Lexical Summary machaleh: Sickness, disease Original Word: מַחֲלֶה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance disease, infirmity, sickness Or (feminine) machalah {makk-al-aw'}; from chalah; sickness -- disease, infirmity, sickness. see HEBREW chalah Brown-Driver-Briggs [מַחֲלֶה] noun [masculine] sickness, disease — suffix מַחֲלֵהוּ Proverbs 18:14 his sickness (= any sickness of his); of specific disease, construct מַחֲלֵה מֵעֶ֑יךָ2Chronicles 21:15 (+ בָּחֲלָיִים רַבִּים, מֵהַחֹ֑לִי). מַחֲלָה noun feminine sickness, disease, מַחֲלָה Exodus 15:26 3t. — sickness, disease, (in General) Exodus 23:25 (JE); so with כל, 1 Kings 8:37 2Chronicles 6:28 ("" כלנֶֿגַע), Exodus 15:26 (J E; compare אני יהוה רֹפְאֶ֑ךָ near the end) Topical Lexicon Overview of Biblical Usage The noun occurs six times, always marking an observable bodily affliction that can be lifted, intensified, or endured at God’s discretion. Its contexts fall into four spheres: covenant promise, communal intercession, judicial punishment, and personal experience. Covenant Assurance of Healing (Exodus 15:26; Exodus 23:25) When Israel first tasted freedom, the Lord linked obedience with protection from the “diseases” displayed in Egypt: “I will put none of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians on you, for I am the LORD who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). Forty days later the promise is repeated: “I will take away sickness from among you” (Exodus 23:25). Disease becomes a tangible indicator of covenant faithfulness; its absence signals divine favor, its presence warns of spiritual drift. These passages lay the groundwork for later covenant blessings and curses enumerated in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. National Intercession in Times of Calamity (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chronicles 6:28) At the temple dedication Solomon anticipates future crises: “Whatever plague or disease there is” (1 Kings 8:37). He pleads that any outbreak drive the nation toward the house of prayer, where repentance meets mercy. The Chronicler repeats the appeal nearly verbatim (2 Chronicles 6:28), underscoring that communal sickness is neither random nor meaningless; it is an occasion for renewed allegiance and restoration. Judgment on a Wayward King ( |