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אֲבַעְבֻּעָה

𐤀𐤁𐤏𐤁𐤏𐤄

ʼăbaʻbuʻâh

H76 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בער to burn, to kindle, to ignite

Definition

A raised swelling or blister on the skin, typically caused by an eruptive disease or burn; specifically refers to a pustule, blister, or inflammatory swelling resulting from plague, burns, or other acute skin eruptions. The word describes a visible, eruptive lesion marked by an abnormal bodily swelling, whether by infection or trauma.

Semantic Range

blister, pustule, raised burn swelling, inflammatory eruption, boil, blain

Root / Etymology

Root: בער (baʿar), meaning 'to burn' or 'to ignite', though the pattern here is a reduplication (ab-abuʿāh), forming a diminutive or intensive noun, denoting a small, burning eruption. The root is not used elsewhere in this form, pointing to a nominal formation denoting the product (blister, pustule) of a burning or eruptive disease.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term appears primarily in the context of skin diseases or plagues in the narrative of the Exodus (Exodus 9:9-10), describing one of the afflictions inflicted upon the Egyptians – blisters or pustules resulting from burning soot. While English translations often use 'blain(s)', 'blister', or 'boil', the Hebrew term emphasizes the eruptive, burning nature and is not limited to a specific medical diagnosis. In ancient Israelite context, such skin afflictions were both physically significant and ritually defiling. The word's occurrence is limited to specific plague narratives, and it does not serve as a general term for boil or pustule elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. Later Jewish tradition and Greek/Latin translators sometimes used terms that correspond more generally to 'burns', 'ulcers', or 'sores', but the biblical term is more restrictive in usage. The English 'blain' is archaic and does not cover the specific sense of a swelling caused by burning or acute infection, as intended in the original text.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(by reduplication) from an unused root (meaning to belch forth); an inflammatory pustule (as eruption); blains.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בער (b-ʿ-r) — to burn, to kindle, to ignite

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1160 בְּעוֹר Beor
H1165 בְּעִיר their grazing-animal
H1197 בָּעַר she burned
H1198 בַּעַר beast-like senseless
H1199 בָּעֲרָא Baʿarah

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H76-01 אֲבַעְבֻּעֹ֖ת avaebuot HNcfpa blisters burn-blisters 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H76-01 Exodus 9:9 אֲבַעְבֻּעֹ֖ת avaebuot HNcfpa blisters burn-blisters
H76-01 Exodus 9:10 אֲבַעְבֻּעֹ֔ת avaebuot HNcfpa with blisters burn-blisters
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