Hebrew word · H1728

דַּוָּג

davagim

fisher

A fisherman by trade (related to dag/dagah, 'fish'). The word is rare; a variant form is dayyag.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

fisherman, fisher

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 Ezekiel 47:10

Range of meaning

A fisherman by trade (related to dag/dagah, 'fish'). The word is rare; a variant form is dayyag.

Against the English

'Fishers/fishermen': accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jer 16:16 (God sends 'many fishers' to catch Israel for judgment, then hunters); Isa 19:8 (Egypt's fishermen mourn as the Nile dries up). Fishing in Israel was otherwise centred on the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean coast. Tyrian traders sold fish in Jerusalem (Neh 13:16).

Where it appears

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 47:10 דַּוָּגִ֗ים fishermen

    Fishermen will stand by the shore; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.

    Here: Professional fishermen. The word is rare: elsewhere they hunt down Israel in judgment (Jer 16:16) or mourn a dried-up Nile (Isa 19:8). Here, for once, they work a full catch in peace.

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