מַבָּט
mab.bat (H4007)
expectation
AI Word Study
# Mabbat: A Hebrew Word for Expectation The Hebrew word *mabbat* (H4007) denotes "expectation"—the state of looking forward to or anticipating something. This noun appears only three times in the biblical text, making it a relatively rare term in Hebrew Scripture. Its limited occurrence suggests it was used in specific contexts where the notion of anticipation or what one looks toward held particular significance. Because *mabbat* appears so infrequently in the biblical corpus, its exact nuances and range of application remain somewhat constrained by the small sample size available. The word appears to function as a straightforward noun expressing the concept of expectation itself, rather than serving as a verb or descriptive term. Without access to the specific biblical passages where it occurs, we cannot determine whether it carries connotations of hopeful anticipation, anxious waiting, or neutral observation, or whether it was used in particular literary or theological contexts. The rarity of *mabbat* in biblical Hebrew is noteworthy: writers more commonly employed other vocabulary to express concepts related to anticipation and looking forward. This suggests that while Hebrew speakers possessed this specific term for expectation, it represented a less frequently chosen option in religious and narrative literature, making it a minor but legitimate component of biblical vocabulary.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
They will be dismayed and confounded, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
The inhabitants of this coast land will say in that day, ‘Behold, this is our expectation, where we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria. And we, how will we escape?’ ”
Ashkelon will see it, and fear; Gaza also, and will writhe in agony; as will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappointed; and the king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.