← H1729 H1731 →

דּוֹד

𐤃𐤅𐤃

dôwd

H1730 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

In biblical Hebrew, דּוֹד (dôwd) primarily denotes 'uncle' in the specific sense of a father's brother, but also extends in poetic and figurative literature to mean 'beloved one,' 'dear friend,' or 'lover.' In certain contexts, particularly in the Song of Songs, it refers to a (male) beloved or lover in an erotically charged or intimate sense. The noun can also denote endearment, affection, or close kinship, and in rare instances, it refers to love as an abstract quality or to tokens of love.

Semantic Range

father's brother (uncle), close male relative, beloved one, dear friend, intimate companion, lover, affection, love-token

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root דוד, whose core meaning is uncertain but possibly related to ideas of 'boiling' or 'intense feeling,' suggesting fervent affection. While Strong's connects it to an unused root meaning 'to boil,' no direct verbal form exists in Biblical Hebrew with this meaning, leaving the etymology ultimately uncertain. The noun formation is attested in early Semitic languages, sometimes bearing both kinship and affectional senses.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, דּוֹד is most commonly used in genealogical or narrative texts to indicate a paternal uncle, distinguishing this kinship term from אָח ('brother') or רֵעַ ('companion, neighbor'). In poetic books, especially the Song of Songs, the term shifts to denote a beloved or romantic partner, contributing to its semantic extension. Later, in post-biblical Hebrew, the term more exclusively maintained the kinship sense ('uncle'), while the affectionate sense became less prominent. English translations sometimes underrepresent the full semantic range by primarily using 'uncle,' whereas biblical usage—especially in poetry—includes nuance of friendship and romantic love. The use of 'beloved' or 'lover' in Song of Songs should be read as describing an intimate relationship, without importing later definitions connected to 'Jew' or 'Jewish' identity, which are anachronistic for the biblical period. The related feminine noun, דוֹדָה (dôdah), similarly means 'aunt' (specifically father's sister) or occasionally 'beloved woman.'

Translation Consistency

primary "beloved" 5 occurrences

Across the SILEX/P2 data the most common English rendering is 'beloved' and this term best captures the primary semantic range in poetic and figurative contexts (Song of Songs, intimate address, tokens of affection). 'Beloved' is natural English, preserves the emotional/relational force of dovd, and still communicates close kinship or attachment. Literal uses meaning 'father's brother' (uncle) are less frequent and can be handled by contextual notes or alternative renderings where genealogy requires precision, but for consistent base-word choice 'beloved' fits the typical and most salient uses.

Alternatives (6 occurrences):
"beloved-one" (3x) "uncle" (1x) "uncle of" (1x) "father's-brother of" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (shortened) דֹּד; from an unused root meaning properly, to boil, i.e.; (figuratively) to love; by implication, a love-token, lover, friend; specifically an uncle; (well-) beloved, father's brother, love, uncle.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

דוד (Dodanim) — to love, to be beloved, uncle

Root דוד to express affection, to show love, to burn with feeling (possible)
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1717 דַּד your two breasts
H1721 דֹּדָנִים Dodanites
H1731 דּוּד large cooking pots
H1732 דָּוִד in David
H1733 דּוֹדָה your paternal aunt

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1730-09 דּוֹדִ֖/י dodi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my beloved my beloved one my beloved one 23
H1730-11 דּוֹד֔/וֹ dodo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his uncle his father's brother his uncle 7
H1730-01 דּוֹד dod HNcmsc uncle father's-brother of uncle 6
H1730-12 לְ/דוֹדִ֑/י ledodi HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs to my beloved to my beloved-one to my beloved-one 5
H1730-06 דּוֹדֵ֣/ךְ dodekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs is your beloved your uncle your beloved 4
H1730-10 דֹּדִ֔ים dodim HNcmpa loves beloved ones beloved ones 4
H1730-04 דֹדַ֖יִ/ךְ dodayikhe HNcmpc/Sp2fs are your loves your beloved ones are your loves 2
H1730-08 דֹּדֶ֖י/ךָ dodeykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms your love your beloved ones your love 2
H1730-13 מִ/דּ֔וֹד midod HR/Ncmsa than another beloved father’s brother than another beloved 2
H1730-14 וְ/דוֹדִ֖/י vedodi HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs and my beloved and my uncle and my beloved-one 2

Occurrences in Scripture

61 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1730-14 Song of Songs 6:3 וְ/דוֹדִ֣/י vedodi HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs and my beloved and my uncle and my beloved-one
H1730-12 Song of Songs 7:10 לְ/דוֹדִ֖/י ledodi HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs to my beloved to my beloved-one to my beloved-one
H1730-12 Song of Songs 7:11 לְ/דוֹדִ֔/י ledodi HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs to my beloved to my beloved-one to my beloved-one
H1730-09 Song of Songs 7:12 דוֹדִ/י֙ dodi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my-beloved my beloved one my beloved one
H1730-03 Song of Songs 7:13 דֹּדַ֖/י doday HNcmpc/Sp1cs my-beloved my beloved-ones my beloved
H1730-09 Song of Songs 7:14 דּוֹדִ֖/י dodi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my beloved my beloved one my beloved one
H1730-02 Song of Songs 8:5 דּוֹדָ֑/הּ dodah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her beloved her uncle her beloved
H1730-09 Song of Songs 8:14 דּוֹדִ֗/י dodi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my beloved my beloved one my beloved one
H1730-11 Esther 2:7 דֹּד֔/וֹ dodo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his uncle his father's brother his uncle
H1730-01 Esther 2:15 דֹּ֣ד dod HNcmsc uncle father's-brother of uncle of
H1730-01 1 Chronicles 27:32 דּוֹד dod HNcmsc uncle father's-brother of father's-brother of
← H1729 Hebrew Lexicon H1731 →