דָּגָה (da.gah)
da.gah
fish
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word for fish appears in Genesis when God assigns humanity stewardship over sea creatures. This connection reminds us that we are part of a created order where every living thing has its place. Our role is not to dominate carelessly, but to manage the earth with the same wisdom and care that God showed when He formed it.
Later biblical texts show how fragile this balance can be. When waters turn to blood or rivers dry up, the fish suffer first. These images highlight our dependence on clean water and healthy ecosystems. They invite us to consider how our actions impact the natural world around us.
Thinking about these creatures helps ground our faith in reality. We are called to care for the earth because it belongs to the Lord. This perspective encourages simple gratitude for the gifts of nature and a commitment to protect them for future generations.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- over/ [the] fish of2×
- fish/ their2×
- and/ the/ fish2×
- the/ fish1×
- fish1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ/הַ/דָּגָ֨ה1×
- וְ/הַ/דָּגָ֧ה1×
- הַ/דָּגָ֔ה1×
- דָּגָ֥ה1×
- דְּגָתָֽ/ם\׃1×
- דְּגָתָ/ם֙1×
- בִּ/דְגַ֤ת1×
- בִ/דְגַ֨ת1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 1:26
God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
This verse establishes fish as part of the created order over which humans are given stewardship.
-
Exodus 7:21
The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
Here the death of the fish signals the severity of the plague and God's power over nature.
-
Isaiah 50:2
Why, when I came, was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.
The stench of dying fish illustrates the complete desolation caused by the drying up of rivers.