דֹּ֫מֶן (do.men)
do.men
dung
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun dōmen refers specifically to the excrement or filth of dead bodies. Unlike general terms for waste, this word is exclusively used in the Bible to describe the rotting remains of corpses left exposed on the ground. Its presence signals total disgrace and divine judgment, marking a place as unclean and abandoned.
This term appears in only four verses, primarily in Jeremiah and II Kings, where it serves as a grim image of destruction. For instance, prophets use it to describe the fate of enemies who will not receive proper burial rites, their bodies becoming food for birds and beasts (Jeremiah 9:22). The imagery emphasizes that death without honor is the ultimate humiliation.
The word’s power lies in its stark literalness. It does not metaphorically soften the reality of defeat; it points to the physical decay that follows violent death. Translators often render it as "dung" or "filth," preserving the visceral shock intended by the original authors. This concrete detail underscores the severity of the warning against rebellion against God.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word dōmen describes the exposed remains of those who died without honor, left to decay as food for scavengers. In the ancient world, a proper burial was essential for dignity and peace. To be denied this rite meant total social erasure. The prophets used this stark image not to shock for its own sake, but to warn that turning away from God leads to a loss of identity and community.
Yet this grim picture highlights the value of grace. When humans are stripped of all status, the Creator still sees them. The Bible does not leave us in the dust. While dōmen marks the end of earthly honor, Christian hope rests on a God who raises the dead and restores what sin has broken. We find comfort knowing that our worth comes from Him, not from how the world treats us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- <into>/ dung3×
- like/ dung1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/דֹ֛מֶן3×
- כְּ/דֹ֛מֶן1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 16:4
“They will die grievous deaths. They will not be lamented, neither will they be buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground. They will be consumed by the sword and by famine. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.”
This verse links the absence of burial directly to divine judgment, showing that dōmen represents the ultimate consequence of rejecting God's protection.
-
II Kings 9:37
and the body of Jezebel will be as dung on the surface of the field on Jezreel’s land, so that they won’t say, “This is Jezebel.”’”
Here the word fulfills a specific prophecy against Jezebel, demonstrating that even powerful figures cannot escape the physical reality of disgrace when they oppose God's will.
-
Jeremiah 8:2
They will spread them before the sun, the moon, and all the army of the sky, which they have loved, which they have served, after which they have walked, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or be buried. They will be like dung on the surface of the earth.
The text contrasts the worship of celestial bodies with the fate of their worshippers, who become like dōmen, highlighting the futility of idolatry.