1. swarm of flies, insects — A swarm of biting or stinging insects (traditionally identified as flies or a mixture of noxious insects), sent as the fourth plague upon Egypt (Exod 8:17-20[Heb 8:17-20], 8:25-27[Heb 8:25-27], Psa 78:45, 105:31). Multilingual evidence consistently renders as flies/insects: eng 'the swarm/swarms of flies,' spa 'la mezcla/moscas/enjambre,' hin 'makkhiyaan/makkhiyon,' arb 'dhubaab/dhubaaban,' kor 'pari-ga/pari tte,' swa 'mainzi.' The definite (with article) and indefinite forms both denote the same kind of insect swarm; the variation is purely grammatical. 9×
AR["الذُّبَابَ","الذُّبَابُ","الذُّبَابِ","ذُباب","ذُبَابًا","ذُبَابٌ"]·ben["মাছি","মাছি-ঝাঁক","মাছি-ঝাঁক-","মাছির-ঝাঁক"]·DE["der-schwirren","schwirren","swarms-von-flies"]·EN["swarm","swarms-of-flies","the-swarm"]·FR["essaim","le-essaim","soir"]·heb["ה-ערוב","ערוב"]·HI["मक्खियाँ","मक्खियों-की-भीड़","मक्खियों-के","मक्खियों-से"]·ID["lalat-pikat"]·IT["brulicare","il-brulicare","sera"]·jav["laler","laler-campuran","laler-segerombol"]·KO["그-파리","그-파리가","그-파리들로","그-파리들을","파리-가","파리-떼-을","파리가"]·PT["a-mistura","enxames","enxames-de-moscas","mistura"]·RU["мухи","песих-мух","песьи-мухи","песьими-мухами","песьих-мух"]·ES["enjambre","la-mezcla","mezcla","moscas"]·SW["mainzi"]·TR["sinek","sinekler","sinekleri","sineklerin","sineklerle"]·urd["مکھیاں","مکھیوں","مکھیوں-کے"]
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
עָרֹב9 n.m. Ex 8, 20; prob. swarm (mixture, from incessant, involved motion; LagBN 112 doubts);—of plague of stinging flies, coming in a swarm (v. Di Ex) Ex 8:17(×2) + 5 times 8 (J), ψ 78:45; 105:31.