Hebrew word · H4637

מַעֲרָצָה

bema'aratzah

terror

The word occurs only here. It comes from ʿāraṣ, 'to tremble, to strike with terror, to overawe' (as in Isa 2:19, 21: God 'rises to terrify the earth'). It means 'terrifying force' or a dread-inspiring shock. Many take it of the terrible crash of falling timber.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

awful shock, crash, terror

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 10:33

Range of meaning

The word occurs only here. It comes from ʿāraṣ, 'to tremble, to strike with terror, to overawe' (as in Isa 2:19, 21: God 'rises to terrify the earth'). It means 'terrifying force' or a dread-inspiring shock. Many take it of the terrible crash of falling timber.

Against the English

KJV/WEB "with terror" can sound to a modern reader like the woodsman is afraid, or like 'terror' as a political tactic. ESV/BSB "terrifying power" and NASB "a terrible crash" are clearer. NIV "with great power" keeps the force but drops the element of dread.

How it drifted

In older English 'terror' meant a dreadful, awe-inspiring quality ('the terror of the Lord'). Today it mostly means an inner feeling of fear or deliberate violence for political ends.

Used elsewhere in the period

The verb ʿāraṣ in Isaiah 2:19, 21 describes God rising 'to make the earth tremble', in a passage that also brings down the cedars of Lebanon and all that is lofty (2:12–17). The LXX's 'with strength' (see textual notes) shows that early translators also understood overwhelming force.

Where it appears

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 10:33 בְּמַעֲרָצָ֑ה with a crash

    Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled.

    Here: "With a terrifying [crash]". The word occurs only here. It comes from a root meaning 'to make tremble, terrify', so it describes the frightening, shuddering force of the blow and the noise of great limbs coming down, not a feeling inside the woodsman.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.