What does אַרְבֶּה (ʾarĕbeh) mean in the Bible?
אַרְבֶּה (ʾarĕbeh): Locust; pest insect whose devastating swarms exemplify divine plague and judgment in exodus narratives.
Hebrew · H697
אַרְבֶּה
A locust (from its rapid increase)
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אַרְבֶּה H697
Pronunciation ʾarĕbeh
What does אַרְבֶּה (ʾarĕbeh) mean in the Bible?
אַרְבֶּה (ʾarĕbeh): Locust; pest insect whose devastating swarms exemplify divine plague and judgment in exodus narratives.
Full entry for אַרְבֶּה (H697) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H697?
The BSB source-word alignment has 24 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the locusts (5), locusts (3), [or] locusts (2), like a locust (2), the swarming locust (2).
Where does אַרְבֶּה (ʾarĕbeh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 10:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (7), Joel (3), Psalms (3), Judges (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 the locusts 5× Exodus 10:13, Exodus 10:14, Exodus 10:19, Deuteronomy 28:38
locusts 3× Exodus 10:4, Exodus 10:14, Judges 7:12
[or] locusts 2× 1 Kings 8:37, 2 Chronicles 6:28
like a locust 2× Job 39:20, Psalms 109:23
the swarming locust 2× Joel 1:4, Joel 2:25
and the locusts 1× Psalms 105:34
are like the swarming locust 1× Nahum 3:17
like the swarming locust 1× Nahum 3:15
locust 1× Exodus 10:19
of locust 1× Leviticus 11:22
of locusts 1× Judges 6:5
so that the locusts 1× Exodus 10:12
than locusts 1× Jeremiah 46:23
to the locust 1× Psalms 78:46
what the swarming locust 1× Joel 1:4
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 10:4 אַרְבֶּ֖ה to locusts Noun - masculine singular Exodus 10:12 בָּֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה to so that the locusts Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 10:13 הָאַרְבֶּֽה׃ to the locusts Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 10:14 הָֽאַרְבֶּ֗ה to The locusts Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 10:14 אַרְבֶּה֙ to locusts Noun - masculine singular Exodus 10:19 הָ֣אַרְבֶּ֔ה to the locusts Article | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 10:19 אַרְבֶּ֣ה to locust Noun - masculine singular Leviticus 11:22 הָֽאַרְבֶּ֣ה to of locust Article | Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 28:38 הָאַרְבֶּֽה׃ to the locusts Article | Noun - masculine singular Judges 6:5 אַרְבֶּה֙ to of locusts Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 10:4
Aligned rows 24
Books represented 12
Exodus 7 Leviticus 1 Deuteronomy 1 Judges 2 1 Kings 1 2 Chronicles 1 Job 1 Psalms 3 Proverbs 1 Jeremiah 1 Joel 3 Nahum 2
Source forms
אַרְבֶּה֙ 2x ’ar·beh Exodus 10:14, Judges 6:5
אַרְבֶּ֤ה 2x ’ar·beh 1 Kings 8:37, 2 Chronicles 6:28
הָֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה 2x hā·’ar·beh Joel 1:4, Joel 2:25
הָאַרְבֶּֽה׃ 2x hā·’ar·beh Exodus 10:13, Deuteronomy 28:38
אַרְבֶּ֖ה 1x ’ar·beh Exodus 10:4
אַרְבֶּ֣ה 1x ’ar·beh Exodus 10:19
אַרְבֶּ֑ה 1x ’ar·beh Psalms 105:34
בָּֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה 1x bā·’ar·beh Exodus 10:12
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - masculine singular 8x Exodus 10:13, Exodus 10:14, Exodus 10:19, Leviticus 11:22
Noun - masculine singular 7x Exodus 10:4, Exodus 10:14, Exodus 10:19, Judges 6:5
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular 5x Judges 7:12, Job 39:20, Psalms 109:23, Nahum 3:15
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Psalms 78:46, Proverbs 30:27
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 1x Exodus 10:12
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular 1x Jeremiah 46:23
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Locust; pest insect whose devastating swarms exemplify divine plague and judgment in exodus narratives.
Source Gloss
a locust (from its rapid increase)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Locust; pest insect whose devastating swarms exemplify divine plague and judgment in exodus narratives.
a locust (from its rapid increase) BDB: locust Usage: grasshopper, locust.
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
Locusts as a metaphor for invading armies overwhelming in number and destructive force
Locusts exemplifying small creatures that possess wisdom and coordinated collective strength
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 24 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
אַרְבֶּה 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