4180. morash
Lexical Summary
morash: possession, possessions, wishes

Original Word: מוֹרָשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mowrash
Pronunciation: mo-RAHSH
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-rawsh')
KJV: possession, thought
NASB: possession, possessions, wishes
Word Origin: [from H3423 (יָרַשׁ יָרֵשׁ - possess)]

1. a possession
2. (figuratively) delight

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
possession, thought

From yarash; a possession; figuratively, delight -- possession, thought.

see HEBREW yarash

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from yarash
Definition
a possession
NASB Translation
possession (1), possessions (1), wishes (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מוֺרָשׁ] noun [masculine] a possession; — construct מוֺרַשׁ קִמֹּד Isaiah 14:23 a possession for bitterns; וְיָ˜רְשׁוּ בֵּית יַעֲקֹב אֵת מוֺרָשֵׁיהֶם Obadiah 17 and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions (but read perhaps מורישׁיהם their dispossessors, ᵐ5 ᵑ9 ᵑ7 and others); figurative מוֺרָשֵׁי לְבָבִי Job 17:11, i.e. my cherished thoughts ("" זִמּוֺתַי), but figurative is questionable, see Di, who derives from ארשׁ desire, so Buhl.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Conceptual Scope

מוֹרָשׁ (morash) denotes an assigned possession or heritage, whether material territory, personal plans, or covenantal allotment. The word emphasizes a legal or settled holding that is transferred, seized, or forfeited by divine decree rather than by mere human enterprise. It is closely tied to the ideas of succession, permanence, and accountability under God’s sovereign rule.

Canonical Distribution

1. Job 17:11 – Job laments that his “plans” (morash) have been undone. The usage is abstract, portraying one’s inner hopes and future expectations as a kind of personal estate now lost.
2. Isaiah 14:23 – In a prophecy against Babylon, the Lord says, “I will make it a possession for owls and for swamplands of water”. Here morash describes a devastated realm handed over to unclean creatures—a graphic reversal of empire into desolation.
3. Obadiah 1:17 – “But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance, and it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess their inheritance”. Morash crowns the oracle with the restoration of Israel’s rightful estate, contrasting sharply with Edom’s ruin.

Positive and Negative Polarities

Scripture wields morash both for judgment and salvation. In Isaiah, the word underscores Babylon’s humiliation; its grandeur descends into a swamp that belongs to owls. In Obadiah, the same term announces Zion’s vindication, where covenant heirs reclaim what God pledged. The Job usage functions pastorally, revealing how suffering can seem to strip believers of every “inheritance,” yet the wider canon insists that God’s promises outlast such seasons.

Covenantal and Prophetic Significance

Morash intertwines with covenant theology. The Abrahamic promise of land (Genesis 15-17) and the Mosaic allotments (Joshua 13-21) anticipate Obadiah’s vision: a purified Zion re-possessing its morash in the Day of the Lord. Conversely, Babylon’s morash of ruin in Isaiah 14 illustrates the retributive aspect of covenant justice—nations that exalt themselves are repaid with the very loss they imposed on others (compare Isaiah 14:12-15).

Intertextual Connections

Psalm 2 and Daniel 7:27 echo the theme of a transferred kingdom, resonating with morash as a rightful inheritance for the saints.
Ephesians 1:13-14 identifies the Holy Spirit as the “pledge of our inheritance,” revealing the New-Covenant counterpart to Obadiah’s promise.
Hebrews 11:13-16 views the patriarchs as strangers awaiting a better morash, locating the ultimate possession in the heavenly city.

Ministry Implications

1. Assurance in Suffering – Job’s complaint validates the believer’s pain when cherished “plans” collapse, yet the larger biblical narrative assures a secured inheritance in Christ (1 Peter 1:4).
2. Warning to the Proud – Isaiah 14 urges nations and individuals to heed God’s right to redistribute possessions; arrogance invites dispossession.
3. Hope for Restoration – Obadiah inspires perseverance, especially for communities facing oppression, affirming that God preserves an untouched morash for His people.
4. Stewardship – Since inheritance is granted, not earned, believers steward resources, ministries, and callings with humility and expectation of accountability (Luke 19:11-27).

Eschatological Outlook

Morash foreshadows the consummation when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15). The final inheritance will be unimpaired by sin or curse, fulfilling the trajectory from Job’s loss, through Isaiah’s judgment, to Obadiah’s restoration.

Forms and Transliterations
לְמוֹרַ֥שׁ למורש מ֖וֹרָשֵׁ֣י מוֹרָֽשֵׁיהֶם׃ מורשי מורשיהם lə·mō·w·raš lemoRash ləmōwraš mō·w·rā·šê mō·w·rā·šê·hem moraShei moRasheihem mōwrāšê mōwrāšêhem
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Englishman's Concordance
Job 17:11
HEB: זִמֹּתַ֣י נִתְּק֑וּ מ֖וֹרָשֵׁ֣י לְבָבִֽי׃
NAS: are torn apart, [Even] the wishes of my heart.
KJV: are broken off, [even] the thoughts of my heart.
INT: my plans are torn the wishes of my heart

Isaiah 14:23
HEB: וְשַׂמְתִּ֛יהָ לְמוֹרַ֥שׁ קִפֹּ֖ד וְאַגְמֵי־
NAS: I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog
KJV: I will also make it a possession for the bittern,
INT: make A possession the hedgehog and swamps

Obadiah 1:17
HEB: יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב אֵ֖ת מוֹרָֽשֵׁיהֶם׃
NAS: will possess their possessions.
KJV: shall possess their possessions.
INT: and the house of Jacob their possessions

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4180
3 Occurrences


lə·mō·w·raš — 1 Occ.
mō·w·rā·šê — 1 Occ.
mō·w·rā·šê·hem — 1 Occ.

4179
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