דָּרוֹם (da.rom)
da.rom
south
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun darom designates the direction of the south, serving as a basic geographical marker in the Hebrew Bible. While it appears frequently in later texts and poetic books like Job and Ecclesiastes, its usage is relatively sparse in the broader canon, occurring only four times according to standard concordances.
Its meaning remains straightforward, referring to the land or direction south of Israel. In Deuteronomy 1:7, for instance, it helps define the boundaries of the Promised Land, pointing toward the Negev region. The word carries no hidden theological metaphor in these contexts; it simply anchors the reader in a physical landscape.
Because darom is common in poetic and late writings, it often appears alongside other directional terms to paint a complete picture of the world. It helps establish the vastness of creation or the extent of divine knowledge, as seen when Job reflects on God’s presence reaching every corner of the earth. The term grounds abstract ideas of scope in tangible geography.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word darom simply means south. In the Hebrew Bible it marks a real direction and a real region. Deuteronomy 33:23 uses it to describe the land given to Naphtali. This helps us see how God cares about places, not just people.
Job and Ecclesiastes also use darom to show how wide the world is. When Job speaks of the south wind, he points to nature’s power. When Ecclesiastes describes the wind’s path, it shows creation’s steady rhythm. These verses remind us that God’s reach covers every corner of the earth.
For your faith, this word offers comfort. It tells you that no place is outside God’s view. Whether you are in the north or the south, you are known. This simple direction points to a vast and faithful Creator who holds all things together.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- from/ [the] south1×
- at the/ south1×
- and/ [the] south1×
- [the] south1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מִ/דָּרֽוֹם\׃1×
- וְ/דָר֖וֹם1×
- דָּר֔וֹם1×
- בַּ/דָּר֖וֹם1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 33:23
About Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, full of Yahweh’s blessing, Possess the west and the south.”
This verse uses darom to define the specific territorial blessing for Naphtali, anchoring God's promise in a physical landscape.
-
Job 37:17
You whose clothing is warm when the earth is still by reason of the south wind?
Here darom describes the south wind that brings warmth, highlighting God's control over natural forces when the earth is still.
-
Ecclesiastes 1:6
The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.
The text mentions the wind going toward the south to illustrate the constant and predictable cycles of nature under God’s order.