Lexical Summary
mush: depart, departs, move
Original Word:מוּשׁ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:muwsh
Pronunciation:moosh
Phonetic Spelling:(moosh)
KJV: cease, depart, go back, remove, take away
NASB:depart, departs, move, remove, removed, cease, departed
Word Origin:[a primitive root (perhaps rather the same asH4184 (מוּשׁ - feel) through the idea of receding by contact)]
1. to withdraw (both literally and figuratively, whether intransitive or transitive)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cease, depart, go back, remove, take away
A primitive root (perhaps rather the same asmuwsh through the idea of receding by contact); to withdraw (both literally and figuratively, whether intransitive or transitive) -- cease, depart, go back, remove, take away.
see HEBREWmuwsh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto depart, remove
NASB Translationcease (1), depart (6), departed (1), departs (2), give way (1), left (1), move (2), remove (2), removed (2), removes (1), take away (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [, Bö
ii. 512 f.; but Thes Kö
i. 511 think purely ]
(Arabic
()is walk with elegant, proud, self-conceited gait); —
Perfect consecutiveZechariah 14:4;Zechariah 3:9;Numbers 14:44;ImperfectJoshua 1:8;Isaiah 54:10, etc.; —depart, mostly of inanimate things ( =be removed) followed byJoshua 1:8;Isaiah 59:21;Jeremiah 31:36; without prepositionProverbs 17:13 Qr,Isaiah 22:25;Isaiah 54:10 (twice in verse) ("" ); followed by locativeZechariah 14:4; followed by personJudges 6:18; of bothNumbers 14:44; transitiveremove, followed by accusativeZechariah 3:9.
ImperfectExodus 13:22 6t., etc.;remove, take away, followed byMicah 2:3; followed byMicah 2:4 (but StaZAW vi. 1886, 122f. for );depart, followed by personExodus 33:11; figurativerecedeJob 23:12; of idol,leave its place,Isaiah 46:7; of other inanimate things, followed byExodus 13:22; figurativePsalm 55:12;Proverbs 17:13 Kt (Qr ); without preposition, absolute,Nahum 3:1, subject ; of righteous under figure of tree,Jeremiah 17:8, i.e. shall not cease.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew verb מוּשׁ occurs twenty times and consistently revolves around the idea of remaining or being removed. In positive settings it underscores the steadfastness of God’s presence, word, covenant, or blessing; in negative contexts it warns of judgment that will not be averted. The range of uses therefore supplies rich material for tracing the immovable faithfulness of the Lord alongside the tragic instability of idolatry and rebellion.
Occurrences in the Torah
1.Exodus 13:22 anchors Israel’s wilderness journey: “The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place before the people.” The immovability of the cloud–fire manifestation guaranteed guidance and protection.
2.Exodus 33:11 highlights covenant mediation: Joshua “did not depart from within the tent,” displaying zealous commitment to the presence of God.
3.Numbers 14:44 recounts Israel’s presumptuous advance after rejecting the land; “the Ark of the covenant of the Lord did not move from the camp,” signaling divine disapproval.
4.Joshua 1:8 places the same permanence on Scripture: “This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth.” Continual meditation on the Torah is presented as the path to prosperity and courage.
5.Judges 6:18 shows Gideon requesting the Angel of the Lord, “Please do not depart from here,” revealing the yearning for divine assurance amid national apostasy.
Together these texts establish a theology of immutable guidance—God remains with His people, His word is to remain with them, and blessing is secured when they refuse to let either depart.
Theology of Divine Constancy and Human Inconstancy
Job 23:12 personalizes the principle: “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread,” a refusal to let the divine command slip away even under severe trial.
Psalm 55:11 andProverbs 17:13 contrast covenant faithfulness with societal breakdown: unrepentant evil “does not depart” from the streets or the household where wrong is repaid for good. The verb becomes a mirror showing how sin clings where repentance is absent.
Prophetic Usage: Judgment and Hope
Isaiah employs מוּשׁ eight times.
•Isaiah 22:25 announces the fall of Shebna’s authority—“the peg driven in a firm place will give way”—depicting removal of illegitimate security.
•Isaiah 46:7 exposes idols: “Though one cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot move from its place,” uncrowning all rival deities.
• Twice inIsaiah 54:10 covenant grace triumphs: “Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not be removed from you.” Cosmic upheaval cannot unsettle divine mercy toward the restored Zion.
•Isaiah 59:21 promises an everlasting covenant of word and Spirit: “My words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth… from now on and forevermore.” These assurances prepare the way for the New Covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah echoes the theme:
•Jeremiah 17:8 portrays the blessed man as “a tree planted by the waters… its leaves do not wither,” emphasizing unwavering fruitfulness.
•Jeremiah 31:36 guarantees the permanence of Israel as a nation under God’s cosmic ordinances.
Minor Prophets add both warning and consummation:
•Micah 2:3–4 predicts humiliation from which the guilty “will not remove your necks,” a sentence of unavoidable distress.
•Nahum 3:1 declares Nineveh’s “prey never departs,” underscoring relentless violence that brings divine judgment.
•Zechariah 3:9, in messianic vision, promises that the iniquity of the land “will be removed in a single day,” prefiguring the cross.
•Zechariah 14:4 pictures the Mount of Olives splitting at the Lord’s return, a dramatic removal that inaugurates millennial glory.
Historical and Redemptive Significance
Throughout Israel’s history, מוּשׁ ties together Exodus guidance, conquest success, monarchy failures, and prophetic hope. Idolatry cannot make a god shift into action, but the living Lord can make mountains move or remain immovable at His word. The unwavering pillar, the abiding Book, and the unshakeable covenant each foreshadow the incarnate Word who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Assurance of Presence: Believers may trust that the Lord who never left Israel in the wilderness will not forsake those united to Christ.
2. Authority of Scripture: Pastors should keep the word continually on their lips, modelingJoshua 1:8, so that congregations learn to meditate day and night.
3. Call to Repentance: What evil “does not depart” from our homes or communities signals areas where the gospel must confront lingering sin.
4. Hope in Judgment:Isaiah 54 andZechariah 3 point to the cross and resurrection, assuring saints that divine compassion will outlast cosmic collapse.
5. Eschatological Expectation:Zechariah 14:4 energizes worship with the certainty of the Lord’s return, when every unstable structure of human pride will be displaced.
Key Themes for Preaching and Teaching
• God’s faithfulness is immovable; His people are called to immovable obedience.
• Divine judgment removes false securities while establishing eternal righteousness.
• The abiding word and Spirit form the unbroken line from Sinai to Pentecost to the New Creation.
• Stability in ministry flows from anchoring every endeavor to the God who “does not change” and whose covenant “will not be removed.”
Forms and Transliterations
אָמִ֑ישׁ אמיש וּמַשְׁתִּ֛י וּמָ֨שׁ ומש ומשתי יָמ֔וּשׁוּ יָמ֗וּשׁ יָמ֡וּשׁ יָמ֡וּשׁוּ יָמִ֑ישׁ יָמִ֖ישׁ יָמִ֞ישׁ יָמִ֣ישׁ יָמִ֥ישׁ יָמֻ֜שׁוּ ימוש ימושו ימיש ימשו מָ֖שׁוּ משו תָּמוּשׁ֙ תָמ֥וּשׁ תָמִ֨ישׁוּ תָמֻ֤שׁ תמוש תמישו תמש ’ā·mîš ’āmîš aMish mā·šū Mashu māšū ṯā·mî·šū tā·mūš ṯā·muš ṯā·mūš taMishu ṯāmîšū tāmūš ṯāmuš ṯāmūš taMush ū·māš ū·maš·tî ūmāš uMash umashTi ūmaštî yā·mîš yā·mu·šū yā·mū·šū yā·mūš yāmîš yaMish yāmūš yaMush yaMushu yāmušū yāmūšū
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