Lexical Summary
maqaq: To decay, rot, melt away, waste away
Original Word:מָקַק
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:maqaq
Pronunciation:maw-kak'
Phonetic Spelling:(maw-kak')
KJV: consume away, be corrupt, dissolve, pine away
NASB:rot, rot away, fester, rotting away, waste away, wear away
Word Origin:[' a primitive root]
1. to melt
2. (figuratively) to flow, dwindle, vanish
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
consume away, be corrupt, dissolve, pine away
A primitive root; to melt; figuratively, to flow, dwindle, vanish -- consume away, be corrupt, dissolve, pine away.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto decay, rot, fester, pine away
NASB Translationfester (1), rot (3), rot away (3), rotting away (1), waste away (1), wear away (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] , figurative (Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic () ); —
Perfect3pluralPsalm 38:6, consecutiveIsaiah 34:4;Ezekiel 4:17; 2masculine plural consecutiveEzekiel 24:23;Imperfect3feminine singularZechariah 14:12; 3masculine pluralLeviticus 26:39,Leviticus 26:39; 3feminine pluralZechariah 14:12;Participle pluralEzekiel 33:10; —
fester, of woundsPsalm 38:6 ( + , see ).
rot, rot away,Zechariah 14:12 (plague upon foes of Jerusalem).
.moulder away, ofIsaiah 34:4 ("" .
.pining away by reason of (), as punishment for, iniquityEzekiel 4:17;Ezekiel 24:23;Ezekiel 33:10;Leviticus 26:39 (twice in verse).
Infinitive absolute , transitiveZechariah 14:12a causing his flesh to rot.
Topical Lexicon
Essential MotifThe verb conveys the idea of disintegration—flesh, bones, or even the heavens themselves wasting away. Whether literal or figurative, it signals a judgment that comes from God and that no human effort can reverse.
Canonical Distribution
The ten attestations cluster in three spheres.
1. Covenant warning (Leviticus 26:39, twice).
2. Poetic and prophetic laments over individual or national sin (Psalm 38:5;Ezekiel 4:17;Ezekiel 24:23;Ezekiel 33:10).
3. Apocalyptic judgment scenes (Isaiah 34:4;Zechariah 14:12, thrice).
Physical Decay as the Wages of Sin
Leviticus sets the tone. After a catalogue of covenant curses, the Lord foretells that unrepentant Israelites “will waste away because of their iniquity” (Leviticus 26:39). Here decay is a slow, humiliating end for rebels who refused the life-giving statutes of God.Psalm 38:5 echoes the same self-inflicted ruin: “My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness”. In both passages, moral transgression directly corrodes the body, reinforcing the holistic unity of life expressed in the Law.
Social Collapse Illustrated
Ezekiel employs the verb for communal starvation (Ezekiel 4:17), emotional numbness during siege (Ezekiel 24:23), and collective despair after judgment (Ezekiel 33:10). These contexts portray a society that has lost its covenant heartbeat; the people “waste away” in body and hope alike. The prophet frames this condition not merely as historical tragedy but as theological consequence: when Israel breaks faith, her very strength decomposes.
Cosmic and Eschatological Imagery
Isaiah 34:4 broadens the scope: “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved, and the skies will be rolled up like a scroll”. Here decay leaps from human flesh to the universe, revealing that nothing in creation is exempt from divine reckoning.Zechariah 14 intensifies the picture: enemies of Jerusalem “will experience a plague where their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet” (Zechariah 14:12). The triple use within that verse underscores certainty and completeness. This prophetic vision connects the verb to the Day of the Lord, when unrepentant opposition to God collapses instantly.
Pastoral Implications
1. Sin is never static; it corrodes. Pastors can press this truth in counseling, urging confession before the rot sets in.
2. National righteousness matters. The Ezekiel texts validate corporate responsibility and call for intercessory leadership.
3. Eschatology fuels ethics. Zechariah’s warning motivates believers to live holy and evangelistic lives, knowing judgment is real.
Christological Horizon
The New Testament answers the wasting curse with the incorruptible resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:42). Jesus endured corruption’s penalty in the grave yet “did not see decay” (Acts 2:31, echoingPsalm 16:10). Therefore, the believer’s hope moves from wasting under sin to renewal in Christ.
Practical Application
• Examine personal habits that signal spiritual decay—bitterness, secret sin, doctrinal drift—and apply immediate repentance.
• Highlight community disciplines (Lord’s Supper, church discipline, mutual exhortation) that prevent collective wasting.
• Anchor evangelism in the urgency ofZechariah 14; the rot of judgment is certain, but the gospel offers imperishable life.
The verb thus serves as a sober thermometer of covenant health, a prophetic canvas for cosmic judgment, and a backdrop that magnifies the redemptive triumph of the risen Lord.
Forms and Transliterations
הָמֵ֣ק ׀ המק וְנָמַ֖קּוּ וְנָמַ֙קּוּ֙ וּנְמַקֹּתֶם֙ ונמקו ונמקתם יִמַּ֙קּוּ֙ יִמָּֽקּוּ׃ ימקו ימקו׃ נְמַקִּ֖ים נָ֭מַקּוּ נמקו נמקים תִּמַּ֣קְנָה תִּמַּ֥ק תמק תמקנה hā·mêq haMek hāmêq nā·maq·qū Namakku nāmaqqū nə·maq·qîm nemakKim nəmaqqîm tim·maq tim·maq·nāh timMak timMaknah timmaq timmaqnāh ū·nə·maq·qō·ṯem unemakkoTem ūnəmaqqōṯem venaMakku wə·nā·maq·qū wənāmaqqū yim·maq·qū yim·māq·qū yimMakku yimmaqqū yimmāqqū
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