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דָּכָה

𐤃𐤊𐤄

dâkâh

H1794 verb

SILEX Entry

Root דכה to crush, to press down, to oppress, to break

Definition

To crush, break, oppress, or cause to collapse—whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. The verb conveys the action of forcing or pressing someone or something down so as to weaken, injure, or humble it. In certain contexts, specifically refers to the humbling or oppression of persons, often by external forces, but also used metaphoric­ally for a person's inner spirit brought low or broken by suffering or repentance.

Semantic Range

to crush physically, to break (a person, object, or spirit), to oppress, to humble, to bring low, to cause to collapse, to contrite (inwardly humbled or broken), to afflict, to bruise

Root / Etymology

Root: דכה. The root דכה has the core sense of 'to crush, press down, or oppress' by force or weight. It is related to and likely derived from similar roots such as דך (dakh) and דכא (daka), which also denote crushing or bruising, with subtle distinctions in usage and nuance. The form דָּכָה (dâkâh) is a verb suggesting the action of inflicting such force, whether literal or figurative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, דָּכָה is used both for actual physical crushing (as in the breaking of a person or object) and, more prominently, as a metaphor for emotional or spiritual distress. For example, the verb appears in Psalms to describe a 'contrite heart'—one humbled or brought low in spirit. In prophetic literature, דָּכָה can describe the plight of the oppressed or afflicted, often in the context of social justice or divine judgment. While English translations often use 'break,' 'crush,' or 'contrite,' these renderings may not always capture the full nuance of forced humiliation or oppression. The overlap with דכא (H1792) and דך (H1790) can lead to translation challenges, as all three roots convey similar, but contextually distinct, senses of being crushed or brought low. The intensive and causative stems can highlight either the experience of being crushed (passively) or the act of crushing (actively). In post-exilic and later Hebrew, derivatives of this root often come to be associated more with spiritual humility and repentance than with literal physical violence.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare דַּךְ, דָּכָא); to collapse (phys. or mentally); break (sore), contrite, crouch.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דכה (d-k-h) — to crush, to press down, to oppress, to break

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1790 דַּךְ his crushed ones
H1795 דַּכָּה crushed one
H1796 דֳּכִי their crushing breaker

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1794-02 דִ֭כִּיתָ/נוּ dikitanu HVpp2ms/Sp1cp you have crushed us you crushed us down 1
H1794-04 וְ/נִדְכֶּ֑ה venidekeh HC/VNrmsa and-contrite and crushed one 1
H1794-03 ו/דכה vdkhh HC/Vqq3ms and-is-crushed and he crushed 1
H1794-01 דִּכִּֽיתָ dikita HVpp2ms you have broken you crushed down 1
H1794-06 יִדְכֶּ֥ה yidekeh HVqi3ms he-crushed he will crush 1
H1794-05 וְ/נִדְכֵּ֣יתִי venidekeyti HC/VNp1cs and utterly crushed I was crushed 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1794-03 Psalms 10:10 ו/דכה vdkhh HC/Vqq3ms and-is-crushed and he crushed
H1794-06 Psalms 10:10 יִדְכֶּ֥ה yidekeh HVqi3ms he-crushed he will crush
H1794-05 Psalms 38:9 וְ/נִדְכֵּ֣יתִי venidekeyti HC/VNp1cs and utterly crushed I was crushed
H1794-02 Psalms 44:20 דִ֭כִּיתָ/נוּ dikitanu HVpp2ms/Sp1cp you have crushed us you crushed us down
H1794-01 Psalms 51:10 דִּכִּֽיתָ dikita HVpp2ms you have broken you crushed down
H1794-04 Psalms 51:19 וְ/נִדְכֶּ֑ה venidekeh HC/VNrmsa and-contrite and crushed one
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