דּוּךְ

𐤃𐤅𐤊

dûwk

H1743 verb

SILEX Entry

Root דוך to crush, to pound, to grind

Definition

To crush, pound, or grind a substance—typically in a mortar—by repetitive striking or pressing. The term is used for physically breaking down materials such as spices, grains, or resins into smaller particles or powder, often as part of food or ritual preparation.

Semantic Range

to crush in a mortar, to pound or grind to small particles or powder, to prepare by crushing (especially foodstuffs or oils), to beat (in the context of preparing materials)

Root / Etymology

From the root דוך, which conveys the idea of repeated striking, crushing, or grinding. The verb form denotes the process of breaking down a material into smaller parts by force; the root itself does not take on metaphorical or extended senses beyond physical pounding or grinding.

Historical & Contextual Notes

דּוּךְ appears only a few times in the Hebrew Bible, typically in ritual, domestic, or technical contexts. For example, Exodus 27:20 refers to 'crushed' (דָּכוּךְ) olive oil for the lamp, specifying the quality or method of preparation. The word is not used for injuries to persons or animals (for which other roots, like שָׁבַר or מחץ, are used), emphasizing instead the methodical reduction or preparation of a substance. The concept is close to other verbs such as טחן ('to grind [grain]') and כתש ('to pound' or 'to crush'), but דוך is more specifically associated with the repetitive act of pounding or crushing in a mortar, and can describe both culinary and cultic/ritual processes. Translations like 'bruise' or 'beat' reflect this, but sometimes obscure the specificity of crushing to prepare materials for a particular use.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to bruise in a mortar; beat.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

דוך (d-w-k) — to crush, to pound, to grind

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4085 מְדֹכָה in the pounding-vessel

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1743-01 דָכוּ֙ dakhu HVqp3cp beat they crushed 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1743-01 Numbers 11:8 דָכוּ֙ dakhu HVqp3cp beat they crushed