מַפָּלָה
map.pa.lah
ruin
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word מַפָּלָה (map.pa.lah) has a short definition of "ruin." This single definition suggests that the concept of ruin is central to the meaning of this word. The fact that it appears only twice in the entire Hebrew Bible could indicate a relatively limited or specialized context for its usage. Given the definition of "ruin," it is likely that מַפָּלָה refers to the destruction or collapse of something, such as a person, community, or physical structure. The significance of this word lies in its ability to convey a sense of complete devastation or loss, implying that something once standing or intact has been thoroughly destroyed.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text
Behold, the land of the Chaldeans. This people didn’t exist. The Assyrians founded it for those who dwell in the wilderness. They set up their towers. They overthrew its palaces. They made it a ruin.
Isaiah 25:2For you have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city. It will never be built.