Hebrew word · H1695

דָּבֵק

davek

cleaving

'Clinging, adhering, joined to.' The verb dābaq is used physically of a tongue sticking to the palate (Ps 137:6), scales sticking together (Job 41:17) and a belt clinging to the waist (Jer 13:11).

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

clinging, adhering to

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 18:24

Range of meaning

'Clinging, adhering, joined to.' The verb dābaq is used physically of a tongue sticking to the palate (Ps 137:6), scales sticking together (Job 41:17) and a belt clinging to the waist (Jer 13:11). It is used of relationships for marriage (Gen 2:24), devotion (Ruth 1:14, Ruth 'clung' to Naomi) and covenant loyalty to God (Deut 10:20; 11:22; 13:4).

Against the English

'Sticketh/sticks closer' (KJV, WEB) is literal and good. BSB's 'stays closer' is clear but loses the picture of adhering. 'Adhering' (YLT) is the most literal.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint often uses kollaō ('glue, join') for dābaq. The word is a favourite in Deuteronomy for loyalty to the covenant. It is also used of soldiers 'clinging' close in pursuit (Judg 20:45; 1 Sam 14:22), that is, keeping close contact under pressure.

From the study of Deuteronomy 4:4

Range of meaning

The root dāvaq means to stick, adhere or cling, and is used literally and figuratively. Literally: a tongue sticking to the roof of the mouth (Ps 137:6), scales sticking together (Job 41:17), a hand cleaving to a sword (2 Sam 23:10). In relationships: a man clinging to his wife (Gen 2:24), Ruth clinging to Naomi (Ruth 1:14), the men of Judah sticking with their king (2 Sam 20:2). In covenant settings it means steady loyalty to YHWH (Deut 10:20; 11:22; 13:4 [Heb 13:5]; 30:20; Josh 22:5; 23:8). The form here (dāvēq) is an adjective made from the verb. It describes a lasting condition: 'attached, clinging'.

Against the English

KJV 'cleave' is accurate but archaic, and to many modern ears 'cleave' suggests splitting (as in a meat cleaver). 'Held fast' (BSB, ESV, NASB, NIV) keeps the picture of gripping. 'Were faithful' (WEB, NLT) gets the moral meaning but loses the physical image of sticking to someone. Every past-tense rendering turns a state ('the clinging ones') into a single event.

How it drifted

No real drift within the Bible. Later Jewish mysticism built the noun devequt ('cleaving') on this root and used it for contemplative union with God. Some Christian devotional writing likewise reads 'cleave to God' as an inward experience of closeness. In Deuteronomy the word is about loyalty shown in what you worship and whom you follow.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deuteronomy uses dāvaq alongside its other loyalty words: loving YHWH, fearing him, serving him, walking after him and keeping his commands (Deut 10:20; 11:22; 13:4). Weinfeld and others place this vocabulary in the same world as ancient Near Eastern loyalty oaths, where a vassal had to be wholly devoted to his overlord and to no rival. The Septuagint usually renders the root with kollaō ('glue, join'); here it appears to use proskeimai ('be attached, devoted to').

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 4:4 הַדְּבֵקִ֔ים who were clinging

    But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you.

    Here: An adjective with 'the' attached, so literally 'the clinging ones'. It describes the hearers by their state, not by one past act. They are the people who stayed stuck to YHWH when others attached themselves to Baal of Peor. The word pictures loyal attachment that does not let go.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 3:12 דְּבֵקָ֕ה [was] clinging

    The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 18:24 דָּבֵ֥ק cleaving

    A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

    Here: 'Clinging, glued on.' It is the root of Genesis 2:24 (a man 'clings' to his wife), Ruth 1:14 (Ruth 'clung' to Naomi) and Deuteronomy's call to 'cling' to the LORD. It is the language of bonds that hold under strain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.