Lexical Summary
daveh: Faint, unwell, sick, menstruous
Original Word:דָּוֶה
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:daveh
Pronunciation:dah-veh
Phonetic Spelling:(daw-veh')
KJV: faint, menstruous cloth, she that is sick, having sickness
NASB:faint, impure thing, menstruous, woman who, woman who is ill
Word Origin:[fromH1738 (דָּוָה - To be unwell)]
1. sick (especially in menstruation)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
faint, menstruous cloth, she that is sick, having sickness
Fromdavah; sick (especially in menstruation) -- faint, menstruous cloth, she that is sick, having sickness.
see HEBREWdavah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
davahDefinitionfaint, unwell
NASB Translationfaint (2), impure thing (1), menstruous (1), woman who (1), woman who is ill (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
—
Lamentations 5:17, feminine
Leviticus 15:33 3t.;
faint,Lamentations 1:13 ("" )Lamentations 5:17.
unwell, menstruousLeviticus 15:33;Leviticus 20:18;Isaiah 30:22 perhaps = De.
Topical Lexicon
Thematic OverviewThe term expresses a state of physical infirmity that carries ritual and symbolic weight. In Torah legislation it designates bodily uncleanness; in prophetic and poetic books it becomes an image for idolatry’s filth and for national collapse. The movement from literal sickness to metaphorical corruption highlights Scripture’s seamless portrayal of sin as both defiling and debilitating.
Occurrences Across Scripture
•Leviticus 15:33
•Leviticus 20:18
•Isaiah 30:22
•Lamentations 1:13
•Lamentations 5:17
Ceremonial Context in Leviticus
Within the laws of purity, the word identifies the menstrual condition that rendered a woman—and anyone contacting her—ritually unclean. “For a woman in her menstrual impurity, and for anyone…who has a discharge” (Leviticus 15:33). The legislation protected communal worship by underscoring divine holiness. It also served a compassionate purpose: regulating contact during times of physical vulnerability while preserving marital intimacy outside those days (Leviticus 20:18). Thus the term links bodily processes with covenant boundaries, reminding Israel that every aspect of life falls under God’s authority.
Prophetic Imagery in Isaiah
Isaiah harnesses the visceral nature of the word to denounce idolatry: “You will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and call them rubbish” (Isaiah 30:22). What Torah labeled ceremonially unclean becomes, in the prophet’s mouth, the standard by which idols are judged—worthless and contaminating. Repentance requires a decisive casting off of defilement, not a polite distancing. The image warns that clinging to false gods produces a spiritual stench as real as physical uncleanness.
Poetic Expression in Lamentations
Jeremiah’s laments extend the term’s range to national suffering. “He has left me desolate, sick all day long” (Lamentations 1:13); “Because of this our hearts are faint” (Lamentations 5:17). Physical weakness becomes a corporate portrait of Judah after Jerusalem’s fall. The word conveys exhaustion, bewilderment, and shame—feelings inherent to exile. Yet by describing pain in purity-language, the poet implicitly confesses sin; the ailment is not random but covenantal.
Interwoven Biblical Theology
1. Holiness: Bodily impurity laws teach that God’s presence cannot be approached casually.
2. Sin as Pollution: Prophets and poets use sickness language to expose moral failure.
3. Redemption: Purification rites anticipate the ultimate cleansing provided “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
4. Compassion: The same Torah that separates also makes provision for restoration, highlighting divine mercy.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Pastoral Care: The Levitical passages validate the reality of cyclical weakness. Churches can support those with chronic illness by acknowledging both physical limitations and spiritual worth.
• Discipleship: Isaiah’s metaphor urges believers to abandon every idol—possessions, habits, relationships—that contaminates worship.
• Lament: Lamentations supplies vocabulary for grief. Congregations facing corporate loss may echo its cries, confident that Scripture legitimizes holy sorrow.
Christological and Eschatological Reflections
Jesus touched the hemorrhaging woman (Mark 5:25-34), reversing impurity by imparting life. His blood answers every defilement the word denotes. At the consummation “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4), signaling the final removal of all forms of weakness the term represents.
Related Scriptural Motifs
• Menstrual impurity (Leviticus 15:19-24)
• Moral filth (Ezekiel 36:17)
• Faint heart (Deuteronomy 28:65;Psalm 61:2)
Conclusion
Across Law, Prophets, and Writings, the word traces a trajectory from literal bodily discharge to profound spiritual malaise, culminating in the promise of complete cleansing. Its five appearances remind readers that sin’s defilement is as tangible as sickness, but God’s provision for purity is stronger still.
Forms and Transliterations
דָּוָ֗ה דָּוָֽה׃ דָוֶה֙ דָוָ֔ה דוה דוה׃ וְהַדָּוָה֙ והדוה dā·wāh ḏā·wāh ḏā·weh daVah daVeh dāwāh ḏāwāh ḏāweh vehaddaVah wə·had·dā·wāh wəhaddāwāh
Links
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Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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