Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

dâma‘ - דָּמַע (Strong's #1830)
To weep, tears

dâma‘ 'to weep, tears' דָּמַע (Strong's #1830)

"my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears" (Jeremiah 13:17, JPS)

דָּמַע dâma‘ "to weep" (Strong's #1830, x2) occurs in just one Hebrew Bible verse, Jeremiah 13:17, where it is in fact intensified by repetition - hence the two instances. It might be literally translated as וְדָמעַ תִּדְמַע v^edhâmoa‘ tidh'ma‘ "and weeping it will weep coming down tears of my eye", but more idiomatically as "it will weep profusely", since Hebrew often doubles up a word for emphasis.

The first use of weep in this verse is a different verb entirely, בָּכָה bâkhâh "to weep" (Strong's #1058, x114) but with negligible difference in meaning. See Lamentations 1:2 where בָּכָה bâkhâh is also doubled up as "she weeps sorely/bitterly".

It may be that דָּמַע dâma‘ is older and/or derived from the noun for "tears" which occurs in the same verse. דִּמְעָה dim'‘âh (Strong's #1832, x23) "tears" is the feminine of דֶּמַע dema‘ (Strong's #1831, x1) a word occurring just once in Exodus 22:29 [v28 Hebrew] and used as a metaphor for grapes or olives being both in the shapes of spheres and which when crushed both "cry" their tears or juices.

The original pictographic symbolism and alphabetical meanings of the letters of דָּמַע dâma‘ are ד "door" מ "water" ע "eye" - which is spot on for its combined meaning as "doorway weeping eye tears". Indeed, "eye" can also mean "fountain" and "door, gate", perhaps even "eyelids/gates", is also related to numerous words meaning "hanging down" including things that draw water such as a "well bucket". Hence, weeping tears pour forth from "the eyegates/well-bucket of a fountain of eye-water". It could also be seen as the "blood of the eye" from the word דָּם dâm (Strong's #1818, x361) for "blood" with the qualifying addition of ע "eye". Cf. "eye" עַיִן ‘ayin (Strong's #5869, x887), "water" מַיִם mayim (Strong's #4325, x582), and "door/gate" דֶּלֶת deleth (Strong's #1817, x887).

Tears are obviously a very graphical description and so the Psalmist writes "I make my bed swim; I water my couch with tears" (Psalm 6:6) or "You count my wanderings and my tears in a bottle, are they not accounted?" (Psalm 56:8).

In another Psalm, "My tears have been my food day and night" (Psalm 42:3) and "You have fed them with the bread of tears and tears to drink" (Psalm 80:5).

Jeremiah is equally dramatic, "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! (Jeremiah 9:1 [8v23 Hebrew]) and "let them take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters" (Jeremiah 9:18 [9v17 Hebrew]).

Fortunately, there's good news says God, "I have seen your tears" (Isaiah 38:5), "Refrain from weeping and your eyes from tears" (Jeremiah 31:16) for "He will sawallow up death forever and wipe away tears from all faces..." (Isaiah 25:8).

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