דְּמֶשֶׁק
𐤃𐤌𐤔𐤒
Demesheq
H1833 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name referring to the ancient city of Damascus; also, by extension, its region or ethnonym (inhabitant of Damascus). The term primarily identifies the city, its geopolitical sphere, or materials/products associated with it (rarely fabric and only in later tradition).
Semantic Range
Damascus (city), region surrounding Damascus, inhabitant of Damascus (in derived forms); never fabric or textile in biblical Hebrew
Root / Etymology
The form דְּמֶשֶׁק (dᵉmesheq) is a variant spelling of דַּמֶּשֶׂק (dammesek), referencing Damascus. The root is uncertain; it is likely a loanword from a pre-Hebrew (possibly Amorite or other Northwest Semitic) source. The lexical form does not derive from a productive Hebrew root, but is consistently used as a proper noun in Hebrew texts.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, דְּמֶשֶׁק or דַּמֶּשֶׂק refers to the ancient city of Damascus, a major urban center to the northeast of the Land of Israel. It appears in early texts (e.g. Genesis 14:15) in the patriarchal period and remains important into the monarchic and exilic periods as a political and economic center. The inhabitants are sometimes referred to by ethnonyms derived from the term (e.g. דַּמַּשְׂקִי). Although later Greek and Latin tradition connected Damascus with types of patterned fabric (damask), there is no evidence this specialized usage entered biblical Hebrew. English translations sometimes render the term in phrases like 'of Damascus' or as a geographical adjective. The term does not carry ethnic or religious connotations in biblical sources and should not be confused with later terms for populations of the region. The use of 'Damascus' or its derivatives remained stable as a toponym throughout all periods referenced in the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
by orthographical variation from דַּמֶּשֶׂק; damask (as a fabric of Damascus); in Damascus.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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דמשק (d-m-š-q) — toponym (city name), geographic designation
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1834 | דַּמֶּשֶׂק | in Damascus |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1833-01 |
וּ/בִ/דְמֶ֥שֶׁק | uvidemesheq | HC/R/Np |
and in Damascus | and in Damascus | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1833-01 |
Amos 3:12 | וּ/בִ/דְמֶ֥שֶׁק | uvidemesheq | HC/R/Np |
and in Damascus | and in Damascus |