דּוּחַ
𐤃𐤅𐤇
dûwach
H1740 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
A verbal root meaning primarily 'to drive away' or 'banish,' with extended senses including 'to wash away,' 'purge,' or 'cleanse' by removing something undesirable. In different contexts, it can refer to the literal act of physically casting out or the figurative process of purification by separation or removal.
Semantic Range
to drive away, to banish, to cast out, to expel, to purge (by removal), to cleanse (through removal), to wash away
Root / Etymology
Root דּוּחַ (דוח); the core meaning is 'to drive/thrust away.' The root is rare and only attested in limited forms. The derived meaning of 'cleansing' or 'purging' comes from the idea of removing impurity or unwanted material via expulsion or washing.
Historical & Contextual Notes
This root is extremely rare in the Hebrew Bible, only appearing in a small number of passages (e.g., Isaiah 66:20, Ezekiel 20:38). Its primary sense is the forceful expulsion of a person or thing. In certain contexts, particularly in Ezekiel, it appears in a ritual or figurative sense associated with purging the community of those who do not belong, or in reference to removing physical or moral impurity. English translations sometimes render this root with 'cleanse,' especially when it refers to ritual or moral purification, but this can obscure the underlying nuance of 'driving away' or 'removing' as the mechanism of cleansing. This verb does not have the commonality or broad semantic scope of more frequently used purification terms like טהר (ṭaher, 'to be clean/pure') or כפר (kapar, 'to atone'). During the First Temple and exilic periods, its connotation tends to reflect exclusion or separation more than internal transformation. Translations sometimes use 'purge' or 'cast out,' but 'to drive away' best captures the physical and metaphorical range.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to thrust away; figuratively, to cleanse; cast out, purge, wash.
Bantu Hebrew
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דוח (d-w-ḥ) — drive away, thrust aside, cast out, banish
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1740-04 |
יָדִ֥יחוּ | yadichu | HVhi3mp |
they rinsed | they will drive away | 2 |
H1740-03 |
יָדִ֣יחַ | yadicha | HVhi3ms |
he has purged | he will drive away | 1 |
H1740-02 |
הֱדִיחָֽ/נִי | hedichani | HVhp3ms/Sp1cs |
emptied-me | he drove me away | 1 |
H1740-01 |
הדיח/נו | hdychnv | HVhp3ms/Sp1cp |
emptied-us | he drove us away | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1740-03 |
Isaiah 4:4 | יָדִ֣יחַ | yadicha | HVhi3ms |
he has purged | he will drive away |
H1740-01 |
Jeremiah 51:34 | הדיח/נו | hdychnv | HVhp3ms/Sp1cp |
emptied-us | he drove us away |
H1740-02 |
Jeremiah 51:34 | הֱדִיחָֽ/נִי | hedichani | HVhp3ms/Sp1cs |
emptied-me | he drove me away |
H1740-04 |
Ezekiel 40:38 | יָדִ֥יחוּ | yadichu | HVhi3mp |
they-washed | they will drive away |
H1740-04 |
2 Chronicles 4:6 | יָדִ֣יחוּ | yadichu | HVhi3mp |
they rinsed | they will drive away |