← H1744 H1746 →

דּוּמָה

𐤃𐤅𐤌𐤄

dûwmâh

H1745 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דמה to be still, to be silent, to cease, to perish

Definition

State or condition of stillness or silence, most commonly denoting the complete absence of sound or speech and, by extension, the state of the dead (the grave, Sheol) characterized by silence. In poetic or metaphorical contexts, also refers to a silence that signifies abandonment, cessation of communication, or the finality of death.

Semantic Range

silence, stillness, state of being silent, death (as a state of silence), Sheol (the realm of the dead perceived as silent), cessation of noise, abandonment by speech or communication

Root / Etymology

The term דּוּמָה derives from the Hebrew root דמה (d-m-h), meaning 'to be still, be silent, cease.' While Strong's references an 'unused root,' the likely etymological connection is with דמה, although the precise derivation is uncertain. The word is formed as a nominal abstraction, denoting the state or quality of silence or stillness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In its appearances in the Hebrew Bible, דּוּמָה is most frequently associated with death or the realm of the dead, signifying the utter silence of the grave (e.g., Psalms 94:17, 115:17). This silence is evocative: in the Israelite worldview, the dead neither praise nor speak, emphasizing a conceptual distinction from the living. Contextually, דּוּמָה is not simply 'quiet' (which might be rendered by שֶׁקֶט or חֲשֵׁכָה) but a total cessation—the hush that accompanies death or cosmic abandonment. Later Jewish and extrabiblical literature personifies Dumah as an angelic figure overseeing the dead, but this is not present in pre-exilic or Second Temple biblical texts. English translations often render the word as 'silence,' but the nuance in biblical Hebrew, especially in poetic texts, often points specifically to the silence of Sheol, which English 'silence' may fail to distinguish. Related forms, such as דּוֹמִי ('silence') or דָּמַם ('to be silent, grow still'), share the semantic field, but דּוּמָה is more specialized for ultimate or existential silence.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to be dumb (compare דָּמָה); silence; figuratively, death; silence.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

דמה (d-m-h) — to be still, to be silent, to cease, to perish

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1747 דּוּמִיָּה stillness
H1819 דָּמָה I will liken
H1820 דָּמָה I have fallen silent
H1821 דְּמָה one who resembles
H1822 דֻּמָּה like silence

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1745-01 דוּמָ֣ה dumah HNcfsa into silence silence 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1745-01 Psalms 94:17 דוּמָ֣ה dumah HNcfsa silence silence
H1745-01 Psalms 115:17 דוּמָֽה dumah HNcfsa into silence silence
← H1744 Hebrew Lexicon H1746 →