מַרְבֵּק (mar.beq)
mar.beq
stall
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun marbeq refers to a stall or tie-up place for animals, specifically one designed for tethering. It appears only three times in the Old Testament, appearing in I Samuel, Jeremiah, and Amos. The term describes a physical structure where livestock are secured, highlighting the agricultural context of ancient Israel.
Its usage often carries a tone of restriction or confinement. In Jeremiah 5:4, the prophet contrasts the stubborn people with oxen that are "tied" (marbeq) to their feed troughs, implying they are restrained by habit or force rather than willing obedience. Similarly, Amos 3:3 uses the imagery to question how two can walk together unless they are agreed, invoking the idea of animals yoked or tied in a stall as a metaphor for forced proximity without harmony.
The word’s root suggests binding or tying, emphasizing the loss of freedom inherent in being placed in a marbeq. Translators typically render it as "stall" or "tie-up," capturing the sense of an animal held in place. This concrete image serves to illustrate themes of control, stubbornness, and the unnatural state of beings meant to roam being confined.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word marbeq describes a specific place where livestock are tied or confined, often highlighting a state of restriction rather than care. In ancient Israel, this was a practical agricultural detail, but it also carried a heavy emotional weight. It represents the loss of freedom for creatures designed to roam, serving as a stark image of being held against their nature.
Scripture uses this concrete imagery to illustrate spiritual truths about human behavior. When prophets speak of people acting like those tied in a stall, they are pointing out stubbornness or forced compliance. It reminds us that true obedience comes from the heart, not from external pressure or habit. We are called to walk freely with God, not merely because we are tethered by circumstance.
This word invites reflection on our own spiritual posture. Are we following God out of genuine love and agreement, or are we simply going through the motions like animals held in place? The Bible encourages a relationship built on mutual understanding and willing hearts, where we choose to walk together with Him rather than being confined by fear or routine.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] stall3×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מַרְבֵּק֙1×
- מַרְבֵּֽק\׃1×
- מַרְבֵּ֔ק1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 46:21
Also her hired men in the middle of her are like calves of the stall, for they also are turned back. They have fled away together. They didn’t stand, for the day of their calamity has come on them, the time of their visitation.
This verse uses the image of calves in a stall to depict mercenaries who have lost their courage and are fleeing, showing how confinement can lead to panic rather than strength.
-
Amos 6:4
who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the middle of the stall,
Here the word highlights the excess of the wealthy who consume the best meat from the stall, contrasting their luxury with the spiritual blindness and lack of justice in their society.