דָּהַם
𐤃𐤄𐤌
dâham
H1724 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be rendered speechless due to shock, terror, or overwhelming awe; to be stunned or appalled. The verb conveys an experience of such intense emotional or psychological impact that normal speech or reaction is cut off, often following a catastrophic, fearful, or deeply disturbing event. In some contexts, it is used of becoming motionless in fright or despair.
Semantic Range
to be rendered speechless by horror or shock, to be appalled, to be overcome by terror, to be stunned or dumbfounded, to be motionless from dread or consternation
Root / Etymology
From the root דָּהַם, possibly related by sound and meaning to דּוּחַ ('to push, thrust away'), though the connection is not certain. The core idea of the root is 'to be dumb, silenced, or struck silent', though its precise etymological development is unclear. It is primarily attested in the intensive stem in Biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
דָּהַם occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible and is a relatively archaic or poetic verb. Its primary context is in the expression of intense emotional or existential crises, especially in prophetic or poetic discourse (e.g., in the book of Daniel 8:27, where Daniel describes being appalled or overcome after a vision). It is distinct from other verbs such as נדהם ('to be dismayed or appalled') and שמם ('to be desolate, appalled'), which share some overlapping semantic territory but are more frequently used or have broader semantic range. Most English translations render דָּהַם as 'astonished', 'appalled', 'astounded', or 'dumbfounded', which may not fully convey the sense of being emotionally or mentally incapacitated by shock. The term does not imply any positive sense of wonder but rather a negative, overwhelming experience. In later Hebrew, the root does not seem to persist, and its concept is more commonly expressed by other terms. There is no association with religious conduct or later cultural uses of 'dumbfounded' as comedic surprise; its biblical sense is specifically negative and grave.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root (compare דּוּחַ); to be dumb, i.e. (figuratively) dumbfounded; astonished.
Bantu Hebrew
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דהם (d-h-m) — to be silenced, to be appalled, to be dumbfounded
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1724-01 |
נִדְהָ֔ם | nideham | HVNrmsa |
dismayed | one rendered speechless | one rendered speechless | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1724-01 |
Jeremiah 14:9 | נִדְהָ֔ם | nideham | HVNrmsa |
dismayed | one rendered speechless | one rendered speechless |