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דָּכָא

𐤃𐤊𐤀

dâkâʼ

H1792 verb

SILEX Entry

Root דכא to crush, break, oppress, humble

Definition

To crush, shatter, or break something by pressure; to be deeply afflicted, oppressed, or humbled, whether physically or emotionally. In extended usage, to bring low, to oppress or afflict (especially persons). The semantic range extends from physical destruction to profound emotional or socio-political humiliation.

Semantic Range

to crush, smash, shatter, break in pieces, bruise, oppress, afflict, humble, bring low, cause to be contrite

Root / Etymology

From the root דכא, which expresses the idea of crushing or breaking by pressure. The root is distinct, but closely related to דכה ('to crush, to break down'), and may be onomatopoeic, imitating the sound or effect of crushing. The verb form generally refers to the act of crushing, whether literal (as with physical objects) or metaphorical (as with persons or spirits).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical Hebrew, דָּכָא is used both for literal crushing (e.g., Isaiah 53:10, 'crushed him with pain') and in a figurative sense for humiliation or deep affliction (e.g., Psalm 51:19, 'a broken and contrite heart'). The term appears primarily in poetic and prophetic contexts, often describing either the action of God or humans in bringing about deep distress or vulnerability. When used to describe persons, it signifies not just physical harm but an existential or psychological state of being broken. In prophetic literature (Isaiah, Psalms), it can denote not only suffering but also the state or attitude required for restoration or divine attention. Later translations, including the Septuagint and the Vulgate, often render דָּכָא using Greek or Latin terms for 'humble,' 'broken,' or 'contrite,' and the English tradition (KJV) follows this lead. However, the biblical Hebrew sense is broader, encompassing both the external action and the resultant internal state. It is distinct from other terms such as רָצַץ (crush, shatter) in its nuanced association with humility and lowliness, especially in the Psalms and Isaiah. Over time, the concept attached to דָּכָא contributed to Jewish and later Christian discussions of humility and penitence, but these theological developments postdate the primary usage in the Hebrew Bible. No evidence suggests the word held a distinctively cultic or ritual meaning in its earliest attestations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare דָּכָה); to crumble; transitively, to bruise (literally or figuratively); beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise, contrite, crush, destroy, humble, oppress, smite.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דכא (d-k-ʾ) — crush, break, oppress, humble

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1793 דַּכָּא crushed one

Word Forms

18 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1792-18 יְדֻכָּֽא yeduka HVPi3ms have been crushed he will be crushed 1
H1792-09 תְּדַכֵּ֖א tedake HVpj2ms oppress may you crush down 1
H1792-12 וְ/יִדַּכָּֽאוּ veyidakau HC/Vti3mp and they are crushed they will crush themselves down 1
H1792-14 וִֽ/ידַכֵּ֣א vidake HC/Vpi3ms and he will crush and he will crush 1
H1792-03 דִכִּ֣אתָ dikita HVpp2ms crushed you crushed 1
H1792-07 מְדֻכָּאִ֑ים medukaim HVPsmpa crushed crushed ones 1
H1792-17 יְ֝דַכְּא֗וּ/ם yedakeum HVpi3mp/Sp3mp they are crushed they will crush them 1
H1792-02 דִּכָּ֣א dika HVpp3ms has crushed he has crushed 1
H1792-10 תְּדַכְּא֣וּ tedakeu HVpi2mp crush you will crush down 1
H1792-06 מְדֻכָּ֖א meduka HVPsmsa was crushed crushed one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1792-10 Isaiah 3:15 תְּדַכְּא֣וּ tedakeu HVpi2mp crush you will crush down
H1792-07 Isaiah 19:10 מְדֻכָּאִ֑ים medukaim HVPsmpa crushed crushed ones
H1792-06 Isaiah 53:5 מְדֻכָּ֖א meduka HVPsmsa was crushed crushed one
H1792-01 Isaiah 53:10 דַּכְּא/וֹ֙ dakeo HVpc/Sp3ms to-crush-him to intensively crush him
H1792-08 Isaiah 57:15 נִדְכָּאִֽים nidekaim HVNrmpa of the crushed the crushed ones
H1792-04 Jeremiah 44:10 דֻכְּא֔וּ dukeu HVPp3cp have they been humbled they have been crushed
H1792-14 Psalms 72:4 וִֽ/ידַכֵּ֣א vidake HC/Vpi3ms and he will crush and he will crush
H1792-03 Psalms 89:11 דִכִּ֣אתָ dikita HVpp2ms crushed you crushed
H1792-16 Psalms 94:5 יְדַכְּא֑וּ yedakeu HVpi3mp they crush they crush to pieces
H1792-02 Psalms 143:3 דִּכָּ֣א dika HVpp3ms has crushed he has crushed
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