H5788b H5788b
blindness (abstract noun denoting the condition of being blind, used of sacrificial defects)
This feminine abstract noun means 'blindness,' the state or condition of being unable to see. In Leviticus 22, it appears in a list of physical defects that disqualify animals from being offered as sacrifices. The law requires that offerings to YHWH be unblemished, reflecting both the perfection due to God and the principle that worship should involve giving the best, not the defective or unwanted. The term is used abstractly for the concrete: a blind animal. This usage reflects Hebrew's common pattern of using abstract nouns (blindness) to represent concrete realities (blind creatures), emphasizing the disqualifying condition itself.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Leviticus 22:22 lists 'blindness' among defects (broken, maimed, ulcerated, scabbed) that render an animal unacceptable for sacrifice. All major translations render this as 'blind' (Spanish 'ciego,' German 'blind'), showing consistent understanding across languages. The holiness code insists that only unblemished offerings are appropriate for YHWH's altar, making blindness a disqualifying condition. 1×
AR["أَعْمَى"]·ben["অন্ধ"]·DE["blind"]·EN["blind"]·FR["aveugle"]·heb["עורת"]·HI["अंधा"]·ID["Yang-buta"]·IT["cieco"]·jav["Wuta"]·KO["눈먼"]·PT["Cego"]·RU["слепое"]·ES["Ciego"]·SW["Upofu"]·TR["kör"]·urd["اندھاپن"]
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
† עַוֶּ֫רֶת n.f. id.;—of sacrif. animals, abstr. for concr., Lv 22:22 (H).