What does עָרֹב (ʿārōb) mean in the Bible?
עָרֹב (ʿārōb): Swarm of insects representing divine plague; emphasizes aggressive multiplicity rather than individual threat
Hebrew · H6157
עָרֹב
A mosquito (from its swarming)
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עָרֹב H6157
Pronunciation ʿārōb
What does עָרֹב (ʿārōb) mean in the Bible?
עָרֹב (ʿārōb): Swarm of insects representing divine plague; emphasizes aggressive multiplicity rather than individual threat
Full entry for עָרֹב (H6157) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6157?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include swarms [of flies] (4), the swarms [of flies] (2), and insects (1), of flies (1), swarms of flies (1).
Where does עָרֹב (ʿārōb) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 8:21. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (7), Psalms (2).
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 swarms [of flies] 4× Exodus 8:21, Exodus 8:22, Exodus 8:24
the swarms [of flies] 2× Exodus 8:29, Exodus 8:31
and insects 1× Psalms 105:31
of flies 1× Exodus 8:21
swarms of flies 1× Psalms 78:45
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 8:21 הֶעָרֹ֑ב to swarms [of flies] Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:21 הֶ֣עָרֹ֔ב to of flies Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:22 עָרֹ֑ב to swarms [of flies] Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:24 עָרֹ֣ב to swarms [of flies] Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:24 הֶעָרֹֽב׃ to swarms [of flies] Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:29 הֶעָרֹ֗ב to the swarms [of flies] Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 8:31 הֶעָרֹ֔ב to the swarms [of flies] Article | Noun - masculine singular Psalms 78:45 עָ֭רֹב to swarms of flies Noun - masculine singular Psalms 105:31 עָרֹ֑ב to and insects Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 8:21
Aligned rows 9
Books represented 2
Exodus 7 Psalms 2
Source forms
עָרֹ֑ב 2x ‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:22, Psalms 105:31
הֶעָרֹ֑ב 1x he·‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:21
הֶ֣עָרֹ֔ב 1x he·‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:21
הֶעָרֹ֗ב 1x he·‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:29
הֶעָרֹ֔ב 1x he·‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:31
הֶעָרֹֽב׃ 1x he·‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:24
עָרֹ֣ב 1x ‘ā·rōḇ Exodus 8:24
עָ֭רֹב 1x ‘ā·rōḇ Psalms 78:45
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - masculine singular 5x Exodus 8:21, Exodus 8:24, Exodus 8:29, Exodus 8:31
Noun - masculine singular 4x Exodus 8:22, Exodus 8:24, Psalms 78:45, Psalms 105:31
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Swarm of insects representing divine plague; emphasizes aggressive multiplicity rather than individual threat
Source Gloss
a mosquito (from its swarming)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Swarm of insects representing divine plague; emphasizes aggressive multiplicity rather than individual threat
a mosquito (from its swarming) BDB: swarm Usage: divers sorts of flies, swarm.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Divine plague of insects that infest Egyptian territory and homes
Showing 1 selected witness from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
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