WG: Famine — Judgment Triad¶
Overview¶
The famine concept in Hebrew Scripture operates within a tightly bound judgment vocabulary. The noun raab (H7458) appears in a fixed prophetic formula alongside chereb (sword, H2719) and deber (pestilence, H1698) — a triad that appears together in 24 verses, concentrated in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The word family includes the root verb (H7456), adjective (H7457), and a rare noun synonym (H7459). The Greek NT equivalent limos (G3042) continues the same triad pattern in Revelation.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occ. | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H7458 | רָעָב | raab | noun | 88 | The condition (famine/hunger) | H7458 |
| H7456 | רָעֵב | raeb | verb | 13 | The action (to hunger) | TODO(need H7456 study) |
| H7457 | רָעֵב | raeb | adj | 20 | The state (hungry) | TODO(need H7457 study) |
| H7459 | רְעָבוֹן | reabown | noun | 3 | Rare synonym (famine) | TODO(need H7459 study) |
| H2719 | חֶרֶב | chereb | noun | 372 | Triad member: sword | H2719 |
| H1698 | דֶּבֶר | deber | noun | 48 | Triad member: pestilence | TODO(need H1698 study) |
| G3042 | λιμός | limos | noun | 12 | NT equivalent (famine) | TODO(need G3042 study) |
Relationships¶
Shared Root¶
- raab (H7458), raeb verb (H7456), raeb adj (H7457), reabown (H7459) — all from root רעב
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| raab (H7458) | chereb (H2719) | 40 (45% of raab) | "by the sword, and by the famine" — paired judgment |
| raab (H7458) | deber (H1698) | 27 (31% of raab) | "sword, famine, pestilence" — full triad |
| chereb (H2719) | deber (H1698) | 29 (60% of deber) | "sword and pestilence" — paired without famine |
| raeb-adj (H7457) | raeb-verb (H7456) | 1 | Isa 8:21 — "pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry" |
LXX Overlaps¶
| Hebrew Words | Shared Greek | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| raab (H7458) + deber (H1698) + chereb (H2719) | All three co-occur with λιμός (G3042) in LXX | The triad appears as a unit in LXX translation |
| raeb-adj (H7457) + raeb-verb (H7456) | Both → πεινάω (G3983, "to hunger") | Greek distinguishes noun famine (limos) from verb/adj hunger (peinao) |
Roles in the Concept¶
- Condition: raab (H7458) — the state of famine or hunger affecting a land or people
- Action: raeb (H7456) — the experience of hungering
- Description: raeb (H7457) — being in the state of hunger
- Synonym: reabown (H7459) — rare alternative for famine (3x)
- Judgment partner (violence): chereb (H2719) — the sword; external/military destruction
- Judgment partner (disease): deber (H1698) — pestilence; plague/epidemic destruction
- NT continuation: limos (G3042) — carries the same dual sense into Greek Scripture
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
The full triad (sword + famine + pestilence) appears in 24 verses:
- 1 Chr 21:12 — "Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence"
- Jer 14:12 — "I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence"
- Jer 21:9 — "He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans... he shall live"
- Eze 5:12 — "A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword"
- Eze 6:12 — "He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine"
- Eze 14:21 — "How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence"
All 24 triad verses: 1 Chr 21:12; 2 Chr 20:9; Jer 14:12, 21:7, 21:9, 24:10, 27:8, 27:13, 29:17, 29:18, 32:24, 32:36, 34:17, 38:2, 42:17, 42:22, 44:13; Eze 5:12, 5:17, 6:11, 6:12, 7:15, 12:16, 14:21.
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-15