מַאֲבוּס
a granary
Definition
The Hebrew noun מַאֲבוּס (maʼăbûwç) refers specifically to a granary or storehouse for grain. It denotes a secure, often large-scale facility used to preserve harvested crops, particularly cereals, for future use. The word appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Jeremiah 50:26, where it is used metaphorically to describe the plundering of Babylon's vast food reserves as an act of divine judgment. In this context, it emphasizes the totality of the coming destruction, targeting the very foundation of the nation's sustenance and wealth.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in the prophetic book of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 50:26, it appears in a context of military siege and divine judgment against Babylon: 'Come against her from the farthest border; open her storehouses (מַאֲבוּסֶיהָ); pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction...' The usage is metaphorical, portraying the enemy nation itself as a granary to be broken into and looted, symbolizing the complete stripping of its resources and security.
Etymology
מַאֲבוּס is derived from the root verb אָבַס (ʼāḇas, H75), which means 'to feed, to fatten,' particularly in reference to feeding livestock. The noun form thus developed to mean the place where feed (grain) is stored. This connection highlights the word's primary association with agricultural sustenance and provision, moving from the action of feeding to the location where the feed is kept.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, this word carries theological weight in its context. In Jeremiah 50:26, the 'granary' represents human wealth, security, and self-sufficiency built apart from God. Its divinely ordained plundering serves as a powerful image of God's judgment against pride and oppression (Babylon). It reminds the reader that material provisions are ultimately under God's control, and trust placed in stored resources rather than in the Provider is futile. Understanding this metaphor enriches the reading of this prophecy, emphasizing the completeness of God's justice.
In the ancient Near East, a granary was a vital civic and economic structure, essential for survival between harvests and for sustaining cities during sieges. Large state granaries, like those implied in Babylon, represented national power, planning, and wealth. Their breach was synonymous with catastrophic defeat and famine. This cultural reality makes the metaphor in Jeremiah 50:26 particularly potent—the destruction of the granary meant the end of the nation's life support.
אוֹצָר (ʼôṣār, H214) — a general treasury or storehouse for various valuables, not exclusively grain. מִסְכְּנוֹ (miskənô, H4543) — a storehouse, often for royal supplies or tithes (e.g., 1 Chronicles 26:15, Malachi 3:10).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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