Hebrew word · H1824

דֳּמִי

domi-

quiet

Its few clear uses mean quiet, rest, a pause: "give him no rest" (Isaiah 62:6–7) and "do not keep silent" (Psalm 83:1). It is related to roots meaning "to be still or silent" (dmm) and, possibly, "to cease or be cut off" (dmh II). In Isaiah 38:10 the lexicons divide.

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

What it means

cessation, quiet, rest, silence, pause, peacefulness

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 Isaiah 38:10

Range of meaning

Its few clear uses mean quiet, rest, a pause: "give him no rest" (Isaiah 62:6–7) and "do not keep silent" (Psalm 83:1). It is related to roots meaning "to be still or silent" (dmm) and, possibly, "to cease or be cut off" (dmh II). In Isaiah 38:10 the lexicons divide. BDB takes it as "in the quiet of my days," meaning life's calm midpoint, like the stillness of noon. HALOT and others allow a sense "half, middle," partly because of the ancient translations and the parallel in Psalm 102:24, "in the midst (ḥăṣî, literally 'half') of my days."

Against the English

KJV and YLT have "in the cutting off of my days", from the root meaning "cease." WEB, NASB and ESV have "in the middle" of my days or life. BSB, NIV and NLT have "in the prime of my life." The first stresses that life was cut short. The others stress that he was struck down halfway through.

How it drifted

This is less drift than real uncertainty about a rare word. The English renderings each choose one possible reading.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Septuagint has "in the height (hypsos) of my days." The Latin Vulgate has "in the half (dimidium) of my days." Psalm 102:24 and Psalm 55:23 ("shall not live out half their days") show that dying halfway through life was a fixed image of disaster.

From the study of Isaiah 62:6

Range of meaning

A rare noun meaning stillness, silence, cessation, or quiet. It comes from a root meaning to be still or fall silent (damam/damah). Isaiah 38:10 uses it for the 'stillness' or midpoint of one's days.

Against the English

BSB, NIV and WEB have 'take no rest', and ESV likewise has 'take no rest'. KJV has 'keep not silence', closer to the Hebrew. 'Rest' can suggest sleep or a day off, but the word means falling silent or stopping.

How it drifted

'Rest' fits verse 7 smoothly in English ('give him no rest'), but it moves the meaning from sound to physical repose.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 83:2 (83:1 in English) has the closest parallel: 'O God, let there be no domi for you (al domi lakh); do not hold your peace, do not be still.' This is the same exclamation with the same preposition. Lamentations 2:18 is similar: 'give yourself no relief; let your eyes not be still.'

From the study of Isaiah 62:7

Range of meaning

From the root d-m-m, 'to be silent, still, motionless.' The noun means silence, stillness, a pause or rest from activity. Its sense is closer to 'quiet, inactivity' than to 'rest after tiring work.'

Against the English

BSB, KJV, NIV, ESV and NASB all have 'rest.' YLT keeps 'silence.' 'Rest' is a fair idiomatic rendering, but it loses the sound picture. Verse 6 says the watchmen 'will never be silent' and must have 'no silence (domi)'. Verse 7 then turns the same word on God.

How it drifted

English 'rest' suggests sleep or recovering from tiredness, so 'give him no rest' can sound as if God needs to be kept awake. The Hebrew is about God's silence and inaction: his apparent holding back while Jerusalem lies ruined.

Used elsewhere in the period

A rare word: Isaiah 62:6, 62:7, Psalm 83:1 (Hebrew 83:2: 'O God, do not keep silence ['al-domi lakh], do not hold your peace or be still'), and probably Isaiah 38:10 ('in the stillness/midst of my days'). Psalm 83:1 is the closest parallel: a lament asking God to stop being silent and act against enemies. The theme of God's silence runs through Isaiah 40–66. God says 'I have long held my peace' (42:14). The people ask 'will you keep silent?' (64:12). God answers 'I will not keep silent' (65:6).

Where it appears

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 83:1 דֳּמִי־ silence

    A song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, be not silent; be not speechless; be not still, O God.

    Here: A rare noun for the stillness of something that has stopped moving or making noise. It appears elsewhere only in Isaiah 62:6–7, where watchmen are told to 'take no rest' and to 'give him no rest' until God acts for Jerusalem.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 38:10 בִּדְמִ֥י in [the] half of

    I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”

    Here: "In the stillness/rest of". The word normally means quiet or rest (Isaiah 62:6–7; Psalm 83:1). Here it most likely means the calm high point of life, like the still hour of noon, so in effect "midway through my days." Other translations take it as "cutting off" (KJV) or "half" (Vulgate). See the debates.

  2. Isaiah 62:6 דֳּמִ֖י rest

    On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves,

    Here: Stillness, falling quiet, stopping. It means silence and inaction, not physical rest or sleep. Verse 7 uses the same word: 'give him no domi.'

  3. Isaiah 62:7 דֳמִ֖י rest

    nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

    Here: A rare noun from the root 'to be silent, be still.' It is the same word as the end of verse 6 ('no silence for you'). The watchers must not fall quiet, and they must not let God stay quiet or inactive either.

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