H1091 H1091
Terror, sudden calamity — extreme dread or overwhelming destruction befalling the wicked or the afflicted
The feminine noun בַּלָּהָה (ballahah) expresses extreme dread, sudden destruction, or overwhelming calamity. Its ten occurrences cluster in wisdom and prophetic literature — predominantly Job, with additional appearances in the Psalms and Ezekiel. In Job 18:11-14, terrors drive the wicked on every side and usher him to the 'king of terrors' (death personified). Job 24:17 identifies deep darkness with terrors. Ezekiel deploys the word for the annihilation awaiting Tyre and Sidon (Ezek 26:21; 27:36; 28:19). Multilingual renderings converge: Spanish terrores/espantos, Arabic ahwal/ru'b, Korean gongpo, Swahili vitisho, and Hindi atank all express visceral dread.
Senses
1. terror, sudden calamity — Extreme dread, sudden calamity, or overwhelming terror — used of the horrors that overtake the wicked (Job 18:11, 14; 24:17; 27:20), the existential anguish of the sufferer (Ps 73:19), and the total annihilation of proud cities in prophetic judgment (Ezek 26:21; 27:36; 28:19). The 'king of terrors' in Job 18:14 is a striking personification of death. Spanish 'terrores/espantos,' Arabic أَهْوَال (ahwal), and Korean 공포 (gongpo) all capture the visceral force of sudden, overwhelming catastrophe. 10×
AR["أَهوالٌ","أَهْوَالًا","أَهْوَالٌ","أَهْوَالَ","الأَهْوالِ","الْأَهْوَالِ","رُعْبٌ"]·ben["আতঙ্ক","আতঙ্কে","ভয়","ভয়ের","ভয়ের।"]·DE["Schrecken","[בלהה]","[בלהות]","terrors"]·EN["terror","terrors","terrors-of"]·FR["[בלהה]","[בלהות]","dans-effroi","terreur"]·heb["בלהה","בלהות"]·HI["आतंक","भय","भयों"]·ID["Kengerian","kengerian","ketakutan","ketakutan-ketakutan"]·IT["[בלהה]","[בלהות]","terrors","terrors-di"]·jav["Kagegeran-kagegeran","kagegeran-kagegeran","kasusahan","mawon-ajrih","medeni","pagiris"]·KO["공포가","공포들","공포들로","공포들을","공포들의","공포들이","공포로","두려움이여"]·PT["Terrores","os-terrores","terror","terrores","terrores;"]·RU["ужас","ужасов","ужасом","ужасы"]·ES["Espantos","espantos","los-terrores-de","terror","terrores"]·SW["Maangamizi","hofu","maangamizi","vitisho","vitisho-vya"]·TR["dehset","dehsetler","dehşetler","dehşetlerin","dehşetlerini","yıkıma"]·urd["بَ-دہشت","دہشت","دہشتوں-سے","دہشتوں-کے","دہشتیں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בַּלָּהָה n.f. terror, dreadful event, calamity, destruction—בַּלָּהָה Is 17:14; pl. בַּלָּהוֹת Jb 18:11 + 7 times; cstr. בַּלְהוֹת Jb 24:17;— 1. only pl. terrors Jb 18:11; 27:20; 30:15; מֶלֶךְ בּ׳ Jb 18:14 = death, cf. בּ׳ צַלְמָוֶת Jb 24:17. 2. calamity Is 17:14, pl. ψ 73:19; calamity, destruction Ez 26:21; 27:36; 28:19.