קַדַּחַת
𐤒𐤃𐤇𐤕
qaddachath
H6920 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Acute inflammation or high fever; a febrile illness characterized by burning heat. In biblical usage, designates a severe physical malady involving intense bodily heat or fever, often depicted as a serious and potentially fatal illness sent as a form of affliction. The term emphasizes the burning and consuming nature of the fever, rather than specifying a particular medical diagnosis.
Semantic Range
fever, acute inflammation, burning illness, febrile disease, severe bodily heat, burning ague
Root / Etymology
From the verbal root קָדַח (qadach), meaning 'to burn' or 'to kindle.' The noun form קַדַּחַת derives from this root, shifting from the general idea of combustion or burning to the specific symptom of burning heat in the body, thus fever or acute inflammation. The root-level meaning focuses on ignition or burning, while the noun refers to a pathological burning within the body.
Historical & Contextual Notes
קַדַּחַת appears in contexts describing divine punishment or curse (e.g., Deuteronomy 28:22), indicating catastrophic illness rather than ordinary fever. Often paired with other terms for disease or disaster, emphasizing severity and total bodily involvement. Related Hebrew terms include דֶּבֶר (dever, 'plague, pestilence') and שַׁחֶפֶת (shachepheth, 'wasting disease'), each with distinct nuances. Traditional translations such as 'fever' or 'ague' may obscure the sense of acute burning heat. Unlike general terms for illness, קַדַּחַת is not generic but denotes a particularly forceful and consuming fever, often with implications of intensity and danger. The root idea of burning carries through the word's use but is specialized to a symptom of disease. In the Greek tradition (Septuagint), translated sometimes with terms indicating fever (πυρετός) but contextually reflecting severe affliction. There is no evidence for the term being used for less severe or common fevers in biblical texts. The word is rare and appears only in a handful of biblical passages, with no clear distinction between different types of fevers, but always with a connotation of intensity or threat. Later rabbinic literature also employs the term for medical consultation, but the biblical usage remains dire and specific.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from קָדַח; inflammation, i.e. febrile disease; burning ague, fever.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קדח (q-d-ḥ) — to burn, kindle, ignite
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6919 | קָדַח | to burn |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6920-01 |
הַ/קַּדַּ֔חַת | haqadachat | HTd/Ncfsa |
fever | the burning fever | 1 |
H6920-02 |
וּ/בַ/קַּדַּ֜חַת | uvaqadachat | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and with fever | burning fever | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6920-01 |
Leviticus 26:16 | הַ/קַּדַּ֔חַת | haqadachat | HTd/Ncfsa |
fever | the burning fever |
H6920-02 |
Deuteronomy 28:22 | וּ/בַ/קַּדַּ֜חַת | uvaqadachat | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and with fever | burning fever |