Hebrew word · H1852

דֹּק

khadok

curtain

Occurs only here. It comes from the root dqq, 'to crush, be thin, fine' (compare daq, 'thin, fine', used of dust and of manna). The likely sense is a thin, fine cloth such as gauze or a veil.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

veil, curtain

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 40:22

Range of meaning

Occurs only here. It comes from the root dqq, 'to crush, be thin, fine' (compare daq, 'thin, fine', used of dust and of manna). The likely sense is a thin, fine cloth such as gauze or a veil.

Against the English

'Curtain' (KJV, BSB, WEB and most others) gives a picture of fabric but loses the idea of thinness. YLT's 'as a thin thing' is closer to the root. The ancient versions went a different way (see textual notes).

Used elsewhere in the period

Not found elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew. In later Hebrew dōq means a fine membrane or thin covering. Compare Ps 104:2, 'stretching out the heavens like a tent-cloth (yerîʿāh)'.

Where it appears

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 40:22 כַדֹּק֙ like <the> curtain

    He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

    Here: This word occurs only here in the Bible. It comes from a root meaning 'thin, fine, crushed small', so it is probably a fine, thin fabric. The vast sky costs God no more effort than shaking out a light veil.

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