מָגוֹר
a fright (objective or subjective)
Definition
The Hebrew noun מָגוֹר (mâgôwr) refers to a state of intense fear or terror, describing both the objective cause of dread (like an invading army) and the subjective feeling of being terrified. In many passages, it signifies the terror that comes from an external threat, such as the fear of enemies surrounding a person (Psalm 31:13) or the panic of a city under siege (Jeremiah 6:25). In other contexts, it denotes the emotional state of dread itself, as when a prophet like Jeremiah experiences terror on every side from his opponents (Jeremiah 20:10). This dual sense of both the source and the experience of fear is central to its biblical usage.
Biblical Usage
This word appears exclusively in poetic and prophetic books, primarily in Jeremiah (5 times), with other occurrences in Psalms, Isaiah, and Lamentations. It is consistently used in contexts of imminent danger, siege warfare, or prophetic pronouncements of judgment. For example, it describes the terror that God will bring upon the nations (Jeremiah 46:5, 49:29) and the devastating fear experienced during the fall of Jerusalem (Lamentations 2:22). The phrase 'terror on every side' (Jeremiah 6:25, 20:3, 20:10) becomes a prophetic refrain for inescapable judgment.
Etymology
The noun מָגוֹר derives from the root גּוּר (gûr, H1481), which fundamentally means 'to sojourn' or 'to dwell as a stranger.' From this root, a developed sense of 'to dread' or 'to be afraid' emerged, likely from the vulnerability and fear associated with being a foreign resident. Thus, מָגוֹר specifically denotes the fear or terror that arises from such a position of peril or threat.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it often describes the terror that accompanies divine judgment. It highlights the human experience of fear when confronted by God's actions in history, whether through invading armies (Isaiah 31:9) or through the consequences of covenant disobedience. Understanding מָגוֹר enriches the reading of prophetic literature by emphasizing that God's judgments are not abstract but produce tangible dread, serving as a catalyst for repentance or a demonstration of His sovereignty over the nations.
In the ancient Near Eastern context, מָגוֹר would have been intimately associated with the very real and common threats of military invasion, siege, and sudden violence. The 'terror on every side' described by Jeremiah reflected the brutal reality of warfare where cities were surrounded and civilians faced slaughter or exile. This cultural backdrop makes the prophetic warnings more visceral, moving beyond a spiritual metaphor to describe a concrete historical experience of catastrophic fear.
פַּחַד (pachad, H6343) — a more general term for fear or dread, often used for the fear of God. אֵימָה (êymâh, H367) — terror or horror, often with a sense of awe or overwhelming dread, sometimes used in theophanic contexts (e.g., Genesis 15:12).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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