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עָרֹב

𐤏𐤓𐤁

ʻârôb

H6157 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ערב to mix, to mingle, to join together

Definition

A swarm of biting insects, specifically referring to a large and destructive invasion of flying insects. In the context of the Hebrew Bible, especially in Exodus, the term denotes a pestilential swarm rather than a specific modern insect species. The precise insect(s) meant by the term remain uncertain, but the focus is on the sudden, overwhelming, and threatening nature of the swarm.

Semantic Range

swarm of insects, swarming pestilence, mingled mass of flying creatures, destructive swarm

Root / Etymology

From the root ערב, meaning 'to mix, mingle, join together.' The noun form עָרֹב is derived from this root and denotes a collection or mixing together, here applied to a swarm in which individual insects move and act as a single, mixed multitude. The specific derivation points to the phenomenon of a chaotic, mingled mass rather than a particular insect.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Exodus 8, עָרֹב appears as the fourth plague affecting Egypt, describing a mass invasion of harmful flying insects. The exact identification has been debated since antiquity: early translations variously render it as 'swarms' (LXX, Vulgate) or 'wild animals,' while rabbinic sources sometimes propose a broader range of dangerous creatures. Most modern scholars view it as flying insects—mosquitoes, flies, or biting gnats—focusing on the destructive and terrifying aspect of the mass incursion. In the biblical context, the term emphasizes destructive disorder and the powerlessness of human society before natural catastrophe, rather than entomological precision. English Bible translations alternate between rendering it as 'swarms of flies,' 'gadflies,' or simply 'swarms,' with some tradition inaccurately specifying 'flies' even though the Hebrew text does not limit the term to any single species or genus. The word is not attested elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible outside the plague narrative, and its specific zoological referent remains unknown.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָרַב; a mosquito (from its swarming); divers sorts of flies, swarm.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ערב (ʿ-r-b) — to mix, to mingle, to join together

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1026 בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה the arid plain
H4627 מַעֲרָב in your trade-goods
H4628 מַעֲרָב the sunset-region
H6148 עָרַב he became surety
H6149 עָרֵב you were pleasing

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6157-02 הֶ/עָרֹ֑ב hearov HTd/Ncmsa the swarms of flies the mingled swarm 5
H6157-01 עָרֹ֑ב arov HNcmsa swarms of flies mingled swarm 4

Occurrences in Scripture

9 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6157-02 Exodus 8:17 הֶ/עָרֹ֑ב hearov HTd/Ncmsa the swarms of flies the mingled swarm
H6157-02 Exodus 8:17 הֶ֣/עָרֹ֔ב hearov-2 HTd/Ncmsa the swarms of flies the mingled swarm
H6157-01 Exodus 8:18 עָרֹ֑ב arov HNcmsa swarms of flies mingled swarm
H6157-01 Exodus 8:20 עָרֹ֣ב arov HNcmsa a swarm of flies mingled swarm
H6157-02 Exodus 8:20 הֶ/עָרֹֽב hearov HTd/Ncmsa the swarms of flies the mingled swarm
H6157-02 Exodus 8:25 הֶ/עָרֹ֗ב hearov HTd/Ncmsa the swarms of flies the mingled swarm
H6157-02 Exodus 8:27 הֶ/עָרֹ֔ב hearov HTd/Ncmsa the swarms of flies the mingled swarm
H6157-01 Psalms 78:45 עָ֭רֹב arov HNcmsa swarms of flies mingled swarm
H6157-01 Psalms 105:31 עָרֹ֑ב arov HNcmsa swarms of flies mingled swarm
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