דָּפַק (da.phaq)
da.phaq
to beat
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb dāpaq means to strike with force, covering actions from driving animals severely to knocking urgently on a door. In the book of Judges, it describes the physical act of beating or driving, highlighting its raw, kinetic energy. The word appears in only three verses, making each instance distinct and weighted with specific narrative context.
Its most vivid usage occurs in Song of Solomon 5:2, where a woman hears someone knocking at her door. Here, dāpaq conveys an impatient, insistent rhythm rather than a polite request. The Hithpael stem intensifies this sense, suggesting one beating themselves tired against an obstacle, emphasizing exhaustion and persistence.
Translators typically render this word as "knock" or "beat," depending on whether the object is a door or a living being. This distinction preserves the dual nature of the term: it can describe external pressure on a barrier or internal exertion against resistance. The brevity of its biblical appearance ensures that when it does occur, the action carries immediate physical presence.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we encounter the Hebrew word dāpaq, we see a picture of urgent persistence. It describes a forceful striking or knocking that demands attention. In Song of Solomon 5:2, the beloved knocks with an insistent rhythm, waking the sleeper from their rest. This image reminds us that God’s call is often gentle but persistent, seeking to draw our hearts awake even when we feel tired or distracted.
Other uses in Scripture show this same energy applied to difficult circumstances. In Judges 19:22, wicked men beat at a door with violent intent, highlighting the danger of broken community. Yet in Genesis 33:13, Jacob speaks of overdriving his flock, showing how physical pressure affects the vulnerable. These varied contexts teach us that persistence has different faces—some are destructive, while others invite relationship.
We can trust that when God knocks, it is not to harm but to restore. His voice breaks through our sleep and routine, offering connection and love. Let this truth encourage you to listen for that familiar knock in your own life, knowing it comes from a heart that desires peace with you.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- knocking1×
- beating violently1×
- and/ people will drive hard/ them1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מִֽתְדַּפְּקִ֖ים1×
- וּ/דְפָקוּ/ם֙1×
- דוֹפֵ֗ק1×
Key Verses
-
Song of Solomon 5:2
I was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks: “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, and my hair with the dampness of the night.”
This verse captures the word's most intimate use, where dāpaq describes the beloved's insistent knocking that wakes the sleeper, emphasizing relational urgency over polite request.
-
Judges 19:22
As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain wicked fellows, surrounded the house, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we can have sex with him!”
Here the verb illustrates violent intrusion as men beat at a door, showing the word's capacity to describe aggressive force used for malicious purposes.
-
Genesis 33:13
Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
Jacob uses the related concept of overdriving to explain his caution with tender livestock, grounding the word's kinetic energy in the practical care of vulnerable animals.