דַּוָּג
𐤃𐤅𐤂
davvâg
H1728 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Term denoting a fisherman—specifically, an individual whose occupation or activity is catching fish. The word is used to describe someone engaged in fishing, whether professionally or for subsistence, and occasionally in figurative senses relating to catching or ensnaring. Its usage reflects the occupation found near water sources such as lakes, rivers, or seas, and denotes a practitioner rather than a general group or class. The word is rare and mainly attested as an orthographical or morphological variant.
Semantic Range
fisherman, one who catches fish, one engaged in fishing (occupation or profession); by extension, possible figurative sense of one who catches or entraps
Root / Etymology
Derived as a denominative from the noun דָּג (dag, "fish") from the root דָּג, which primarily means "to fish" or "to catch fish." The form דַּוָּג represents a morphological variant of the more common denominative דַּיָּג (dayyāg, "fisherman").
Historical & Contextual Notes
The form דַּוָּג (davvâg) appears only in Nehemiah 13:16, reflecting either regional dialect or orthographic variation from the more standard דַּיָּג. Both terms occur in post-exilic or later biblical Hebrew. The base noun דָּג means "fish," and the denominative pattern with -ָיָג or -ַוָּג denotes a person engaged in the activity, i.e. "fisherman." Use of the profession was more prominent among populations settled near major water sources, such as in the land of Canaan alongside the Mediterranean or around the Galilee. The appearance of דַּוָּג in Nehemiah corresponds to a Persian-period context, reflecting economic activities of non-Judean inhabitants in Jerusalem, as well as perhaps non-standardized spelling conventions of the late biblical period. The later English use of "Jew" for the merchants in Nehemiah 13:16 poorly captures the passage's specificity; the text refers to people from Tyre (coastal Phoenician merchants), not ethnic Judahites. The form does not occur elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible; the usual word for fisherman is דַּיָּג, attested in Isaiah 19:8 and Ezekiel 47:10. Standard English translations ("fishermen" or "fish-sellers") accurately convey the occupational sense, but do not indicate the rare morphology of the term.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
an orthographical variation of דָּג as a denominative (דַּיָּג); a fisherman; fisher.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דג (d-g) — to fish, to catch fish
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1770 | דִּיג | and they fished them |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1728-02 |
ל/דוגים | ldvgym | HR/Ncmpa |
for fishermen | to fishermen | 1 |
H1728-01 |
דַּוָּגִ֗ים | davagim | HNcmpa |
fishermen | fish-catchers | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1728-02 |
Jeremiah 16:16 | ל/דוגים | ldvgym | HR/Ncmpa |
for fishermen | to fishermen |
H1728-01 |
Ezekiel 47:10 | דַּוָּגִ֗ים | davagim | HNcmpa |
fishermen | fish-catchers |