דָּלַל
dâlal · H1809 · Hebrew · 8 occurrences
Meanings
-
to become low, to dwindle
Process by which the height of a body of water is diminished due to a drought
ExamplesIsaiah 19:6 The canals will emit a stench, The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; The reeds and rushes will rot away.
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to grow weak
Process by which something's strength and ability to function is diminished
ExamplesIsaiah 38:14 “Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; My eyes look wistfully to the heights; Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.
-
to be weak, to be helpless
Process by which an individual or group of people is reduced to a state of insignificance and becomes powerless to help oneself due to difficult circumstances such as poverty, sickness, and warfare
ExamplesJudges 6:6 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.
Psalm 79:8 Do not hold us responsible for the guilty deeds of our forefathers; Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we have become very low.
Psalm 116:6 The LORD watches over the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
-
to diminish, to dwindle
Process by which a prominent condition loses its prominence and becomes like its opposite
ExamplesIsaiah 17:4 Now on that day the glory of Jacob will fade, And the fatness of his flesh will become lean.
-
to hang, to dangle
State in which something is suspended to an object in a way that it can swing freely
ExamplesJob 28:4 “He sinks a shaft away from inhabited areas, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing, away from people.
How it’s used In 3 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
8 occurrences in 7 groups
- Not stated: I 2
- יְאֹרriver Nile 1
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 1
- כָּבוֹדglory, honor 1
- עַיִןeye, sight 1
- Not stated: we 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- מִןfrom+ אֱנוֹשׁhuman being 1
- מִןfrom+ פָּנִיםface, presence, before 1
- לto/for+ מָרוֹםheight, on high 1
With adverbsAdverbs
3 occurrences in 1 groups
- מְאֹדvery 3
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 4 words
- מָעַט mâʻaṭ · H4591 · to become few, to decrease, to make few
- Both involve reduction or diminishment—דָּלַל (dâlal, H1809) "to bring low, be emptied, fail, be made thin," מָעַט (mâʻaṭ, H4591) "to decrease, diminish, make few"—overlapping in the sense of weakening or lessening.
- שָׁפֵל shâphêl · H8213 · to become low, to be low
- Both occupy overlapping space around being or bringing low in status, height, or condition—דָּלַל (dâlal, H1809) "to bring low, be impoverished, be made thin," שָׁפֵל (shâphêl, H8213) "to abase, bring down, humble, be low"—describing the same general lowering or low state.
- רָפָה râphâh · H7503 · to grow weak, to be discouraged
- Both describe being weakened, diminished, or brought low—דָּלַל (dâlal, H1809) "to bring low, be impoverished, be made thin," רָפָה (râphâh, H7503) "to be faint, feeble, or slack"—overlapping states of physical or metaphorical diminishment.
- נָפַל nâphal · H5307 · to fall, to sink, to let fall
- דָּלַל (dâlal, H1809) emphasizes failure through depletion, diminishment, or impoverishment (8×); נָפַל (nâphal, H5307) emphasizes failure as collapse or downfall, rooted in physical falling (434×).
Semantic domains 5 entries
- Low002001001040
- דָּלַל describes being brought low, a reduction in status or strength, as Israel is described as brought very low under Midianite oppression.
- Weak002001001069
- דָּלַל also carries the sense of being weakened or failing, an enfeebled condition tied to the same lowering the word describes.
- Insignificant002001002015
- דָּלַל describes a diminished, insignificant state, the reduction of a person or people to a lowly, negligible condition, as in the Psalmist's plea for relief from having become very low.
- Lax002001003012
- דָּלַל can also describe eyes or hands growing weak and slack, a loosening or laxness accompanying the word's broader sense of failing strength.
- Hang002003001008
- דָּלַל describes something hanging or dangling loosely, as Job pictures those in a mineshaft hanging and swinging away from solid ground.
Word family 2 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1809. dalal דָּלַל verb hang, be low, languish (Late Hebrew Hiph`il thin, thin out…
דָּלַל verb hang, be low, languish (Late Hebrew Hiph`il thin, thin out vines, etc.; Assyrian dalâlu, be weak, humble ZimBp 74. 97; Arabic direct, guide, , be directed, guided; put in motion, commotion; be in motion, hang, dangle; also amorous, coquettish, gesture or behaviour of women) —
Qal Perfect דֵּלֹּתִי Psa 116:6, דַּלּוֺתִי Psa 142:7; Psa 142:1plural דַּלּוֺנוּ Psa 79:8, דָּֽלֲלוּ Isa 19:6, דַּלּוּ Isa 38:14; Job 28:4 (on דַּלְיוּ Pro 26:7 compare דָּלָה); — hang, 'depend', Job 28:4 (of one descending a miner's shaft || נָעוּ); be low, of streams Isa 19:6 (|| חָֽרְבוּ); be low, brought low, metaphor of distress Psa 79:8; Psa 116:6; Psa 142:7; languish, of eyes, look languishingly (Che) Isa 38:14. —
Niph`al Imperfect יִדַּל Isa 17:4, וַיִּדַּל Jdg 6:6, — be brought low, laid low, Jdg 6:6 figurative of Israel; Isa 17:4 of glory of Jacob.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 5 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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