Topical Encyclopedia Definition and Overview:In biblical terms, a plague is often understood as a severe affliction or calamity, typically sent as a divine judgment or warning. Plagues in the Bible are frequently depicted as manifestations of God's power and serve as instruments of His will, often to compel obedience or repentance from His people or their adversaries. Biblical Instances: 1. The Ten Plagues of Egypt: The most famous biblical account of plagues is found in the Book of Exodus, where God sends ten plagues upon Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. These plagues are described in Exodus chapters 7 through 12 and include: · Water turned to blood (Exodus 7:14-24) · Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15) · Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19) · Flies (Exodus 8:20-32) · Livestock disease (Exodus 9:1-7) · Boils (Exodus 9:8-12) · Hail (Exodus 9:13-35) · Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20) · Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29) · Death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:1-12:30) These plagues demonstrate God's supremacy over the Egyptian gods and His commitment to His covenant with Israel. Each plague escalates in severity, culminating in the Passover and the liberation of the Israelites. 2. Plagues in the Wilderness: During the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, God sent plagues as a response to disobedience and rebellion. Notable instances include: · The plague following the worship of the golden calf (Exodus 32:35) · The plague after the rebellion of Korah (Numbers 16:46-50) · The plague as a result of Israel's immorality with Moabite women (Numbers 25:1-9) 3. David's Census: In 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, King David's decision to conduct a census of Israel leads to a divine plague as punishment. David repents, and the plague is halted after he builds an altar and offers sacrifices to God. 4. Prophetic and Apocalyptic Plagues: The prophetic books and Revelation also speak of plagues as part of God's judgment. In Revelation, plagues are part of the end-times narrative, symbolizing divine wrath and the call to repentance (Revelation 15:1, 16:9). Theological Significance: Plagues in the Bible serve as a reminder of God's holiness and justice. They underscore the consequences of sin and disobedience while also highlighting God's mercy and the possibility of redemption through repentance. The plagues demonstrate God's control over creation and His ability to use natural phenomena to fulfill His purposes. Moral and Spiritual Lessons: The biblical accounts of plagues teach the importance of faithfulness to God and the dangers of idolatry and rebellion. They call believers to trust in God's sovereignty and to seek His guidance and forgiveness. The narratives encourage a life of obedience and reverence, recognizing that God's judgments are both just and redemptive. Key Verses: · Exodus 9:14 : "For this time I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth." · Numbers 16:46 : "Then Moses said to Aaron, 'Take your censer, put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.'" · Revelation 15:1 : "Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven final plagues—with which the wrath of God will be completed." Smith's Bible Dictionary The PlagueThe plague is considered to be a severe kind of typhus, accompanied by buboes (tumors). --Like the cholera, it is most violent at the first outbreak, causing almost instant death. Great difference of opinion has obtained as to whether it is contagious or not. It was very prevalent in the East, and still prevails in Egypt. Several Hebrew words are translated "pestilence" or "plague" but not one of these words call be considered as designating by its signification the disease now called the plague. Whether the disease be mentioned must be judged from the sense of passages, not from the sense of words. Those pestilences which were sent as special judgments, and were either supernaturally rapid in their effects or were in addition directed against particular culprits are beyond the reach of human inquiry. But we also read of pestilences which, although sent as judgments, have the characteristics of modern epidemics, not being rapid beyond nature nor directed against individuals. (Leviticus 26:25; 28:21) In neither of these passages does,it seem certain that the plague is specified. The notices in the prophets present the same difficulty. Hezekiah's disease has been thought to have been the plague, and its fatal nature, as well as the mention of a boil, makes this not improbable. On the other hand, there Is no mention of a pestilence among his people at the time. Greek 3148. mastix -- a whip, scourge ... 3148 -- properly, a disease that (literally) carried a level of pain (the root is, "a plague"). "The plague ... 1). plague, scourging. Probably ... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3148.htm - 7k 4127. plege -- a blow, wound 3061. loimos -- pestilence, a pest Strong's Hebrew 5061. nega -- a stroke, plague, mark... nega. 5062 . a stroke, plague, mark. Transliteration: nega Phonetic Spelling: (neh'-gah) Short Definition: mark. ... plague, sore, stricken, stripe, stroke, wound. ... /hebrew/5061.htm - 6k 4046. maggephah -- a blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence 5063. negeph -- a blow, a striking 4347. makkah -- a blow, wound, slaughter 1698. deber -- pestilence 5062. nagaph -- to strike, smite 4194. maveth -- death 5060. naga -- to touch, reach, strike 7565. resheph -- flame Library Joel's Rhapsody of the Locust Plague March 18. "Neither Shall any Plague Come Near Thy Dwelling" (Ps. ... On his Father'S Silence, Because of the Plague of Hail. The Word, Since Death Alone could Stay the Plague, Took a Mortal ... Concerning the Ten Plagues which came Upon the Egyptians. On the Advisableness of Improving Natural Knowledge. On the Holy Ghost and his Descent Upon the Apostles St. Cyprian. Of the Disasters which Vexed the Roman Republic after the ... How Egbert, a Holy Man of the English Nation, Led a Monastic Life ... 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