What does מַכָּה (makāh) mean in the Bible?
מַכָּה (makāh): Physical violence expanding into divine judgment: blow becomes plague, wound becomes pestilence, stroke becomes covenant curse
Hebrew · H4347
מַכָּה
A blow (in 2 Chronicles 2:10, of the flail); by implication, a wound ; figuratively, carnage , also pestilence
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מַכָּה H4347
Pronunciation makāh
What does מַכָּה (makāh) mean in the Bible?
מַכָּה (makāh): Physical violence expanding into divine judgment: blow becomes plague, wound becomes pestilence, stroke becomes covenant curse
Full entry for מַכָּה (H4347) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4347?
The BSB source-word alignment has 48 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include slaughter (5), . . . (4), blow (4), her wounds (3), the wounds (3).
Where does מַכָּה (makāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Leviticus 26:21. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (10), 1 Samuel (7), Deuteronomy (6), Isaiah (5).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It slaughter 5× Joshua 10:10, Joshua 10:20, Judges 15:8, 1 Samuel 6:19
. . . 4× Deuteronomy 25:3, Deuteronomy 28:59, Esther 9:5, Jeremiah 30:14
blow 4× Judges 11:33, 1 Samuel 19:8, 1 Samuel 23:5, 2 Chronicles 13:17
her wounds 3× Jeremiah 19:8, Jeremiah 49:17, Jeremiah 50:13
the wounds 3× 2 Kings 8:29, 2 Kings 9:15, 2 Chronicles 22:6
The slaughter 2× 1 Samuel 4:10, 1 Samuel 14:30
your wound 2× Jeremiah 30:12, Nahum 3:19
and beatings 1× Proverbs 20:30
and my wound 1× Jeremiah 15:18
and plague 1× Deuteronomy 28:61
and wounds 1× Jeremiah 6:7
as He struck 1× Isaiah 27:7
as when He struck 1× Isaiah 10:26
assault 1× 1 Samuel 14:14
blows 1× Isaiah 14:6
disasters 1× Deuteronomy 28:59
force 1× 2 Chronicles 28:5
from his wound 1× 1 Kings 22:35
He has inflicted 1× Isaiah 30:26
her wound 1× Micah 1:9
my wound 1× Jeremiah 10:19
of ground 1× 2 Chronicles 2:10
of plagues 1× 1 Samuel 4:8
plague 1× Numbers 11:33
plagues 1× Deuteronomy 28:59
sores 1× Isaiah 1:6
the plagues 1× Deuteronomy 29:22
wound 1× Jeremiah 14:17
wounded 1× Psalms 64:7
wounds 1× Zechariah 13:6
your plagues 1× Leviticus 26:21
your wounds 1× Jeremiah 30:17
Show sample aligned rows
Leviticus 26:21 מַכָּ֔ה to your plagues Noun - feminine singular Numbers 11:33 מַכָּ֖ה to plague Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 25:3 מַכָּ֣ה to . . . Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 28:59 מַכֹּ֣תְךָ֔ to disasters Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular Deuteronomy 28:59 מַכּ֤וֹת to . . . Noun - feminine plural construct Deuteronomy 28:59 מַכּ֣וֹת to plagues Noun - feminine plural construct Deuteronomy 28:61 מַכָּ֔ה to and plague Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 29:22 מַכּ֞וֹת to the plagues Noun - feminine plural construct Joshua 10:10 מַכָּֽה־ to slaughter Noun - feminine singular Joshua 10:20 מַכָּ֥ה to slaughter Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Leviticus 26:21
Aligned rows 48
Books represented 17
Leviticus 1 Numbers 1 Deuteronomy 6 Joshua 2 Judges 2 1 Samuel 7 1 Kings 2 2 Kings 2 2 Chronicles 4 Esther 1 Psalms 1 Proverbs 1 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 10 Micah 1 Nahum 1 Zechariah 1
Source forms
מַכָּ֖ה 5x mak·kāh Numbers 11:33, Judges 11:33, 1 Samuel 4:8, 1 Samuel 14:30
מַכָּ֣ה 5x mak·kāh Deuteronomy 25:3, Judges 15:8, 1 Samuel 19:8, 1 Samuel 23:5
מַכָּ֥ה 4x mak·kāh Joshua 10:20, 1 Samuel 6:19, 1 Kings 20:21, 2 Chronicles 28:5
הַמַּכִּים֙ 3x ham·mak·kîm 2 Kings 8:29, 2 Kings 9:15, 2 Chronicles 22:6
הַמַּכָּ֖ה 2x ham·mak·kāh 1 Samuel 4:10, 1 Kings 22:35
מַכָּ֔ה 2x mak·kāh Leviticus 26:21, Deuteronomy 28:61
הַכְּמַכַּ֥ת 1x hak·kə·mak·kaṯ Isaiah 27:7
הַמַּכָּ֣ה 1x ham·mak·kāh 1 Samuel 14:14
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular 17x Leviticus 26:21, Numbers 11:33, Deuteronomy 25:3, Deuteronomy 28:61
Article | Noun - feminine plural 4x 2 Kings 8:29, 2 Kings 9:15, 2 Chronicles 22:6, Zechariah 13:6
Noun - feminine plural construct 4x Deuteronomy 28:59, Deuteronomy 29:22, 2 Chronicles 2:10
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular 4x Jeremiah 19:8, Jeremiah 49:17, Jeremiah 50:13, Micah 1:9
Article | Noun - feminine singular 3x 1 Samuel 4:10, 1 Samuel 14:14, 1 Kings 22:35
Noun - feminine singular construct 3x Esther 9:5, Isaiah 14:6, Jeremiah 30:14
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 2x Isaiah 1:6, Jeremiah 6:7
Article, Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct 1x Isaiah 27:7
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Physical violence expanding into divine judgment: blow becomes plague, wound becomes pestilence, stroke becomes covenant curse
Source Gloss
a blow (in 2 Chronicles 2:10, of the flail); by implication, a wound ; figuratively, carnage , also pestilence
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Physical violence expanding into divine judgment: blow becomes plague, wound becomes pestilence, stroke becomes covenant curse
a blow (in 2 Chronicles 2:10, of the flail); by implication, a wound; figuratively, carnage, also pestilence BDB: blow Usage: beaten, blow, plague, slaughter, smote, × sore, stripe, stroke, wound(-ed).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Physical injury or trauma, used metaphorically for spiritual devastation and mourning
Severe injury depicting judgment and affliction, with promise of healing and restoration
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 48 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
מַכָּה is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain