דֹּק (doq)
doq
curtain
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun doq refers to a veil or curtain, specifically one that is notably thin. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Isaiah 40:22, where it describes the canopy over the earth.
In this context, the word paints an image of the sky as a delicate, translucent fabric stretched out above humanity. This usage emphasizes the vastness and fragility of the heavens rather than a heavy barrier. Translators often render it "curtain" or "canopy," capturing the sense of something spread out like a tent cloth.
The rarity of this term makes its single occurrence in Isaiah particularly significant. By using a word for a thin veil, the prophet highlights the contrast between the infinite expanse of God’s creation and the smallness of those who dwell beneath it. The imagery suggests that while the heavens are immense, they are also accessible, not a solid wall separating the divine from the human.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word doq appears only once in Scripture, yet it carries a profound image for our understanding of God’s majesty. In Isaiah 40:22, the prophet describes the heavens as a curtain stretched out above the earth. This is not a heavy, imposing wall that blocks us from the divine, but a delicate, translucent fabric. It suggests that while the sky is vast and infinite, it remains accessible to those who look up.
When we feel small beneath this canopy, we can find comfort in the same truth: God sits above it all, yet He has spread out a dwelling place for us. The fragility of the curtain reminds us that creation is both immense and intimate. We are not hidden away from God by an impenetrable barrier; instead, we live under His open sky, invited to rest in the shelter He provides.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- like <the>/ curtain1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כַ/דֹּק֙1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 40:22
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,
This sole occurrence uses doq to describe the heavens as a stretched curtain, emphasizing God's sovereignty over creation while portraying the sky as an accessible canopy rather than a barrier.