The Hebrew word makkah means a blow, wound, plague, or slaughter. It derives from the root nakah (H5221, to strike, smite) and refers to the result of a striking — whether a physical wound, a military defeat, or a divinely sent plague. It appears over 48 times in the Old Testament.
The makkah is most famously associated with the ten plagues of Egypt, where God struck Pharaoh and his nation with devastating blows to compel the release of His people. The word also describes the wounds of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:3 — smitten and afflicted. This creates a profound theological arc: the same God who strikes Egypt in judgment allows His Servant to be struck for our healing. The makkah of the cross becomes the means of salvation, turning divine wounding into the ultimate act of redemption.