Biblical plagues and the Hebrew-Greek renderings.

How to define a plague in Hebrew-Greek language

The world in the midst of a dangerous plague is what is making today’s headline more concerning. And that no one is exempted from the reach of this deadly outbreak is all the more frightening. Many people worldwide have lost loved ones, and the battle is not over yet. Hence it is proper to understand what the word plague, outbreak, pandemic, and epidemics mean in the biblical sense.

There have been many occurrences of plagues of biblical proportions or less in world history. In fact, the Bible recorded the first account of a plague occurring in the book of Exodus found in the Old Testament section of the Bible. It happened in the period of the reign of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God sent, and allowed the plagues to strike the heart of the nation and the people due to idolatrous worship of the nation of Egypt.

The nation of Egypt was struck by ten consecutive plagues with a dire consequence to the life and the livelihood of the people. The whole nation was highly discomforted with the repeated occurrence of the plague. The situation among the people was so frightful and terrible. It was great and nationwide destruction.  This is what can happen when the Lord is repeatedly offended and angry about an unpleasant act, situation, and practices that may concern a nation, a person, or something.

When God allows or releases plagues of biblical magnitude, it is always the result or consequence of disobedience of a nation or people of whatsoever degree. A plague then happens whenever God moves, and decides to show His displeasure. God can also send a plague or plagues as a final corrective action or as a punishment. So plagues are nothing new in this world to any biblical believer who at least knows the word of God.

The word plague is found in over a hundred and thirty places in both testaments. The word is also frequently used by the writers of the Testament, to describe certain acts of the Lord in enforcing His strong hand towards mankind. Epidemic or Plagues in both the Old and the New Testament are reflective of the strange works of God either in His wrath or anger.

The Hebrew-Greek Bible uses several words to denote the plague. And these words are often translated, and not transliterated in the English bible of both the Old and the New Testament.  The Hebrews also uses at least five words in reference to defining a plague. And there are over seventy references to plagues and pestilences found in the Old Testament.

In the Hebrew language, the most common word use for the plague is "Maggephah", besides other related words. The word "Maggephah" could be used to describe

·         A slaughter,

·         Disease,

·         A strong attack,

·         A death blow.

The other word found in the Hebrew language for plague is "Debher", which means a disease, and in the Scriptures is connected with sickness caused by divine anger. The word can also be translated as a pestilence.

Now coming to the New Testament, the Greek translation uses several words. To identify or describe a plague, the most common word in the Greek language and in the Greek Bible is "Plygh", which means:

·         A wound, open wound, hurt,

·         A sharp sting, blow,

·         Or a disease.

The Greeks also use another word pronounced as "Panoukla", which means a disease or illness.

All these words are related to the wrath of God, which calls for the inflicting plagues. In the same way, the Greek word "Orgh" is used for the wrath of God. When God unleashes His anger on the earth in the form of a plague it is called the "Orgh" of God. This word translated in the English language means anger, fury or harsh punishment, unrestrained emotion, or desire.

Besides, the Greeks also use the word "Thumos", which means an instant or a delayed outburst of anger or anger meted with an outcome. These are some of the words you would find in the Greek Bible that describe the word plague.