H4046 H4046
Plague, pestilence, or devastating blow; a divinely sent epidemic or a catastrophic military slaughter.
Derived from the root nagaph (to strike), maggephah always carries the force of a massive, often divinely ordained blow. Its primary use is for plagues sent by God in judgment -- the wilderness afflictions after Israel's rebellion (Num 14:37; 16:48-50; 25:8-9) and the pestilence that followed David's census (2 Sam 24:21, 25). A secondary military sense appears in narratives of battlefield carnage: the devastating Israelite defeat at Aphek (1 Sam 4:17) and Absalom's rebel army routed in the forest of Ephraim (2 Sam 18:7). Spanish distinguishes cleanly between 'plaga' (plague) and 'derrota/mortandad' (defeat/slaughter).
Senses
1. plague, pestilence — A plague or pestilence sent as divine judgment on a population. This covers 23 of 26 occurrences, centered on Numbers' wilderness narratives and the Davidic census plague. The term implies supernatural causation and communal scope -- entire communities are struck. Exodus 9:14 uses the plural 'my plagues' as God warns Pharaoh. Psalm 106:29-30 recalls how Phinehas's intervention 'stayed the plague,' and Zechariah 14:15 extends the concept eschatologically. French and German bracket the Hebrew forms ([מגפה], [המגפה]), preserving the original when no single word suffices. 23×
AR["الضَّرْبَةُ", "الوَباء", "الْضَرْبَةُ", "الْـ-ضَرْبَةُ", "الْوَبَأُ", "الْوَبَاءُ", "الْوَبَاءِ", "بِ-الْوَبَاءِ", "بِالْوَبَاءِ", "ضَرَبَاتِي", "ضَرْبَةً", "كَهٰذِهِ-الضَّرْبَةِ", "وَ-الْوَبَاءُ", "وَباء"]·ben["-মহামারী", "আঘাত-", "আমার-মহামারীগুলি", "এবং-মহামারী", "মহামারী", "মহামারীতে", "মহামারীর", "মারী", "মারীর-মতো"]·DE["[המגפה]", "[כמגפה]", "[מגפה]", "der-Plage", "der-plague", "durch-der-Plage", "ein-Plage", "in-der-Plage", "mein-Plagen", "plague", "und-der-Plage"]·EN["a-plague", "and-the-plague", "by-the-plague", "in-the-plague", "like-the-plague", "my-plagues", "plague", "the-plague"]·FR["[המגפה]", "[כמגפה]", "[מגפה]", "dans-le-plaie", "de-fléau", "et-le-plaie", "la-plaie", "le-fléau", "le-plague", "le-plaie", "mon-plaies", "par-le-plaie", "plague"]·heb["ב-ה-במגפה", "ה-מגפה", "ו-ה-והמגפה", "כ-ה-מגפה", "מגפה", "מגפותיי"]·HI["और-विपत्ति", "जैसी-महामारी", "महामारी", "महामारी-के", "महामारी-में", "महामारीसे", "मार", "मेरी-महामारियों", "विपत्ति", "विपत्ति-से"]·ID["-wabah", "dalam-wabah-itu", "dan-tulah-itu", "oleh-tulah", "oleh-tulah-itu", "pukulan", "seperti-tulah", "tulah", "tulah-itu", "tulah-tulah-Ku", "wabah", "wabah-itu"]·IT["[המגפה]", "[מגפה]", "da-il-piaga", "e-il-piaga", "il-piaga", "in-il-piaga", "la-piaga", "mio-piaghe", "piaga"]·jav["dening-wabah", "ing-pageblug", "ing-wabah-punika", "kados-pageblug", "lan-wabah-punika", "pageblug", "pageblug-pageblug-Kula", "pagebluk", "wabah", "wabah-punika"]·KO["그-역병", "그-역병-같이", "그-역병-으로", "그-역병-의", "그-역병-이", "그-역병이", "그-재앙-이", "그리고-역병이", "내-재앱들을", "역병-안에서", "역병-으로", "역병이", "재앙-이", "재앙으로", "재앙이"]·PT["a-praga", "como-a-praga", "e-a-praga", "pela-praga", "praga", "pragas-minhas", "uma-praga"]·RU["·-язва", "и-язва", "как-язва", "мор", "от-мора", "от-язвы", "поражением", "язва", "язвы", "язвы-Мои"]·ES["como-la-plaga", "en-la-plaga", "la-plaga", "mis-plagas", "plaga", "por-la-plaga", "y-la-plaga"]·SW["kama-tauni", "kwa-pigo", "kwa-tauni-hiyo", "mapigo-yangu", "na-pigo", "pigo", "tauni", "tauni-hiyo"]·TR["-de-veba", "-veba", "-vebada", "-vebanın", "bela", "belada", "belalarımı", "salgın", "ve-bela", "veba", "veba-gibi"]·urd["-وبا-کے", "اور-وبا", "وبا", "وبا-سے", "وبا-میں", "وبا-کی-طرح", "وباؤں-اپنی"]
2. slaughter, great defeat — A great slaughter or devastating military defeat, emphasizing massive casualties in battle. Used in 1 Samuel 4:17 for the Philistine rout at Aphek (where the ark was captured), 2 Samuel 17:9 for predicted carnage in Absalom's rebellion, and 2 Samuel 18:7 for the forest battle's enormous toll. Spanish 'derrota' (defeat) and 'mortandad' (mass killing) capture the battlefield specificity, while French 'immole' (slaughter) emphasizes the sacrificial violence of the imagery. 3×
AR["الْضَرْبَةُ", "ضَرْبَةٌ"]·ben["পরাজয়", "মহামারী"]·DE["der-slaughter", "ein-slaughter", "slaughter"]·EN["a-slaughter", "slaughter", "the-slaughter"]·FR["immole", "le-immole", "un-immole"]·heb["ה-מגפה", "מגפה"]·HI["मार"]·ID["-pembantaian", "kekalahan"]·IT["il-scannare", "scannare", "un-scannare"]·jav["pageblug", "pembantaian"]·KO["그-학살이", "재앙이", "학살이"]·PT["a-derrota", "derrota"]·RU["поражение"]·ES["derrota", "la-derrota", "mortandad"]·SW["mauaji", "tauni"]·TR["bozgun", "kırım"]·urd["شکست", "وبا"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַגֵּפָה n.f. blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence;—מ׳ abs. Nu 14:37 + 23 times; cstr. מַגֵּפַת Zc 14:15; pl. sf. מַגֵּפֹתַי Ex 9:14;— 1. blow, = fatal stroke Ez 24:16; in divine judgment (plague) Ex 9:14 (J). 2. slaughter in battle, 1 S 4:17; 2 S 17:9; 18:7. 3. plague, pestilence (divine judgment), of tumours on Philistines 1 S 6:4; against Isr Nu 14:37; 17:13, 14, 15; 25:8, 9, 18, 19; 31:16 2…