Lexical Summary
dodah: Aunt
Original Word:דּוֹדָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:dowdah
Pronunciation:doh-DAH
Phonetic Spelling:(do-daw')
KJV: aunt, father's sister, uncle's wife
NASB:aunt, father's sister, uncle's wife
Word Origin:[feminine ofH1730 (דּוֹד דּוֹד - beloved)]
1. an aunt
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
aunt, father's sister, uncle's wife
Feminine ofdowd; an aunt -- aunt, father's sister, uncle's wife.
see HEBREWdowd
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
dodDefinitionaunt
NASB Translationaunt (1), father's sister (1), uncle's wife (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] — only
suffixLeviticus 18:14 father's brother's wife;
Leviticus 20:20;
Exodus 6:20 father's sister [compare
Numbers 26:59].
Topical Lexicon
Kinship Terminology in Ancient Israelדּוֹדָה designates a man’s father’s sister or, in some contexts, an uncle’s wife. Ancient Hebrew family vocabulary is precise: דּוֹד (uncle), דּוֹדָה (aunt), and בֶּן־דּוֹד (cousin). Such specificity protected inheritance lines, preserved tribal identity, and clarified marital boundaries. Because extended families often lived in close proximity, Scripture codified the terminology to uphold social order.
Occurrences and Their Narrative Settings
1.Exodus 6:20 presents the only narrative use: “Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses”. This pre–Sinai union, though later forbidden, highlights how God can sovereignly work through imperfect circumstances to raise deliverers.
2.Leviticus 18:14 and 20:20 appear within the Holiness Code. The first proscribes sexual relations with one’s aunt; the second assigns the death penalty for violating that boundary. Both laws occur amid commands that distinguish Israel from Canaanite practices, underscoring covenant identity.
Moral and Theological Significance
The aunt/uncle relationship illustrates Scripture’s insistence on sexual holiness within family structures. By prohibiting relations with an aunt, God marks out first-tier kin as inviolable, guarding human dignity. The punishments in Leviticus are not arbitrary; they teach that sin fractures covenant life and invites divine judgment, while obedience preserves community and worship.
Progressive Revelation of Holiness
Exodus records pre-Law realities; Leviticus delivers normative standards. The progression shows God’s patient instruction: He first redeems (Exodus), then reshapes conduct (Leviticus). This pattern culminates in the New Covenant, where holiness is written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33) and fulfilled through Christ, “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people” (Titus 2:14).
Ministerial Insights
• Genealogies remind believers that God works through families; pastors can encourage parents and extended kin to cultivate homes conducive to God’s callings.
• Teaching onLeviticus 18–20 helps congregations see that biblical sexual ethics are rooted in creation order and covenant fidelity, not cultural preference.
• The punitive language ofLeviticus 20:20 provides a sober warning against hidden sin, while pointing to the gospel’s provision for repentance and restoration.
Contemporary Application
1. Uphold clear relational boundaries in counseling and discipleship, affirming that God’s design for family protects the vulnerable.
2. Use theExodus 6 example to show that God’s grace can redeem complicated family histories.
3. Emphasize holiness as both separation from sin and consecration to God, invoking the aunt-laws as concrete illustrations.
Summary
דּוֹדָה spotlights the sacredness of kin relationships. Its limited but potent appearances weave together genealogical record, legal instruction, and theological principle, all converging on the broader biblical theme: a holy God forming a holy people through whom He will bring redemption to the world.
Forms and Transliterations
דֹּ֣דָת֔וֹ דֹּֽדָתוֹ֙ דֹּדָֽתְךָ֖ דדתו דדתך dō·ḏā·ṯə·ḵā dō·ḏā·ṯōw dodateCha dōḏāṯəḵā dodaTo dōḏāṯōw
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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