H7697 H7697
madness, insanity—wild mental derangement or frenzied behavior
This noun describes madness or insanity, whether literal mental derangement or the wild, frenzied behavior resembling it. Deuteronomy 28:28 threatens judgment including madness alongside blindness and confusion. Zechariah 12:4 speaks of God smiting horses with madness in battle. Second Kings 9:20 describes Jehu's driving as 'like madness'—recklessly, furiously. The term captures both clinical insanity and hyperbolic descriptions of frantic, uncontrolled behavior.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The three occurrences span covenant curse (Deuteronomy 28:28), metaphorical driving style (2 Kings 9:20), and eschatological warfare (Zechariah 12:4). Spanish 'locura' (madness) and French 'folie' appear consistently. The Deuteronomy passage lists it among devastating judgments, while Zechariah applies it to war horses, creating panic. The 2 Kings text uses it hyperbolically for Jehu's characteristically furious chariot-driving. 3×
AR["بِ-الْجُنُونِ", "بِ-جُنونٍ"]·ben["উন্মাদনায়", "পাগলামিতে", "পাগলের-মতো"]·DE["[בשגעון]", "mit-madness"]·EN["with-madness"]·FR["avec-madness", "folie"]·heb["ב-ה-שיגעון", "ב-שגעון", "ב-שיגעון"]·HI["पागलपन-से", "बशिग्गाओन", "में-पागलपन"]·ID["dengan-gila", "dengan-kegilaan"]·IT["[בשגעון]", "con-madness"]·jav["kanthi-édan", "klayan-édan", "mawi-édan"]·KO["(전)-미침으로", "미친-듯이", "미침으로"]·PT["com-loucura"]·RU["безумием", "с-безумием"]·ES["con-locura"]·SW["kwa-wazimu"]·TR["delılıkle", "çılgınlıkla"]·urd["دیوانگی-سے", "پاگلپن-سے"]
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
† שִׁגָּעוֹן n.m. madness;—הִכָּה בְּשׁ׳ Dt 28:28 smite with madness, fig. of wild and helpless panic (‖ עִוָּרוֹן, תִּמְהוֹן לֵבָב), Zc 12:4 (‖ תִּמָּהוֹן); בְּשׁ׳ 2 K 9:20 (hyperb.) madly.