Biblical Lexicon

H3420 H3420

N-ms | 6× in 2 senses

Mildew or blight (crop disease paired with scorching as divine judgment); paleness or jaundice (of the human face).

The Hebrew noun yeraqon derives from the root for 'green/yellow' and names two related but distinct phenomena united by sickly discoloration. In five of its six occurrences it refers to a devastating crop disease — mildew or blight — invariably paired with shiddaphon ('scorching, blasting') as twin instruments of divine agricultural judgment (Deut 28:22; 1 Kgs 8:37; Amos 4:9). Spanish renders this as anublo (a specialized agricultural term for blight), while French and German translations sometimes leave the Hebrew untranslated, revealing the difficulty of pinning down this ancient plant pathology. The lone remaining occurrence in Jeremiah 30:6 shifts to human physiology: faces turned to yeraqon — a sickly pallor or jaundice — describing men gripped by terror as if in labor pains. The same root color produces two distinct images: ruined fields and ashen faces.

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Senses

1. mildew / blight (agricultural disease) — A crop disease — mildew, blight, or rust — that destroys grain and produce, always appearing alongside shiddaphon (scorching/blasting) in formulaic curse and prayer texts. All five occurrences follow this pairing: Deuteronomy 28:22 in the covenant curses, Solomon's temple prayer (1 Kgs 8:37; 2 Chr 6:28), Amos 4:9 in the catalogue of ignored warnings, and Haggai 2:17. Spanish anublo captures the agricultural specificity, while English 'mildew' and French verdure/mildew attempt different angles on the same crop devastation. 5×

BODY_HEALTH › Physiological Processes and States › Disease and Affliction

AR["وَ-بِ-الاصْفِرارِ","وَ-يَرَقَانٌ","وَبِ-الْيَرَقَانِ","وَبِالْيَرَقَانِ","يَرَقَانٌ"]·ben["এবং-চিটায়","এবং-ছত্রাকে","ও-ছত্রাকে","ও-ছাতা-পোকা","ছত্রাকরোগ"]·DE["[ובירקון]","[וירקון]","mildew","und-mit-Schimmel"]·EN["and-mildew","and-with-mildew","mildew"]·FR["[וירקון]","et-avec-mildew","et-verdure","mildew"]·heb["ו-ב-ירקון","ו-ירקון","וּ-ב-ירקוֹן","ירקון"]·HI["और-पीलापन","और-पीलिया-से","और-में-पीलेपन","और-से-फफूँदी","फफूँदी"]·ID["dan-dengan-penyakit-kuning","dan-jamur","penyakit-kuning"]·IT["[וירקון]","e-con-muffa","e-muffa","ruggine"]·jav["jamur","lan-ing-kuning","lan-jamur","lan-mawi-jamur"]·KO["그리고-곡팝이병으로","그리고-곰팡이병으로","그리고-곱럭병","그리고-에-곡식누림병","깜부기병이"]·PT["e-com-ferrugem","e-com-míldio","e-ferrugem","ferrugem"]·RU["и-болезнью-хлеба","и-желтухой","и-ржавчина","и-ржавчиной","ржавчина"]·ES["añublo","o-añublo","y-con-añublo","y-con-palidez"]·SW["akiwa","na-kutu","na-kwa-kutu","na-kwa-ukungu"]·TR["sarılık","ve-küf","ve-küfle","ve-küfle-"]·urd["اور-زردی-سے","اور-پیلی-سے","اور-کنگی","اور-کنگیای-سے","سُوکھا"]

Deut 28:22, 1 Kgs 8:37, 2 Chr 6:28, Amos 4:9, Hag 2:17

2. paleness / jaundice (of human complexion) — A sickly yellowish pallor or jaundice of the human face, extending the root's color-semantics from diseased crops to diseased complexion. Found only in Jeremiah 30:6, where the prophet asks why every man's hands are on his loins like a woman in labor and all faces have turned to yeraqon. Spanish palidez and English 'paleness' both shift decisively from agricultural to physiological vocabulary, confirming translators recognize a genuine sense boundary between blighted fields and blanched faces. 1×

BODY_HEALTH › Physiological Processes and States › Sickness and Illness

AR["إِلَى-اصْفِرَارٍ"]·ben["ফ্যাকাশে-সেই"]·DE["[לירקון]"]·EN["to-paleness"]·FR["[לירקון]"]·heb["ל-ירקון"]·HI["को-पीलापन"]·ID["menjadi-pucat"]·IT["[לירקון]"]·jav["dados-pucet"]·KO["창백하게"]·PT["em-palidez"]·RU["бледностью"]·ES["a-palidez"]·SW["kuwa-rangi-ya-njano"]·TR["solgunluğa"]·urd["زردی-میں"]

Jer 30:6

BDB / Lexicon Reference

† יֵרָקוֹן n.m. mildew, paleness, lividness; 1. rust Am 4:9 Dt 28:22 1 K 8:37 Hg 2:17 2 Ch 6:28 (all ‖ שִׁדָּפוֹן). 2. paleness (of face) Je 30:6.