A word used to refer to a disease, disaster, or pestilence (a widespread disease resulting in many deaths). "Plague" in Scripture does not mean a specific disease. It refers to multiple diseases (1 Kings 8:37; Luke 7:21). "Plague" can mean an epidemic disease or widespread disaster. It can refer to the ten plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7–12).
The Hebrews believed plagues were part of God's judgment on people. God threatened to send plagues to the Israelites for their sins (Leviticus 26:21) and took full responsibility for the Egyptian plagues (Joshua 24:5). The Old Testament plagues demonstrated God’s control over the processes of nature, just as Christ’s miracles do in the New Testament.
At one point in the history of Israel, the Philistines won a battle and captured the ark of God (1 Samuel 4:10–11). When the ark was kept at Ashdod, God showed his power. A fatal disease with swellings or tumors spread (1 Samuel 5:6). The Philistines sent the ark on to Gath, but people of all ages began to have tumors in the region of the groin (1 Samuel 5:9). A similar occurrence at the next city, Ekron, resulted in many deaths (1 Samuel 5:12).
After seven months, the Philistines decided to return the ark of God to Israel. They included a guilt offering of five golden rats and five golden tumors (1 Samuel 6:1–4). They chose this unusual offering because the Philistine prophets linked the plague on them to the swarms of rodents that infested the land (1 Samuel 6:5). The first Israelite village to receive the ark of God from the Philistines was punished for looking into it. They got the same disease (1 Samuel 6:19). The sickness in Beth-shemesh left 50,070 people dead.