Lexicon
דְּבוֹרָה
de.vo.rah
H1682
H:N-F Hebrew

bee

4
Occurrences
4
Books
Hebrew
Language

de.vo.rah denotes bees, appearing as swarms and in comparisons to pursuing or surrounding forces.

The plural forms denote bees collectively, whether as a swarm in a lion’s carcass or as a comparison for hostile pursuit and encirclement; the singular form identifies a bee summoned from Assyria.

Senses in use

  1. Bees as a swarm or collective comparison · dominant

    The plural form occurs in Judges 14:8, where the APB renders a swarm in the lion’s body, and in Deuteronomy 1:44 and Psalm 118:12, where pursuing Amorites and surrounding opponents are compared with bees. These clauses show the term for bees both directly and in collective comparisons.

  2. A single bee · rare

    In Isaiah 7:18 the singular form occurs in the clause about the bee in the land of Assyria; the APB renders the verse with “the bee.”

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the plural as “bees” and once as “a swarm of bees,” while the singular is rendered “the bee.” These English expressions confirm the verse contexts rather than supply separate lexical meanings.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture