What does דָּמָה (dāmāh) mean in the Bible?
דָּמָה (dāmāh): Silence moves from passive muteness to active cessation—a word tracking decay from quiet to complete destruction.
Hebrew · H1820
דָּמָה
To be dumb or silent ; hence, to fail or perish ; trans . to destroy
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דָּמָהH1820
Pronunciationdāmāh
What does דָּמָה (dāmāh) mean in the Bible?
דָּמָה (dāmāh): Silence moves from passive muteness to active cessation—a word tracking decay from quiet to complete destruction.
Full entry for דָּמָה (H1820) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1820?
The BSB source-word alignment has 15 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (2), destroyed (2), that perish (2), will be silenced (2), are destroyed (1).
Where does דָּמָה (dāmāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Psalms 49:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Hosea (5), Isaiah (3), Jeremiah (2), Psalms (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It. . .2×Lamentations 3:49, Hosea 10:15
destroyed2×Isaiah 15:1
that perish2×Psalms 49:12, Psalms 49:20
will be silenced2×Jeremiah 47:5, Zephaniah 1:11
are destroyed1×Hosea 4:6
cease1×Jeremiah 14:17
I am ruined1×Isaiah 6:5
so I will destroy1×Hosea 4:5
will be carried off1×Hosea 10:7
will be utterly cut off1×Hosea 10:15
you will be ruined1×Obadiah 1:5
Show sample aligned rows
Psalms 49:12נִדְמֽוּ׃tothat perishVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common pluralPsalms 49:20נִדְמֽוּ׃tothat perishVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common pluralIsaiah 6:5נִדְמֵ֗יתִיtoI am ruinedVerb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singularIsaiah 15:1נִדְמָ֔הtodestroyedVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singularIsaiah 15:1נִדְמָֽה׃todestroyedVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singularJeremiah 14:17תִּדְמֶ֑ינָהtoceaseVerb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine pluralJeremiah 47:5נִדְמְתָ֥הtowill be silencedVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singularLamentations 3:49תִדְמֶ֖הto. . .Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singularHosea 4:5וְדָמִ֖יתִיtoso I will destroyConjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singularHosea 4:6נִדְמ֥וּtoare destroyedVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowPsalms 49:12
Aligned rows15
Books represented7
Psalms2Isaiah3Jeremiah2Lamentations1Hosea5Obadiah1Zephaniah1
Source forms
נִדְמֽוּ׃2xniḏ·mūPsalms 49:12, Psalms 49:20
וְדָמִ֖יתִי1xwə·ḏā·mî·ṯîHosea 4:5
נִדְמֶ֥ה1xniḏ·mehHosea 10:7
נִדְמָ֔ה1xniḏ·māhIsaiah 15:1
נִדְמָ֖ה1xniḏ·māhHosea 10:15
נִדְמָה֙1xniḏ·māhZephaniah 1:11
נִדְמֹ֥ה1xniḏ·mōhHosea 10:15
נִדְמָֽה׃1xniḏ·māhIsaiah 15:1
Parsing patterns
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular4xIsaiah 15:1, Hosea 10:15, Zephaniah 1:11
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural3xPsalms 49:12, Psalms 49:20, Hosea 4:6
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular1xHosea 4:5
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute1xHosea 10:15
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular1xHosea 10:7
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular1xIsaiah 6:5
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - second person masculine singular1xObadiah 1:5
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular1xJeremiah 47:5
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Silence moves from passive muteness to active cessation—a word tracking decay from quiet to complete destruction.
Source Gloss
to be dumb or silent ; hence, to fail or perish ; trans . to destroy
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Silence moves from passive muteness to active cessation—a word tracking decay from quiet to complete destruction.
to be dumb or silent; hence, to fail or perish; trans. to destroy BDB: cease Usage: cease, be cut down (off), destroy, be brought to silence, be undone, × utterly.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups2Aligned forms15
Niphalpassive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action12×
PerfectHos 10:15 · Isa 15:1 · Zeph 1:11 · Hos 4:6 · Ps 49:13 · Ps 49:21 · Isa 6:5 · Jer 47:5 · Obad 1:510×
Participle passiveHos 10:71×
Infinitive absoluteHos 10:151×
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense3×
PerfectJer 6:21×
JussiveJer 14:171×
ImperfectLam 3:491×
Word Origins
דָּמָה is a primitive root - no further derivation.