Hebrew word · H1790

דַּךְ

dakh

crushed

An adjective from the root dkk / dwk, 'to crush, pound, beat fine'. Related forms are used for crushing grain or spices and for things beaten thin. Used of a person it means 'crushed, oppressed, ground down', someone broken by force applied from outside.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

crushed, oppressed

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 Psalm 74:21

Range of meaning

An adjective from the root dkk / dwk, 'to crush, pound, beat fine'. Related forms are used for crushing grain or spices and for things beaten thin. Used of a person it means 'crushed, oppressed, ground down', someone broken by force applied from outside.

Against the English

'Oppressed' (BSB, KJV, WEB, NIV, NASB) is accurate, but it is abstract and has become a social-science word. 'Downtrodden' (ESV, NLT) keeps more of the physical picture. 'Crushed' is closest to the root.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare in the Bible: Psalm 9:9 (Heb. 9:10), 'a stronghold for the crushed'; Psalm 10:18, 'to do justice for the orphan and the crushed'; Psalm 74:21. In all three, God is the defender of the dak against violent enemies. The related word dakkāʾ appears in Psalm 34:18 ('crushed in spirit') and Isaiah 57:15.

From the study of Psalm 9:9

Range of meaning

This adjective means 'crushed, oppressed'. It comes from the root d-k-k, 'to crush, pound fine', which is related to dākâ / dākāʾ, 'to crush'. It is rare: Psalms 9:10, 10:18 and 74:21, and Proverbs 26:28. It always names a person crushed by others, the socially and legally defenceless.

Against the English

'Oppressed' (most versions) is accurate. YLT's 'bruised' keeps the physical picture of being pounded. Modern 'oppressed' can sound abstract or political, while dak is concrete: someone being ground down.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Psalm 10:18, God is to 'do justice for the orphan and the dak' so that mortal man no longer terrifies. In Psalm 74:21, 'let not the dak turn back ashamed; let the poor and needy praise your name.' In Proverbs 26:28, 'a lying tongue hates those it crushes.' Psalm 10:10 uses the same root for the wicked man who 'crushes' his victim. Related forms appear for the 'crushed in spirit' (Psalm 34:19 Heb.; Isaiah 57:15).

From the study of Proverbs 26:28

Range of meaning

Crushed, oppressed, downtrodden. It is related to verbs meaning to crush or grind (דָּכָא, דָּכָה). It occurs only four times: Ps 9:9 (Heb. 9:10), 10:18, 74:21, and here.

Against the English

BSB/NASB "those it crushes" keep the image; ESV/NLT "its victims" and NIV/WEB "those it hurts" are clear but lose the picture of grinding someone down. KJV "afflicted by it" is close. YLT's "bruised ones" is the most literal.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Psalms the dakh is the oppressed person whom God protects ("a stronghold for the oppressed", Ps 9:9; "let not the downtrodden turn back in shame", Ps 74:21). The related verb appears in Prov 22:22: "do not crush the afflicted at the gate", that is, in court.

Where it appears

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 9:9 לַדָּ֑ךְ for the oppressed

    The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

    Here: This is 'for' plus 'the' plus an adjective meaning crushed or ground down. It describes a person crushed by stronger people. The singular stands for a whole class, like 'the downtrodden'. Psalm 10:18 uses the same word for the person God must defend in court alongside the orphan.

  2. Psalm 10:18 וָ֫דָ֥ךְ and [the] oppressed

    to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed, that the men of the earth may strike terror no more.

    Here: 'And the crushed one': someone ground down and beaten flat by stronger people. The same rare word appears in 9:9 ('a stronghold for the crushed'), so the end of the two-psalm poem calls back to an earlier promise.

  3. Psalm 74:21 דַּ֣ךְ [the] oppressed

    Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.

    Here: From a root meaning to crush or pound fine. This is the person who has been ground down by violence. The rare word also appears in Psalms 9:9 and 10:18, where God is the refuge and defender of such people.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 26:28 דַכָּ֑יו crushed [people] its

    A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

    Here: "Its crushed ones": the people the lying tongue has ground down. The adjective elsewhere describes the oppressed whom God defends (Psalm 9:9; 10:18; 74:21), so the victims are pictured as helpless.

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