Original Word: מַהְפֵּכָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mahpekah
Pronunciation: mah-peh-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mah-pay-kaw')
KJV: whenoverthrew, overthrow(-n)
NASB: overthrew, overthrow, overthrown
Word Origin: [from H2015 (הָפַך - turned)]

1. a destruction

when

From haphak; a destruction -- when...overthrew, overthrow(-n).

see HEBREW haphak

Word Origin
from haphak
Definition
an overthrow
NASB Translation
overthrew (3), overthrow (2), overthrown (1).

[מַהְמֵּכָה] noun feminine overthrow — always construct מַהְמֵּכַת; & always of overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah etc., except Isaiah 1:7 זָרִים ׳מ, where read סְדֹם (Ew Che RS^{Proph. 345} Di and others; also Lag^{Semitic i. 3}); yet even so probably gloss, compare Stu^{JPTh 1877, 714}; סְדֹם ׳מ Deuteronomy 29:22; Jeremiah 49:18; and with force of verbal noun, governing accusative, אלהים אתסֿדם ׳מ Isaiah 13:19; Jeremiah 50:40; Amos 4:11. compare also הָפַךְ 1b, הֲפֵכָה.

Underlying Concept

מַהְפֵּכָה portrays a decisive, God-wrought overturning that leaves total desolation in its wake. Each occurrence links the term to the exemplar of catastrophic judgment—Sodom and Gomorrah—thereby turning the historical memory of those cities into a template for later warnings.

Distribution in Scripture

• Deuteronomy 29:23
• Isaiah 1:7
• Isaiah 13:19
• Jeremiah 49:18
• Jeremiah 50:40
• Amos 4:11

The word never appears outside prophetic or covenant-warning contexts, underscoring its consistently judicial tone.

Covenantal Warning (Deuteronomy 29:23)

Moses closes the covenant renewal on the Plains of Moab by envisioning Israel’s land “a burning waste… like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah… which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger” (Deuteronomy 29:23). מַהְפֵּכָה here anchors the covenant curses in a concrete historical precedent, demonstrating that the God who once judged Canaanite wickedness will not spare His own people if they violate His covenant.

National Desolation (Isaiah 1:7; Isaiah 13:19)

Isaiah first applies the term to Judah’s immediate plight—“a desolation overthrown by foreigners” (Isaiah 1:7)—revealing that covenant infidelity can render even the promised land Sodom-like. Later he extends the idea to Babylon: “Babylon… will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah” (Isaiah 13:19). Thus מַהְפֵּכָה functions as a theological equalizer, reminding Judah that divine justice is impartial—Judah and the nations stand or fall before the same holiness.

Oracles against Edom and Babylon (Jeremiah 49:18; Jeremiah 50:40)

Jeremiah twice repeats the Sodom comparison when foretelling the ruin of Edom and of Babylon. The prophet’s usage broadens the scope of מַהְפֵּכָה beyond Israel’s borders, teaching that no geopolitical might can shield a people from moral collapse once God decrees an overthrow.

Last-Chance Mercy (Amos 4:11)

“I overthrew some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand snatched from the blaze; yet you have not returned to Me” (Amos 4:11). Amos shows מַהְפֵּכָה as both judgment experienced and judgment withheld. The partial devastation of Israel was intended as a rescue “snatched from the blaze,” giving space for repentance before final catastrophe. The verse lays bare the pastoral aim embedded in every use of the term: warning is mercy when it drives sinners back to God.

Thematic Threads

1. Moral inversion leads to physical inversion. Cities that turn righteousness upside-down are themselves upended.
2. Sodom remains the benchmark of judgment. Attaching מַהְפֵּכָה to that event makes later prophecies immediately intelligible.
3. Judgment is never arbitrary; it is covenantal, proportionate, and preceded by clear summons to repentance (Amos 4:11).
4. The same God who overthrows also rebuilds (contrast Isaiah 1–2; Jeremiah 50–51), hinting that destruction is penultimate, not ultimate, in God’s redemptive plan.

Ministry Significance

• Preaching: מַהְפֵּכָה supplies sobering imagery that confronts complacency. When used alongside passages such as Luke 17:28–30 or 2 Peter 2:6, it reinforces the continuity of divine judgment from Old to New Testament.
• Pastoral care: The Amos text encourages warning that is mingled with rescue, reminding hearers that even severe providences are invitations to return to God.
• Missional outlook: Jeremiah’s application to foreign powers urges believers to proclaim the gospel across cultural borders, for all nations are accountable to the same Judge.

Eschatological Echoes

New Testament writers portray final judgment as a cosmic מַהְפֵּכָה (Revelation 18). Yet the cross stands as the place where the ultimate overthrow fell on Christ, opening the way for the new creation rather than eternal ruin. Thus every Old Testament mention of מַהְפֵּכָה points forward both to the seriousness of sin and to the magnitude of salvation accomplished in Jesus Christ.

כְּֽמַהְפֵּכַ֞ת כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֣ת כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֤ת כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֥ת כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֨ת כמהפכת kə·mah·pê·ḵaṯ kemahpeChat kəmahpêḵaṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts