עָרֹב
a.rov
swarm
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "a.rov" (H6157) has a short definition of "swarm." This term is used 9 times in the Bible, indicating its significance in various contexts. A swarm typically refers to a large group of insects, such as bees or locusts, that move together in a coordinated manner. The word "a.rov" is used to describe natural phenomena, like swarms of locusts that can devastate crops (e.g., Exodus 10:4, 12, 14). It can also be used metaphorically to describe a group of people, such as a swarm of soldiers or a swarm of people (e.g., Psalm 91:3). In these contexts, the word emphasizes the collective movement and power of the group. The significance of "a.rov" lies in its ability to convey the idea of a large, cohesive group that can have a significant impact on the environment or the lives of individuals. Its use in the Bible highlights the importance of being aware of and prepared for the potential consequences of such groups, whether they be natural or human-made.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
9 total occurrences across the text
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Psalms 105:31He spoke, and swarms of flies came, and lice in all their borders.
Exodus 8:21Else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you, and on your servants, and on your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground they are on.
Exodus 8:21Else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you, and on your servants, and on your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground they are on.
Exodus 8:22I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end you may know that I am Yahweh on the earth.
Exodus 8:24Yahweh did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses. In all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.
Exodus 8:24Yahweh did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses. In all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.
Exodus 8:29Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you. I will pray to Yahweh that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only don’t let Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Yahweh.”
Exodus 8:31Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. There remained not one.