### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew noun machats (`{{H4273}}`) is derived from the verb machats (`{{H4272}}`), which carries the meaning "to shatter," "to smite," "to wound," or "to crush." As a noun, machats therefore denotes the *result* of such a forceful action: a "stroke," "blow," "wound," "contusion," or "bruise." It describes a physical injury, emphasizing the severity and impact of the inflicted damage, leading to a significant lesion rather than a superficial mark. Its semantic range is tightly focused on the physical consequence of a powerful, damaging strike.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The term machats (`{{H4273}}`) appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible, both instances found within the prophetic book of Isaiah, and both in contexts dealing with affliction, divine action, and healing.
1. **[[Isaiah 30:26]]**: "Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the machats of His people and heals the stroke of their wound."
* **Context:** This verse is part of a prophetic promise of future restoration and abundant blessing for Israel, following a period of divine discipline. The "stroke of their wound" (machats) refers to the deep and painful afflictions that God's people have endured. The imagery portrays God as a divine physician who personally intervenes to "bind up" and "heal" these severe wounds, indicating His compassionate response to the suffering He has permitted or brought upon them for corrective purposes. The parallelism between "binds up" and "heals" strongly affirms machats as a grievous injury or deep contusion.
2. **[[Isaiah 53:5]]**: "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His machats we are healed."
* **Context:** This is a cornerstone passage within the Suffering Servant songs, prophetically detailing the atoning work of the Messiah. Here, machats refers to the severe, crushing blows and wounds inflicted upon the Servant. The preceding parallel phrases, "pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities," amplify the violent and destructive nature of these blows. Crucially, the text declares that "by His machats we are healed." This is a profound statement of substitutionary atonement, where the grievous wounds (machats) endured by the Servant are the means by which spiritual and holistic healing is brought to humanity. The Servant bears the severe consequences of sin, allowing others to experience restoration.
### Related Words & Concepts
* **machats (verb, `{{H4272}}`):** The root verb, meaning "to shatter," "to crush," or "to smite," directly informs the noun's meaning. The noun machats describes the *result* or *effect* of the action described by the verb.
* **makkah (`{{H4347}}`):** A more general term for "blow," "stroke," or "wound." While machats emphasizes the severity and crushing nature, makkah can be broader. Both, however, describe physical injury.
* **chaburah (`{{H2250}}`):** Meaning "stripe," "bruise," or "wound." This word appears in parallel with machats in [[Isaiah 53:5]], "by his stripes we are healed." This parallel usage reinforces the understanding of machats as a severe, visible injury, a contusion or bruise resulting from a beating.
* **Divine Discipline and Restoration:** The usage in [[Isaiah 30:26]] links machats to the concept of God's disciplinary actions upon His people, which, though painful, are ultimately followed by His compassionate healing and restoration.
* **Atonement and Substitutionary Suffering:** Its profound use in [[Isaiah 53:5]] places machats at the very heart of the doctrine of atonement, where the Servant suffers grievous wounds *on behalf of* others to bring about their healing and reconciliation with God.
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of machats (`{{H4273}}`) is immense, particularly due to its critical use in the prophetic context of Isaiah.
1. **Divine Sovereignty Over Suffering:** In [[Isaiah 30:26]], machats underscores that even the deep wounds and afflictions experienced by God's people are not outside His sovereign control. He is depicted as the one who ultimately "binds up" and "heals" this machats, implying that He permitted or even inflicted it for a righteous purpose, leading to ultimate restoration and blessing. This highlights God's authority over both judgment and mercy.
2. **The Nature of Messianic Suffering:** The application of machats to the Suffering Servant in [[Isaiah 53:5]] profoundly describes the nature of the Messiah's passion. It signifies not merely superficial injury but a deep, crushing, and debilitating wound. This emphasizes the brutal reality of Christ's crucifixion and the depth of His physical and spiritual agony. It was a machats, a severe contusion, endured for a redemptive purpose.
3. **Substitutionary Atonement:** Most significantly, [[Isaiah 53:5]] reveals the core of substitutionary atonement. "By His machats we are healed" proclaims that the machats suffered by the Servant is the very means by which humanity receives comprehensive healing—not just physical, but spiritual, emotional, and relational. The Servant absorbed the destructive machats of divine judgment due to human sin, thereby providing the foundation for peace, forgiveness, and wholeness. This verse powerfully conveys that Christ bore the punishment and the grievous wounds (machats) that were rightfully ours, enabling our reconciliation with God.
### Summary
The Hebrew noun machats (`{{H4273}}`), derived from the verb "to crush," signifies a severe "stroke," "blow," or "contusion." Though appearing only twice in the Bible, both instances in Isaiah carry profound theological weight. In [[Isaiah 30:26]], it describes the deep affliction experienced by God's people, which He ultimately promises to heal, illustrating His sovereignty over discipline and restoration. More pivotally, in [[Isaiah 53:5]], machats refers to the grievous, crushing wounds inflicted upon the Suffering Servant, the Messiah. This machats is presented as the very instrument through which humanity receives healing and reconciliation with God, thereby articulating the core of substitutionary atonement. Thus, machats encapsulates both the depth of suffering and the redemptive power of God's divine plan, supremely manifested in the person and work of Christ.
TRV