Lexical Summary
dachaph: To push, drive, thrust
Original Word:דָּחַף
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:dachaph
Pronunciation:dah-khaf'
Phonetic Spelling:(daw-khaf')
KJV: (be) haste(-ned), pressed on
NASB:impelled, hastened, hurried
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to urge, i.e. hasten
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be hastened, pressed on
A primitive root; to urge, i.e. Hasten -- (be) haste(-ned), pressed on.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto drive, hasten
NASB Translationhastened (1), hurried (1), impelled (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (late) (Late Hebrew
id., Aramaic ) —
Passive participle plural of runnersEsther 3:15;Esther 8:14 ("" ).
Perfect hasten one's self, hurryEsther 6:12; 2Chronicles 26:20 ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning and Narrative SettingsThis verb describes an impelling force that pushes a person or group into swift movement—whether to expel, to disseminate a royal directive, or to flee in alarm. Every occurrence is situated in royal contexts, underscoring how authority and urgency converge in Scripture.
Royal Discipline:2 Chronicles 26:20
King Uzziah, struck with leprosy for presuming upon priestly privilege, is “hurried… out” of the temple. The priests’ action demonstrates that when the holiness of God is violated, even a monarch is thrust away from sacred space. The verb frames divine judgment as unmistakably decisive: the king cannot linger where he no longer has covenantal standing.
Imperial Decrees and Persian Couriers:Esther 3:15; 8:14
In Esther the word twice describes mounted couriers “spurred on by the king’s command.” The haste reflects the irrevocable nature of Medo-Persian law; once sealed, a decree must race across the empire. The text portrays a collision between human sovereignty and the unseen sovereignty of God, for the same machinery that carries a genocidal edict (Esther 3:15) later conveys the counter-decree that secures Israel’s survival (Esther 8:14).
Personal Crisis:Esther 6:12
After honoring Mordecai, Haman “hurried home, mourning with his head covered.” The verb pictures the unraveling of the proud. What had propelled Haman to orchestrate death now propels him toward humiliation, anticipating his downfall.
Theological Themes
• Divine authority overrides temporal power.
• Haste may signal either judgment (Uzziah), imperial oppression (initial edict), or deliverance (counter-edict).
• The same human structures that carry evil can be redirected for good under God’s providence.
Practical Ministry Observations
• Holiness is non-negotiable; sin can exile even the influential from God’s presence.
• God can repurpose systems, governments, and timelines for His redemptive plan.
• Moments that compel rapid action test the heart—whether one will harden like Haman or humble oneself like Mordecai.
Canonical Echoes
The motif of urgent expulsion or dispatch recallsGenesis 3:24, where Adam and Eve are sent from Eden, and anticipatesJohn 13:27, where Judas departs “at once.” Scripture consistently treats decisive movement as a marker of watershed moments in salvation history.
Summary
The occurrences of this verb spotlight pivot points where lives, kingdoms, and covenant purposes hinge on swift, uncontrollable movement. In each scene, God’s sovereign hand directs the haste, turning human compulsion into instruments of discipline, warning, or deliverance.
Forms and Transliterations
דְחוּפִים֙ דחופים וּדְחוּפִ֖ים ודחופים נִדְחַ֣ף נדחף ḏə·ḥū·p̄îm dechuFim ḏəḥūp̄îm niḏ·ḥap̄ nidChaf niḏḥap̄ ū·ḏə·ḥū·p̄îm udechuFim ūḏəḥūp̄îm
Links
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Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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