דּוּמָה (du.mah)
du.mah
silence
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun duumah signifies a profound, often deliberate silence. It appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible, carrying a weight that goes beyond the mere absence of noise. In Psalm 28:1, the psalmist cries out to God but asks not to be treated as one of those who go down into the pit, implying a silence of death or divine abandonment. Here, duumah represents the terrifying quiet of being cut off from communication with the living God.
Its second occurrence in Psalm 115:17 offers a contrasting theological point: "The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into duumah." In this context, the word is closely linked to Sheol, the realm of the dead. The silence here is not peaceful rest but an inability to participate in the active worship and testimony that characterizes life with God. It describes a state where voice and witness are extinguished.
Translators often render duumah simply as "silence," though some older versions use "quietness" or "stillness." The term captures a heavy, final quietude rather than a gentle pause for reflection. It serves as a stark reminder in Scripture that praise is the privilege of the living, and that the silence of the grave stands in sharp contrast to the vibrant community of faith.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word duumah describes a heavy, final quietude that stands in sharp contrast to the active life of faith. It is not a peaceful pause for reflection, but rather the terrifying stillness of being cut off from God or extinguished from the community of believers. When we read about this silence in Scripture, it serves as a sobering reminder of what we lose when we are separated from the living God.
In Psalm 94:17, the psalmist cries out that unless Yahweh had been his help, his soul would have soon lived in this profound silence. This verse highlights our deep dependence on divine intervention to escape the isolation of death and despair. It is a powerful plea for God’s presence, acknowledging that without His help, we are left in a state where praise and witness are no longer possible.
This understanding invites us to cherish our current ability to call on God and join in worship. The silence of the grave is not a restful sleep but an inability to participate in the active testimony that defines life with the Lord. Let this truth encourage you to hold tightly to your faith today, recognizing that every moment of voice and community is a gift from the One who rescues us from the pit.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- silence2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- דוּמָֽה\׃1×
- דוּמָ֣ה1×
Key Verses
-
Psalms 94:17
Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.
This verse uses duumah to describe the psalmist's near-experience of divine abandonment, highlighting his desperate need for God's help to avoid the silence of death.
-
Psalms 115:17
The dead don’t praise Yah, nor any who go down into silence,
Here the word is linked to Sheol to make a theological point that the dead cannot praise Yahweh, contrasting the silence of the grave with the living community of faith.