Lexical Summary
manos: flight, refuge, escape
Original Word: מָנוֹס
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: manowc
Pronunciation: mah-NOHS
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-noce')
KJV: X apace, escape, way to flee, flight, refuge
NASB: flight, refuge, escape
Word Origin: [from H5127 (נוּס - fled)]
1. a retreat (literally or figuratively)
2. abstractly, a fleeing
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
escape, way to flee, flight, refuge
From nuwc; a retreat (literally or figuratively); abstractly, a fleeing -- X apace, escape, way to flee, flight, refuge.
see HEBREW nuwc
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
nusDefinitionflight, place of escape or refuge
NASB Translationescape (2), flight (3), refuge (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Amos 2:14 ; — absolute Amos 2:14 5t.; suffix 2 Samuel 22:3; Jeremiah 16:19; —
flight, accusative of congnate meaning with verb with Jeremiah 46:5.
(place of) escape; escape perished from, = there was no escape for, Amos 2:14; Jeremiah 25:35; Job 11:20; Psalm 142:5; of as a refuge 2 Samuel 22:3 ("" ; not "" Psalm 18:3; text disputed, Kit Bu retain in Sm, Klo Bae Löhr Du insert in Psalms; < strike out in Sm De Hup-Now HPS compare Che), Psalm 59:17 ("" id.); Jeremiah 16:19 ("" , ).
Topical Lexicon
Overview The noun מָנוֹס occurs eight times in the Old Testament, appearing in historical narrative, poetry, wisdom literature, and prophetic oracles. It pictures either a secure refuge provided by the Lord or the act of fleeing—often a desperate, futile flight when God’s judgment falls. The contrasting uses create a sharp theological line: true safety is found only in the Lord, while all other attempts at escape collapse.
Range of Meaning
1. Refuge, place of safety or shelter (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 59:16; Psalm 142:4; Jeremiah 16:19).
2. Flight, escape, or the act of fleeing (Job 11:20; Jeremiah 25:35; Jeremiah 46:5; Amos 2:14).
Literary Usage Across the Canon
• Davidic Praise (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 59:16) – David extols the Lord: “My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge … my stronghold and my refuge” (2 Samuel 22:3). Here מָנוֹס is personal and covenantal, reinforcing God’s covenant faithfulness.
• Personal Lament (Psalm 142:4) – “There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.” The psalmist feels utterly abandoned, highlighting the absence of מָנוֹס among human helpers and thus driving the sufferer back to God.
• Wisdom Contrast (Job 11:20) – “Escape will elude them.” Human scheming offers no מָנוֹס when the wicked face divine reckoning.
• Prophetic Oracles (Jeremiah 16:19; 25:35; 46:5; Amos 2:14) – In Jeremiah the term anchors both promise and doom. “O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress” (Jeremiah 16:19) sets hope for the nations, while “the shepherds will have no place to flee, and the leaders of the flock will have no escape” (Jeremiah 25:35) underscores the shepherds’ helplessness. Amos intensifies it: “Flight will perish from the swift” (Amos 2:14).
Historical and Cultural Insights
• Ancient cities often featured a fortified elevated acropolis offering hiding places during invasion. By calling the Lord מָנוֹס, writers transpose the physical reality into spiritual security.
• Jeremiah’s agricultural imagery (“shepherds”) evokes leaders of Judah and surrounding nations. Their lack of מָנוֹס underlines that political alliances and military strength cannot avert the Babylonian onslaught.
• Amos speaks to northern Israel’s complacent elite. Even the “swift”—elite chariot warriors—will find no flight path when judgment arrives.
Theological Significance
1. Divine Exclusivity: Scripture reserves ultimate refuge for the Lord alone. All other shelters prove illusory.
2. Judgment and Mercy: The same term that describes the believer’s safety condemns the unbeliever’s futile flight, stressing both aspects of God’s character.
3. Covenant Assurance: In David’s song and the Psalms, God as מָנוֹס provides experiential proof of His steadfast love.
4. Missional Hope: Jeremiah 16:19 anticipates Gentile pilgrimage—nations will acknowledge Israel’s God as their refuge, a foreshadowing of the gospel’s universal reach (compare Acts 15:17).
Contextual Nuances in Key Passages
• 2 Samuel 22:3 couples מָנוֹס with images of shield, horn of salvation, stronghold, and Savior, portraying comprehensive protection.
• Psalm 59:16 balances divine might and loving devotion (ḥesed), teaching that refuge is both powerful and relational.
• Amos 2:14 personifies “flight” itself perishing, a poetic way of saying that the possibility of escape is annihilated—a severe warning against presumption.
Ministry and Devotional Application
• Pastoral Counseling – Point sufferers to the Lord as the only sure מָנוֹס amid betrayal, illness, or persecution.
• Evangelism – Use Jeremiah and Amos to illustrate humanity’s inability to outrun sin’s consequences, then present Christ as the ultimate refuge (Hebrews 6:18).
• Worship – Incorporate the language of 2 Samuel 22 and the Psalms to cultivate trust in God’s unshakable security.
• Leadership – Jeremiah 25:35 convicts shepherds and leaders: if they rely on human strategies, they will find no escape. Faithful oversight means directing people to God as refuge.
See Also
• “Rock,” “Fortress,” “Stronghold” (2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18)
• Cities of Refuge (Numbers 35) as typological pointers to Christ
• Greek καταφυγή / καταφεύγω (“to flee for refuge”) in Hebrews 6:18, echoing מָנוֹס and sealing its fulfillment in the New Covenant
Forms and Transliterations
וּ֝מָנ֗וֹס וּ֭מָנוֹס וּמְנוּסִ֔י וּמְנוּסִ֖י וּמָנ֥וֹס ומנוס ומנוסי מָנ֖וֹס מָנ֣וֹס מָנוֹס֙ מנוס mā·nō·ws maNos mānōws ū·mā·nō·ws ū·mə·nū·sî Umanos ūmānōws umenuSi ūmənūsî
Links
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Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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