Lexical Summary
demuth: Likeness, resemblance, similitude
Original Word:דְּמוּת
Part of Speech:noun feminine
Transliteration:dmuwth
Pronunciation:deh-mooth'
Phonetic Spelling:(dem-ooth')
KJV: fashion, like (-ness, as), manner, similitude
NASB:likeness, form, like, figure, figures like, figures resembling, pattern
Word Origin:[fromH1819 (דָּמָה - like)]
1. resemblance
2. (concretely) model, shape
3. (adverbially) like
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fashion, likeness, as, manner, similitude
Fromdamah; resemblance; concretely, model, shape; adverbially, like -- fashion, like (-ness, as), manner, similitude.
see HEBREWdamah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
damahDefinitionlikeness, similitude
NASB Translationfigure (1), figures like (1), figures resembling (1), form (4), like (4), likeness (8), pattern (1), resembling (1), something resembling (1), which resembled (1), who resembled (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(mostly late) (according to Lag
BN 12. 147 ff. mispunct. for from ; according to We
Prol. 413. Eng. Tr. 389 an Aramaic Loan-word, but see Di
Genesis 5:1, Dr
JPh xi. 216 Che
OP. 474) — absolute
Isaiah 40:18 3t.; construct
Genesis 5:1 16t.; suffix
Genesis 5:3;
Genesis 1:26; —
likeness, similitude, of external appearance, chiefly in Ezek.:Ezekiel 1:5 (likeness, i.e. something that appeared like) soEzekiel 1:26;Ezekiel 8:2 (compare Co),Ezekiel 10:1 ; compare alsoDaniel 10:16 i.e.one like the sons of man; similitude, resemblanceEzekiel 1:5,10,16,22,26;Ezekiel 10:10,21,22;Ezekiel 1:26;Ezekiel 1:28; also2 Kings 16:10 (pattern of altar), 2 Chronicles 4:3 (images of oxen); of son in likeness of fatherGenesis 5:3 (P); so also of man in likeness of GodGenesis 1:26 ("" )Genesis 5:1 (both P); compareIsaiah 40:18whatwill ye compare to him () ? "" q. v.
,in likeness of, like asIsaiah 13:4 compareEzekiel 23:15 &Psalm 58:5. —Ezekiel 1:13 read , see and J P PetersJBL 1892 40. 42. OnEzekiel 1:16;Ezekiel 10:10 (apparently masculine) compare Thes & Sm who translatethe likeness of one had they all four; Co reads .
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Semantic Rangeדְּמוּת (demuth) identifies a likeness, form, pattern, model, or semblance. It speaks of both visible shape and conceptual correspondence, allowing Scripture to describe what is tangible, visionary, or spiritual in terms humans can grasp.
Usage in the Creation Narrative
Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…’”. Here דְּמוּת joins “image” (צֶלֶם) to affirm that humanity uniquely corresponds to God, possessing rationality, morality, creativity, and relational capacity.
Genesis 5:1 echoes the truth for every generation, whileGenesis 5:3 records that Seth was born “in his own likeness,” showing that the concept extends to natural propagation—Adam’s nature reproduced in his offspring.
Genealogical Echo and the Fall
The juxtaposition of God’s likeness (Genesis 5:1) with human propagation (Genesis 5:3) highlights the tension between original dignity and fallen distortion. Even after sin, the term underscores that the divine stamp remains, affirming both accountability and worth.
Royal and Cultic Patterns
2 Kings 16:10: King Ahaz “sent to Uriah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern,” illustrating how דְּמוּת can denote a measured plan. The same idea governs Solomon’s temple furnishings (2 Chronicles 4:3). Likeness here conveys faithful replication versus illicit imitation; Ahaz copies a pagan altar, whereas Solomon follows God-given artistry.
Poetic and Prophetic Comparisons
Psalm 58:4 likens the wicked to venomous serpents—demuth sharpening moral insight through metaphor.
Isaiah 13:4 employs it for the tumult of armies “like a great multitude,” andIsaiah 40:18 presses the rhetorical challenge: “To whom will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?” Idolatry is exposed by the impossibility of reducing the Infinite to a frail likeness.
The Visions of Ezekiel
Ezekiel uses דְּמוּת seventeen times, more than any other author, describing what words struggle to capture:
• Likeness of living creatures (Ezekiel 1:5).
• Likeness of their faces (1:10), their wheels (1:16), the firmament (1:22).
• Likeness of a throne and “One seated on the throne” (1:26).
• Climax: “Like the appearance of the rainbow… so was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” (1:28).
These cascading similes confess both revelation and restraint—God shows Himself, yet remains incomparable. The repeated term guards against idolatrous concreteness while assuring authentic encounter.
Ezekiel 10 rehearses the earlier vision during the departure of glory from the temple; likeness is now linked to judgment, proving that God’s glory cannot be domesticated.
Ezekiel 23:15 applies the word to Babylonian officers “resembling officials of Chaldea,” intensifying the prophetic denunciation of political seduction.
Apocalyptic Messenger
Daniel 10:16: “One with the likeness of a man touched my lips.” The term prepares readers for the ultimate revelation of God in human form, anticipating the Incarnation without exhausting the mystery.
Theological Themes
1. Image and Likeness: דְּמוּת undergirds human dignity, moral responsibility, and the capacity for communion with God.
2. Likeness versus Idols: Scripture repeatedly pits the Creator’s matchless likeness against crafted images, affirming worship’s exclusivity.
3. Glory Manifested yet Veiled: Vision narratives employ likeness to reconcile divine transcendence with prophetic sight.
4. Prophetic Authentication: By admitting analogy, prophets maintain truthfulness, avoiding speculative precision.
New Covenant Fulfillment
While דְּמוּת is an Old Testament term, its concept flows forward. Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and “in very nature God” (Philippians 2:6). Believers are “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The original likeness marred by sin is restored and perfected in union with Christ.
Ministry Significance
• Human Worth: Every person bears a likeness to God, compelling compassion, justice, and evangelism.
• Worship: True worship refuses to craft substitutes; it seeks the living God whose glory outshines all representations.
• Discipleship: Spiritual growth is measured by conformity to Christ’s likeness, not external rituals.
• Preaching and Teaching: The prophetic use of likeness models how to communicate eternal realities—using analogy without diminishing mystery.
Thus דְּמוּת traces a redemptive arc: from creation to consummation, from Adam’s dust to prophetic visions, and finally to the face of Jesus Christ, in whom the true likeness of God is perfectly revealed and shared with all who believe.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּדְמ֥וּת בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ בדמות בדמותו דְּמ֖וּת דְּמ֞וּת דְּמ֣וּת דְּמ֤וּת דְּמ֥וּת דְּמ֧וּת דְמוּת֙ דמות וּדְמ֞וּת וּדְמ֣וּת וּדְמ֥וּת וּדְמ֨וּת וּדְמוּת֙ ודמות כִּדְמ֥וּת כִּדְמוּת֙ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ כדמות כדמותנו biḏ·mū·ṯōw biḏ·mūṯ bidMut biḏmūṯ bidmuTo biḏmūṯōw də·mūṯ ḏə·mūṯ deMut dəmūṯ ḏəmūṯ kiḏ·mū·ṯê·nū kiḏ·mūṯ kidMut kiḏmūṯ kidmuTenu kiḏmūṯênū ū·ḏə·mūṯ udeMut ūḏəmūṯ
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