דּוּךְ (dukh)
dukh
to beat
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb dukh means to crush or pound something into smaller pieces. In the Old Testament, it appears only once, in Numbers 11:8, where it describes how the manna was prepared for eating. The text notes that the people ground it in mortars and beat it in pans before cooking it over a fire.
This single usage highlights a specific physical action rather than a metaphorical one. Unlike words for crushing enemies or grinding grain generally, dukh here focuses on the manual labor of processing food. It paints a picture of daily sustenance, showing how the miraculous bread from heaven required ordinary human effort to become a meal.
Translators often render this word as "beat" or "ground," capturing the repetitive motion needed to prepare the manna. The term reminds readers that even divine provision involved practical steps. It connects the supernatural gift of food with the tangible reality of cooking, emphasizing that God’s miracles often work through everyday human activities.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word dukh describes a simple physical action: beating or pounding something into smaller pieces. In the Bible, it appears only once in Numbers 11:8. It tells us how the Israelites prepared manna. They gathered the bread from heaven and beat it in mortars before cooking it.
This detail matters because it shows God’s care for daily life. Even a miracle like manna required human effort to become food. God did not just drop ready-made meals; He invited His people to work with Him. This reminds us that our everyday tasks are part of how we receive and respond to His provision.
When you face routine chores or hard work, remember this verse. Your hands-on efforts matter to God. He meets us in the ordinary moments, blessing the labor of our hands as we prepare what He has provided.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they pounded1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- דָכוּ֙1×
Key Verses
-
Numbers 11:8
The people went around, gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it. Its taste was like the taste of fresh oil.
This is the only occurrence of dukh in the Old Testament, describing the specific action of beating manna in mortars to prepare it for cooking.