דָּוָה
𐤃𐤅𐤄
dâvâh
H1738 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be unwell or sick, often indicating a state of physical ailment, weakness, or malaise. In specific contexts, such as Levitical purity laws, the term can denote being ritually unclean due to menstruation or other bodily discharges, but its core usage refers to a state of general illness or weakness.
Semantic Range
to be sick, to be physically weak, to be in a state of ailment, to be affected by menstruation, to suffer physical debility, to be ritually unclean due to bodily discharge
Root / Etymology
The verb derives from the root דוה, which means 'to be sick, weak, feeble.' The root is primarily associated with physical illness or affliction, and by extension, applies to weakness or incapacity resulting from various causes, including, but not limited to, menstruation or discharge. There is no evidence to suggest a different or derived root for this form.
Historical & Contextual Notes
דָּוָה appears mainly in texts related to ritual purity and impurity, notably in Leviticus and Lamentations. While some contexts specify feminine impurity due to menstruation (Leviticus 15), the root is not limited to this meaning and can also indicate general sickness or weakness. For example, in Lamentations 1:13 and 5:17, it describes a condition of physical and/or communal frailty. Over time, later Jewish tradition associated דָּוָה more specifically with female impurity, but this is a narrowing of its broader biblical usage. English translations sometimes restrict the word's sense to female menstruation or 'uncleanness,' but in the Hebrew Bible, the scope is not inherently limited to this context. Related terms such as חוֹלֶה (ḥoleh, 'sick') denote sickness more generally without reference to ritual impurity. The term thus sits at the intersection of physical ailment and ritual status, depending on the context.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to be sick (as if in menstruation); infirmity.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דוה (d-w-h) — sickness, weakness, feebleness
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1739 | דָּוֶה | sickened woman |
| H1741 | דְּוַי | sickness |
| H1742 | דַּוָּי | disease-stricken |
| H4064 | מַדְוֶה | sickness of |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1738-01 |
דְּוֺתָ֖/הּ | deotah | HVqc/Sp3fs |
period | her being sick | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1738-01 |
Leviticus 12:2 | דְּוֺתָ֖/הּ | deotah | HVqc/Sp3fs |
period | her being sick |