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דֻּמָּה

𐤃𐤌𐤄

dummâh

H1822 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דמה to be silent, to perish, to resemble

Definition

Primarily denotes silence or stillness; by extension, can signify a place or condition of silence, such as the realm of the dead (Sheol) in poetic use, or metaphorically, utter desolation where no sound or life remains. The word expresses both physical silence (absence of sound) and metaphorical silence (cessation, end), and in some contexts refers to the silence of death or the grave.

Semantic Range

silence, stillness, deathly hush, the grave, realm of the dead (Sheol), land or state of utter desolation

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root דמה (damah), meaning 'to be silent, to perish, to resemble,' with the nominal form דֻּמָּה (dummâh) taking on the sense of 'silence' and by extension, 'place of silence' or 'desolation.' The formation is typical of feminine nouns from verbal roots.

Historical & Contextual Notes

While Strong's glosses 'desolation' and 'destroy' reflect a possible extension of the term, the primary sense is that of silence or stillness. In poetic and wisdom literature, דֻּמָּה is used to evoke the silence of death, the grave, or Sheol (e.g., Psalm 94:17, 'my soul had soon dwelt in silence'; Isaiah 38:18). Later Jewish literatures use Dumah as a name for an angel associated with the realm of the dead, reflecting the continued association of the word with silence and the afterlife. English translations often render the term as 'silence,' 'grave,' or in some cases 'desolation,' but the nuance of 'the place of utter stillness or cessation' is sometimes lost in translation. The term is related but more concrete than the general verb דָמָה ('to be silent'), as it can refer to a specific condition or locale.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from דָּמָה; desolation; concretely, desolate; destroy.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1745 דּוּמָה silence
H1747 דּוּמִיָּה stillness
H1819 דָּמָה I will liken
H1820 דָּמָה I have fallen silent
H1821 דְּמָה one who resembles

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1822-01 כְּ/דֻמָ֖ה kedumah HR/Ncfsa like one destroyed like silence 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1822-01 Ezekiel 27:32 כְּ/דֻמָ֖ה kedumah HR/Ncfsa like one destroyed like silence
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