Hebrew word · H1854

דָּקַק

hadek

to crush

To be or become fine or thin. In the causative form used here (hiphil), it means to crush or grind something into fine particles or dust.

Appears 13 times in 12 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to crush, pulverise, thresh

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to crush

1a2) to be fine

1b) (Hiphil) to pulverise, make dust of

1c) (Hophal) to be crushed

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 Micah 4:13

Range of meaning

To be or become fine or thin. In the causative form used here (hiphil), it means to crush or grind something into fine particles or dust.

Against the English

'Break to pieces' (BSB) and 'beat in pieces' (KJV, WEB) suggest smashing into chunks. The Hebrew means grinding fine, the powder that threshing leaves behind. YLT's 'beaten small' is closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 32:20 (the golden calf ground until fine); Deut 9:21; 2 Kgs 23:6, 15 (Josiah grinds the Asherah pole to dust); Isa 41:15 (threshing the mountains 'fine'); 2 Sam 22:43.

From the study of 2 Chronicles 15:16

Range of meaning

'To crush, pulverize, beat fine, make thin'. Used of threshing (Isa 28:28), grinding (Exod 32:20 'until it was fine'), and reducing idols to dust (Deut 9:21; 2 Kgs 23:6, 15; 2 Chr 34:4, 7; Mic 4:13).

Against the English

BSB 'crushed', WEB 'ground it into dust', KJV 'stamped', YLT 'beateth [it] small'. All are reasonable. KJV's 'stamped' is archaic for 'trampled/pounded'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 9:21: Moses 'crushed it, grinding it well, until it was fine (daq) as dust'. 2 Kgs 23:6: Josiah brings the Asherah from the temple 'to the wadi Kidron, burned it… and crushed it to dust (wayyadeq le-ʿapar)'.

Where it appears

Exodus · 2
  1. Exodus 30:36 הָדֵק֒ finely <pulverize>

    Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

  2. Exodus 32:20 דָּ֑ק it was fine

    Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.

Deuteronomy · 1
  1. Deuteronomy 9:21 דַּ֖ק it was fine

    And I took that sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it into the stream that came down from the mountain.

2 Samuel · 1
  1. 2 Samuel 22:43 אֲדִקֵּ֖ם I pulverized them

    I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.

2 Kings · 2
  1. 2 Kings 23:6 וַיָּ֣דֶק and he crushed [it]

    He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.

  2. 2 Kings 23:15 הֵדַ֥ק he crushed [it]

    He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole.

2 Chronicles · 3
  1. 2 Chronicles 15:16 וַיָּ֕דֶק and he crushed [it]

    King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

    Here: 'And he crushed [it].' This is the Chronicler's addition. It echoes Moses grinding the golden calf to powder (Deut 9:21) and Josiah's later destruction of an Asherah (2 Kgs 23:6). The point is total destruction.

  2. 2 Chronicles 34:4 וְהֵדַ֔ק and he pulverized [them]

    Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

  3. 2 Chronicles 34:7 לְהֵדַ֔ק to pulverize

    He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Isaiah · 3
  1. Isaiah 28:28 יוּדָ֔ק יְדֻקֶּֽנּוּ׃ it is crushed, he crushes it

    Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.

  2. Isaiah 41:15 וְתָדֹ֔ק so you may crush [them]

    Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.

    Here: "And you will grind them fine." This is the next stage of threshing: reducing the material to small particles. The same root gives daq, "fine dust" (40:15, the nations are "like fine dust").

Micah · 1
  1. Micah 4:13 וַהֲדִקּ֖וֹת and you will crush

    Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

    Here: 'And you will crush fine'. The verb means grinding something to powder, the way threshing turns stalks to chaff. It is the result of the threshing.

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