H1682 H1682
Bee; the honey-producing insect, used literally and in similes of swarming hostile pursuit.
The ordinary Hebrew word for a bee, familiar from Samson's riddle and prophetic imagery alike. In Judges 14:8 a swarm of bees has colonized the lion carcass, setting up the famous riddle. Deuteronomy 1:44 and Psalm 118:12 use bees as a simile for enemies who swarm and pursue relentlessly—the Amorites chased Israel 'as bees do.' Isaiah 7:18 pictures God whistling for the bee that is in Assyria, a striking metaphor for summoning a foreign army. Translations uniformly give 'bees' (Spanish abejas, French abeilles), confirming a single zoological sense.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The honey bee, both as a literal insect and as a figure for swarming, hostile pursuit. Literally present in Samson's lion-carcass episode (Judg 14:8). Used figuratively for enemies who pursue relentlessly like a swarm—the Amorites chasing Israel (Deut 1:44), surrounding foes in Psalm 118:12, and God's summoning of Assyria depicted as whistling for the bee (Isa 7:18). The domain assignment as MORAL_QUALITY seems misplaced; the word is zoological with frequent metaphorical extension. 4×
AR["النَّحْلُ", "كَ-النَّحل", "نَحْلٍ", "وَ-لِلنَّحلَةِ"]·ben["-আমাকে", "-মৌমাছিরা", "ও-মৌমাছিকে", "মৌমাছিদের"]·DE["[ולדבורה]", "bees", "der-bees", "wie-Bienen"]·EN["and-for-the-bee", "bees", "like-bees", "the-bees"]·FR["[ולדבורה]", "abeilles", "comme-abeille", "le-bees"]·heb["דבורים", "ה-דבורים", "ו-ל-דבורה", "כ-דבורים"]·HI["-मधुमक्खियां", "और-मधुमक्खी-को", "मधुमक्खियों-की", "मधुमक्खियों-की-तरह"]·ID["dan-kepada-lebah", "lebah", "seperti-lebah"]·IT["[ולדבורה]", "ape", "bees", "il-bees"]·jav["kados-tawon", "lan-kangge-tawon", "tawon"]·KO["그-벌들이", "벌-을", "벌들-같이", "벌들의"]·PT["abelhas", "as-abelhas", "como-abelhas", "e-para-a-abelha"]·RU["-пчёлы", "и-пчеле", "как-пчёлы", "пчёл"]·ES["abejas", "como-abejas", "las-abejas", "y-a-la-abeja"]·SW["kama-nyuki", "kumficha", "na-kwa-nyuki", "nyuki"]·TR["arılar", "arılar-gibi", "arıların", "ve-ariya"]·urd["-شہد-کی-مکھیاں", "اور-شہد-کی-مکھی-کو", "شہد-کی-مکھیوں-کا", "شہد-کی-مکھیوں-کی-طرح"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. דְּבוֹרָה n.f. bee (cf. Arabic دِبْرٌ, swarm of bees, Aramaic דַּבַּרְתָּא, Syriac ܕܶܒܘܽܪܝܺܬܳܐ ) Is 7:18; pl. דְּבֹרִים Dt 1:44 Ju 14:8 ψ 118:12. Read also דְּבֹרוֹ its bees 1 S 14:26 for MT דְּבַשׁ cf. 𝔊 We Dr.