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מַדְוֶה

𐤌𐤃𐤅𐤄

madveh

H4064 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דוה to be unwell, to be sick, to languish

Definition

Physical illness, disease, or affliction; refers to a state or condition characterized by sickness. In biblical texts, מַדְוֶה functions as a general term for sickness, often paralleling other Hebrew words for illness. Its semantic range covers individual or national afflictions, especially as a result of misfortune or divine retribution.

Semantic Range

disease, sickness, illness, affliction (physical or national), chronic condition, grievous ailment

Root / Etymology

From the root דוה (dalet-vav-he), whose core meaning is 'to be unwell, to be sick, to languish'. מַדְוֶה is a noun formation from this root, expressing the abstract state (sickness, disease) itself.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מַדְוֶה appears sparingly in the Hebrew Bible, with notable occurrences in Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut 7:15, 28:60), where it denotes severe or chronic afflictions sent upon peoples. While related nouns such as חֹלִי (ḥoli) can refer broadly to illness or weakness, מַדְוֶה more specifically conveys the concept of a diagnostically recognized sickness or disease—particularly those considered incurable or especially grievous. In exilic and post-exilic usage, the term continues to denote affliction, but may take on a heightened connotation of divine punishment. Later translations, particularly into Greek (Septuagint: nosos) and Latin (vexatio, pestis), used words for plague or pestilence, sometimes narrowing the term beyond its biblical scope. English translations tend to render מַדְוֶה as 'disease' or 'sickness,' but these may miss subtle distinctions made by biblical Hebrew between various terms for illness.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from דָּוָה; sickness; disease.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דוה (d-w-h) — to be unwell, to be sick, to languish

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1738 דָּוָה her being sick
H1739 דָּוֶה sickened woman
H1741 דְּוַי sickness
H1742 דַּוָּי disease-stricken

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4064-02 מַדְוֵי֩ madevey HNcmpc diseases sicknesses of 1
H4064-01 מַדְוֵ֣ה madeveh HNcmsc diseases sickness of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4064-02 Deuteronomy 7:15 מַדְוֵי֩ madevey HNcmpc diseases sicknesses of
H4064-01 Deuteronomy 28:60 מַדְוֵ֣ה madeveh HNcmsc diseases sickness of
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