā·mūṭ ṯā·mūṭ taMut tāmūṭ ṯāmūṭ tə·mū·ṭe·nāh temuTenah təmūṭenāh tim·mō·wṭ timMot timmōwṭ ū·ḇə·mō·wṭ ū·mā·ṭāh ū·mā·ṭîm ūḇəmōwṭ uMatah ūmāṭāh umaTim ūmāṭîm uveMot yā·mî·ṭū yaMitu yāmîṭū yim·mō·w·ṭū yim·mō·wṭ yimMot yimMotu yimmōwṭ yimmōwṭū
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