Calamity
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words [1]
'Êyd ( אֵיד , Strong'S #343), “calamity; disaster.” A possible cognate of this word appears in Arabic. Its 24 biblical appearances occur in every period of biblical Hebrew (12 in wisdom literature and only 1 in poetical literature, the Psalms).This word signifies a “disaster” or “calamity” befalling a nation or individual. When used of a nation, it represents a “political or military event”: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste” (Deut. 32:35— first occurrence). The prophets tend to use 'êyd in the sense of national “disaster,” while Wisdom writers use it for “personal tragedy.”
King James Dictionary [2]
Calamity n. Any great misfortune, or cause of misery generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evils, as loss of crops, earthquakes, conflagrations, defeat of armies, and the like. But it is applied also to the misfortunes which bring great distress upon individuals.
The deliberations of calamity are rarely wise.
Webster's Dictionary [3]
(1): (n.) Any great misfortune or cause of misery; - generally applied to events or disasters which produce extensive evil, either to communities or individuals.
(2): (n.) A state or time of distress or misfortune; misery.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [4]
ka - lam´i - ti ( איד , 'ēdh , "a load" or "burden" under which one is crushed, hence, "misfortune"; היּה , hayyāh , הוּה , hawwāh , "fall," "ruin," the latter word used only in the plural; רע , ra‛ , "evil in essence" hence, "adversity," once only, Psalm 141:5 , the Revised Version (British and American) "wickedness"): Purely an Old Testament term, signifying adversities - natural, but more often those that result from wickedness or moral evil. Various kinds: (1) folly , "a foolish son" ( Proverbs 19:13 ); (2) disease , poverty , bereavement , as in Job's experience ( Job 6:2; Job 30:13 ); (3) persecution ( 2 Samuel 22:19; Psalm 18:18 ); (4) Divine retribution and judgment ( Deuteronomy 32:35 ); compare ruin of the wicked ( Proverbs 1:26 , also 27 the Revised Version (British and American) for "destruction" the King James Version); (5) the devastation of war ( Jeremiah 46:21 (6) adversities of any kind ( Proverbs 27:10 ).
