English · KJV
H1672

דָּאַג

dâʼag /daw-ag'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningbe anxious
KJV usagebe afraid (careful, sorry), sorrow, take thought.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of dâʼag — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word dâʼag, represented by H1672, is a primitive root used to convey being anxious, afraid, sorry, or to take thought. It appears 7 times in 7 unique verses, describing a range of internal states from worldly fear and practical concern to righteous sorrow over sin.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H1672 is used to express both practical and emotional distress. It describes a king's political fear, as when Zedekiah says, "I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans" Jeremiah 38:19. The term is also used for familial concern, as when Saul worries his father will stop caring for the lost asses and take thought for his and his servant's welfare 1 Samuel 9:5. In contrast, the prophet Jeremiah describes a blessed person as a tree by water who "shall not be careful" in a year of drought Jeremiah 17:8, linking a lack of anxiety to spiritual steadfastness.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the contexts in which this anxiety or sorrow appears:

  • H3372 yârêʼ (to fear; morally, to revere): This root word for fear is often used in parallel with dâʼag. In a rebuke, the Lord asks, "And of whom hast thou been afraid H1672 or feared H3372, that thou hast lied?" Isaiah 57:11.
  • H2403 chaṭṭâʼâh (an offence... sin): This term is directly connected to the sorrowful aspect of dâʼag. The psalmist's repentance is shown when he says, "I will be sorry H1672 for my sin H2403" Psalms 38:18.
  • H7458 râʻâb (hunger... famine): This word represents a tangible cause of the anxiety described by dâʼag. The people are warned that the famine H7458 they were afraid H1672 of will follow them into Egypt Jeremiah 42:16.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H1672 is seen in its application to different spiritual states.

  • Fear of Man and Circumstance: dâʼag frequently points to anxiety rooted in worldly threats. This is seen in King Zedekiah's fear of his enemies Jeremiah 38:19 and the Israelites' fear of the sword and famine H7458 in Egypt Jeremiah 42:16.
  • Righteous Sorrow for Sin: The word is also used in a positive, spiritual context to denote repentance. The psalmist expresses this godly grief, declaring he will declare his iniquity H5771 and "be sorry H1672 for my sin H2403" Psalms 38:18.
  • Contrast with Faith: Anxiety is set in opposition to trust in God. A person who trusts in God is compared to a tree H6086 that will not be careful H1672 in a time of drought Jeremiah 17:8, while being afraid H1672 is associated with forgetting God Isaiah 57:11.

Summary

In summary, dâʼag H1672 is more than a simple term for fear. It captures a spectrum of human emotion from the anxiety caused by physical threats and daily concerns 1 Samuel 9:5 to the profound sorrow that accompanies repentance for sin H2403. Its usage in scripture often serves to contrast worldly anxiety with the security and peace found in a steadfast relationship with God.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 7 occurrences, inflected in 6 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • דָאַג
  • אֶדְאַג
  • יִדְאָג
  • דֹּאֲגִים
  • דֹאֵג
  • דָּאַגְתְּ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H3372 יָרֵא a primitive root; to fear; morally, to revere; caus. to frighten; affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear H2403 חַטָּאָה or חַטָּאת; from חָטָא; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; H7458 רָעָב from רָעֵב; hunger (more or less extensive); dearth, famine, [phrase] famished, hunger. H5771 עָוֺן or עָווֹן; (2 Kings 7:9; Psalm 51:5 (אֲבַד)), from עָוָה; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil; fault, iniquity, mischeif, puni H6086 עֵץ from עָצָה; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks); [phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine,

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 7 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (3 verses); never once in the other 35.

2
1 Samuel
1
Psalms
1
Isaiah
3
Jeremiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.