Wikipedia's first sentence called it “malicious possessing spirit”. Today it says “malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish mythology”. It now reads “Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish religion”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Dybbuk - in kabbalah and European Jewish folklore , is a malicious possessing spirit , believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person, escaped from Gehenna , a Hebrew term very loosely translated as " hell ".1The word "dybbuk" is derived from the Hebrew דיבוק, meaning "attachment"; the dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits it, and must be exorcised by a prescribed religious rite . According to belief, a soul which has not been able to fulfill its function in its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so in the form of a dybbuk.2
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16527771.
The opening as it stood in 2010
In Jewish folklore , a dybbuk is a malicious possessing spirit , believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.Dybbuks are said to have escaped from Gehenna (a Hebrew term loosely analogous to the concept of hell ) or to have been turned away from Gehenna for serious transgressions, such as suicide , for which the soul is denied entry . The word "dybbuk" is derived from the Hebrew דיבוק, meaning "attachment"; the dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits the flesh. According to belief, a soul that has been unable to fulfill its function during its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so in dybbuk form.It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 367611396.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
In Jewish mythology , a dybbuk ( , from the Hebrew word לִדבּוֹק ldbok meaning adhere or cling ) is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669064961.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish mythology For other uses, see Dybbuk (disambiguation) .Dybbuk, by Ephraim Moshe Lilien (1874–1925). In Jewish mythology , a dybbuk ( , from the Hebrew verb dāḇaq meaning "adhere" or "cling") is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 962284478.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish religion For other uses, see Dybbuk (disambiguation) . Dybbuk , by Ephraim Moshe Lilien (1874–1925). In Jewish mythology , a dybbuk ( / ˈ d ɪ b ə k / ; , from the Hebrew verb דָּבַק dāḇaq meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being exorcised . Jewish Magic and Superstition .Dibbuk – spirit of deceased person which has entered body of living person.A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178769201.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish religion For other uses, see Dybbuk (disambiguation) . Dybbuk , by Ephraim Moshe Lilien (1874–1925). In Jewish mythology , a dybbuk ( / ˈ d ɪ b ə k / ; Yiddish : דיבוק , from the Hebrew verb דָּבַק dāḇaq , meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being exorcised . Jewish Magic and Superstition . Dibbuk – spirit of deceased person which has entered body of living person. A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294732684. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “malicious possessing spirit”. Today it says “malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish mythology”. It now reads “Malicious possessing spirit in Jewish religion”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
malicious possessing spirit
Now
malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
