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הָדַךְ

𐤄𐤃𐤊

hâdak

H1915 verb

SILEX Entry

Root הדך to crush, to pulverize, to grind underfoot, to tread down

Definition

To crush or pulverize, particularly by treading, stamping, or grinding underfoot. The verb denotes the act of physically reducing something to powder or fragments, often by forceful trampling. In extended uses, it can refer to the subjugation or destruction of peoples or objects, especially in poetic or figurative contexts.

Semantic Range

to crush or pulverize by treading, to trample or grind underfoot, to subjugate or destroy through forceful trampling (figurative)

Root / Etymology

Root: הדך. The root הדך is rare and its independent status as a root is debated among scholars. It may be a variant or formed by analogy with the better-attested root דקק (to crush, pulverize), possibly by the addition of an initial he (ה), which sometimes marks an intensive or causative nuance in Hebrew verbs. There is no evidence for a consistently productive root הדך outside of this verbal form.

Historical & Contextual Notes

הָדַךְ occurs once, in poetic literature (Isaiah 21:10), in a metaphorical oracle concerning the fate of Babylon. The form likely reflects a poetic or dialectal variant of דָּקַק (to crush), as seen in similar Semitic roots meaning to break, crush, or pulverize. The term always appears in a context of forceful destruction, where agricultural imagery—such as threshing and trampling—symbolizes defeat or devastation. Modern translations often render it ‘crushed’ or ‘threshed,’ but the underlying sense is one of being forcefully trodden or ground down. There is little evidence for distinct development of usage over Israelite historiography, as the word survives only in this isolated instance. Later rabbinic Hebrew standardizes other roots (like דקק or דוש) for such meanings. English translations do not always make explicit the strong imagery of physical trampling implied in the original.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

lemma הָדךְ missing vowel, corrected to הָדַךְ; a primitive root (compare דָּקַק); to crush with the foot; tread down.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

הדך (h-d-k) — crushing, pulverizing, trampling underfoot

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1915-01 וַ/הֲדֹ֖ךְ vahadokhe HC/Vqv2ms and tread down and crush underfoot 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1915-01 Job 40:12 וַ/הֲדֹ֖ךְ vahadokhe HC/Vqv2ms and tread down and crush underfoot
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