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דּוֹדָה

𐤃𐤅𐤃𐤄

dôwdâh

H1733 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דוד to love, to be beloved, to be an uncle

Definition

A woman related to one's parent, either as the sister of one's father or as the wife of one's paternal uncle. The primary reference is to a female member of the extended family, specifically a paternal aunt either by blood or by marriage.

Semantic Range

paternal aunt (father's sister); uncle's wife; female relative of father's generation; aunt (generic)

Root / Etymology

From the root דוד (d-w-d), which in its noun forms denotes 'beloved' or 'uncle,' particularly a paternal uncle. דּוֹדָה is the feminine form, formed by adding the feminine ending -ה, signifying 'aunt' (female equivalent of דּוֹד).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical Hebrew family terminology, דּוֹדָה most often refers to a paternal aunt, whether by blood (father's sister) or by marriage (uncle's wife), given the patrilineal focus of ancient Israelite kinship structures. While later Jewish tradition distinguishes more precisely between a 'blood aunt' and an 'aunt by marriage,' the biblical usage is less rigid and allows both senses. The term appears rarely, and its referent is always context-dependent. English translations as 'aunt' or 'father's sister' may obscure the fact that it can also designate an uncle's wife, owing to the broad application of family terms in Hebrew. In post-biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew, related distinctions are articulated more explicitly, but biblical usage is broader. The term should not be confused with more general feminine kin terms or with דּוֹד ('beloved' in Song of Songs), though both are derived from the same root. The translation 'uncle's wife' is contextually attested, especially in genealogical or legal passages (e.g. Lev 18:14, 20:20), where clarity regarding the relationship is important for legal or social prohibitions. In later periods, Rabbinic tradition continued to apply the term to both a father's sister and an uncle's wife, sometimes specifying for further clarity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of דּוֹד; an aunt; aunt, father's sister, uncle's wife.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דוד (d-w-d) — to love, to be beloved, to be an uncle

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1717 דַּד your two breasts
H1721 דֹּדָנִים Dodanites
H1730 דּוֹד father's-brother of
H1731 דּוּד large cooking pots
H1732 דָּוִד in David

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1733-02 דֹּֽדָת/וֹ֙ dodato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his aunt his paternal aunt 2
H1733-01 דֹּדָֽתְ/ךָ֖ dodatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your aunt your paternal aunt 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1733-02 Exodus 6:20 דֹּֽדָת/וֹ֙ dodato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his father's sister his paternal aunt
H1733-01 Leviticus 18:14 דֹּדָֽתְ/ךָ֖ dodatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your aunt your paternal aunt
H1733-02 Leviticus 20:20 דֹּ֣דָת֔/וֹ dodato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his aunt his paternal aunt
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