דַּבֶּשֶׁת
𐤃𐤁𐤔𐤕
dabbesheth
H1707 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A rounded, elevated mass; specifically, the hump of a camel—i.e., the prominent fatty deposit on a camel's back. The word denotes an anatomical feature unique to camels and, by extension, a bulbous or protuberant mass with notable stickiness or fat content. In all attested biblical contexts, it refers solely to the camel's hump, central to distinguishing clean versus unclean animals in dietary law.
Semantic Range
hump (of a camel), protuberant mass, rounded fatty deposit
Root / Etymology
From the root דבש (dalet-bet-shin), meaning 'honey' or 'sweetness,' referring to a sticky or viscous substance. While דַּבֶּשֶׁת is morphologically formed as an intensive or abstract noun, its specific lexical meaning shifts from the root sense of 'sticky substance' or 'sweet mass' to 'hump' by analogy to the fatty, rounded, protruding mass on the camel's back. The connection may be conceptual—linking physical texture (fattiness, softness, stickiness) to both honey and camel hump.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The word appears only in Leviticus 11:4 (and its parallel in Deuteronomy 14:7 within a different form), within the context of dietary regulations that distinguish between animals fit and unfit for Israelite consumption. Here, 'hump' is a technical anatomical term used to define the camel's physical characteristics (chewing the cud but not splitting the hoof) in the priestly dietary code. Some later translations have rendered the term generically as 'hump,' potentially obscuring the linkage to the root association with 'sticky' or 'sweet' masses. Unlike other Hebrew terms for animal body parts, דַּבֶּשֶׁת does not occur widely—or at all—outside ritual or zoological lists, and never acquires a figurative meaning. The specificity of the term confines its application to zoological classification, without broader metaphorical or narrative deployment. English translations generally capture its sense, but they do not reflect the root association with substantive mass or texture. The word is not used for other protuberances or for honey itself, which other words denote.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
intensive from the same as דְּבַשׁ; a sticky mass, i.e. the hump of acamel; hunch (of a camel).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דבש (d-b-sh) — stickiness, flowing sweetness, honey-like substance
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1707-01 |
דַּבֶּ֤שֶׁת | dabeshet | HNcfsc |
humps | rounded fatty hump-of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1707-01 |
Isaiah 30:6 | דַּבֶּ֤שֶׁת | dabeshet | HNcfsc |
humps | rounded fatty hump-of |