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דָּמַם

𐤃𐤌𐤌

dâmam

H1826 verb

SILEX Entry

Root דום to be still, to be silent, to cease

Definition

To become or remain silent; to cease speaking or making noise, often indicating a state of stillness, inactivity, or awe. The verb can also express the idea of coming to a halt, resting from activity, or experiencing stunned quiet due to amazement or terror. In extended contexts, it may connote 'to perish' or 'cease to exist,' particularly poetically or in parallel constructions with verbs denoting destruction or defeat.

Semantic Range

to be silent, to become still, to cease (activity), to rest, to perish (poetic), to be stunned or awestruck, to stop, to endure in silence, to wait in stillness

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root דָּמַם meaning 'to be silent, to be still.' The core root involves the absence of sound or motion. Related to but distinct from the roots דָּהַם (to destroy, be dumb) and דָּמָה (to be like, resemble/desolate), but its core is the notion of silence or cessation. The root is widely attested in West Semitic languages with similar meanings of silence or cessation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

דָּמַם is most frequently used in poetic or elevated prose texts, such as Psalms and prophetic books, to describe literal silence or stillness before God, in the face of disaster, or in moments of awe, expectation, or resignation. In military or national contexts, it can refer to the cessation of movement or activity following defeat (e.g., armies falling silent after destruction). In some rare poetic uses (e.g., Job, Psalms), it parallels verbs of perishing or ceasing to exist, indicating not only silence but the end of life or activity itself. In Second Temple and later literature, the nuance of passive endurance or resigned waiting becomes more pronounced. The term should be distinguished from חָשָׁה ('to be quiet, inactive') and נֶאֱלַם ('to be dumb, speechless'), which can have overlapping but distinct semantic fields.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare דָּהַם, דָּמָה); to be dumb; by implication, to be astonished, to stop; also to perish; cease, be cut down (off), forbear, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep (put to) silence, be (stand) still, tarry, wait.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דמם (d-m-m) — silence, stillness, cessation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1746 דּוּמָה Dumah
H1827 דְּמָמָה stillness
H1917 הַדָּם crushed fragments

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1826-02 דּ֔וֹם dom HVqv2ms Be still Be still 3
H1826-18 יִדָּ֑מּוּ yidamu HVNi3mp will be silenced they will become silent 3
H1826-19 יִדְּמ֣וּ yidemu HVqi3mp are silent they will be silent 3
H1826-11 וַ/יִּדֹּ֖ם vayidom HC/Vqw3ms and stood still and he fell silent 2
H1826-04 דֹּ֕מּוּ domu HVqv2mp Be silent Be silent 2
H1826-01 דָֽמּוּ damu HVqp3cp they ceased they became silent 2
H1826-20 יִדֹּ֑ם yidom HVqi3ms be-silent he will be still 2
H1826-06 תִּדַּ֖מּוּ tidamu HVNj2mp be cut off may you be silenced 1
H1826-08 תִּדֹּ֔מִּי tidomi HVqi2fs you will be silenced you will be still 1
H1826-09 וָ/דֹֽמִּי vadomi HC/Vqv2fs and-be-still and be still 1

Occurrences in Scripture

30 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1826-19 Exodus 15:16 יִדְּמ֣וּ yidemu HVqi3mp they shall be still they will be silent
H1826-11 Leviticus 10:3 וַ/יִּדֹּ֖ם vayidom HC/Vqw3ms and was silent and he fell silent
H1826-02 Joshua 10:12 דּ֔וֹם dom HVqv2ms stand-still Be still
H1826-11 Joshua 10:13 וַ/יִּדֹּ֨ם vayidom HC/Vqw3ms and stood still and he fell silent
H1826-18 1 Samuel 2:9 יִדָּ֑מּוּ yidamu HVNi3mp they shall be silenced they will become silent
H1826-04 1 Samuel 14:9 דֹּ֕מּוּ domu HVqv2mp wait Be silent
H1826-04 Isaiah 23:2 דֹּ֖מּוּ domu HVqv2mp Be silent Be silent
H1826-15 Jeremiah 8:14 וְ/נִדְּמָה venidemah HC/Vqh1cp and let us perish and let us fall silent
H1826-05 Jeremiah 8:14 הֲדִמָּ֨/נוּ֙ hadimanu HVhp3ms/Sp1cp has doomed us he has silenced us
H1826-14 Jeremiah 25:37 וְ/נָדַ֖מּוּ venadamu HC/VNq3cp and they are made silent and they became silent
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