דּוּב
𐤃𐤅𐤁
dûwb
H1727 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be faint or languish (primarily with reference to physical or emotional exhaustion); to pine away, experienc sorrow, often in the context of persistent suffering or longing. The term connotes ongoing physical weakening or mental despondency, not simply momentary sadness.
Semantic Range
to languish, to grow faint, to waste away, to be physically depleted, to pine away (emotionally), to suffer sorrow, to mope
Root / Etymology
Root: דוב. Likely a primitive root meaning 'to languish' or 'to pine'; its base sense relates to weakness or draining away of one's vitality. The connection to the core meaning is through the idea of 'fading, drooping,' whether physically or emotionally. Cognate forms in related Semitic languages are sparse, making the etymology somewhat uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
דּוּב appears sparingly in the Hebrew Bible and is attested primarily in poetic or prophetic texts (e.g., Ezekiel 21:12), and conveys the sense of gradual wasting away due to distress, fear, or longing—whether due to physical deprivation or emotional loss. The nuance often implies a more ongoing, drawn-out process than terms for momentary grief (cf. אבל 'to mourn'). Later English translations sometimes narrow the meaning to 'pine' or 'mourn,' but the Hebrew includes broader connotations of weakness, both bodily and emotional, particularly in the context of threat or disaster. There is no connection to the animal noun דּוֹב 'bear,' which is a different root entirely. The word does not continue with frequency in post-exilic or Second Temple Hebrew, and its semantic field overlaps partly with ידה (to languish, waste away) and אבל (to mourn), but emphasizes personal weakness more explicitly.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to mope, i.e. (figuratively) pine; sorrow.
Bantu Hebrew
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דוב (d-w-b) — to languish, to grow weak, to pine
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1769 | דִּיבוֹן | in Dibon |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1727-01 |
וּ/מְדִיבֹ֣ת | umedivot | HC/Vhrfpa |
and-causing-to-pine | and causing-to-languish ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1727-01 |
Leviticus 26:16 | וּ/מְדִיבֹ֣ת | umedivot | HC/Vhrfpa |
and-causing-to-pine | and causing-to-languish ones |