ma.cha.lah denotes sickness or disease as an affliction that may be present, imposed, or removed.

The attested use denotes sickness or disease as an affliction: it is named among severe conditions in the land, is mentioned in the warning about diseases put on Egypt, and is something God says he will remove from the people’s midst.

1. Sickness or disease as an affliction · dominant

   All four occurrences use a feminine singular absolute noun in clauses concerning affliction. In 1 Kings 8:37 and 2 Chronicles 6:28, the APB renders the clauses with “whatever sickness” amid famine, pestilence, blight, and siege; in Exodus 15:26 it speaks of diseases put on Egypt, and in Exodus 23:25 of sickness removed from the people’s midst.

   1 Kings 8:372 Chronicles 6:28Exodus 15:26Exodus 23:25

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the relevant clauses as “whatever sickness” in 1 Kings 8:37 and 2 Chronicles 6:28, “diseases” in Exodus 15:26, and sickness removed in Exodus 23:25. These renderings confirm the clauses’ overall presentation rather than a precise English equivalent for each token.