Hebrew word · H1915
הָדַךְ
vahadokh
to tread down
A word that appears only once (a hapax legomenon). Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'tread down, trample.' The meaning is secured by the parallel lines, the following image of burial in the dust (v. 13), and the ancient translations, which all render it as a verb of destroying or crushing.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
(Qal) to cast down, tread down
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
- Range of meaning
A word that appears only once (a hapax legomenon). Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'tread down, trample.' The meaning is secured by the parallel lines, the following image of burial in the dust (v. 13), and the ancient translations, which all render it as a verb of destroying or crushing.
- Against the English
'Tread down' (KJV, YLT, ESV, NASB), 'trample' (BSB), 'crush' (WEB, NIV) and 'walk on' (NLT) all fit the evidence. 'Crush' slightly loses the foot image, which is probably the point.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Not found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. The image matches widespread ancient Near Eastern royal art, in which Egyptian and Assyrian kings are shown standing on prostrate enemies. Biblical parallels include Ps 110:1 ('until I make your enemies your footstool'), Mal 4:3 [Heb 3:21] ('you will tread down the wicked'), and Isa 63:3.
Where it appears
Job · 1
-
Job 40:12 וַהֲדֹ֖ךְ and tread down
Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.
Here: 'And trample.' The verb occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. Its meaning comes from the parallel line, the image of verse 13 (burial in the dust) and the ancient translations. It gives the familiar ancient Near Eastern picture of a king stamping his enemies underfoot.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.