דבר
davár/daˈvaʁ/
The Hebrew word for pestilence is דבר (davár).
The word דבר refers to any highly contagious epidemic disease. In more formal contexts, particularly when describing a plague or an epidemic that affects a large population, the term מַגֵּפָה (maggafah) is also used.
Meaning: any highly contagious epidemic disease (noun)
Which one should you use?
מַגֵּפָה is a more formal way to refer to a large-scale plague or epidemic.
How do you pronounce it?
davár
Did you know?
- The word דבר is a homonym that usually means 'word' or 'thing'. In the Bible, this double meaning is used as a euphemism to avoid naming the plague directly, as if speaking its name might invite the disease.
- The formal term מַגֵּפָה comes from a root meaning 'to strike' or 'to hit'. This frames a pestilence not as a biological event but as a blow delivered by a higher power.
- The word דבר (davár) is a linguistic homonym that also means 'thing' or 'matter' in everyday Hebrew. This means that without context, the word for a deadly pestilence could simply mean a common object.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry דבר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
