a primitive root; be anxious; be afraid (careful, sorry), sorrow, take thought.
Transliteration:dâʼag
Pronunciation:daw-ag'
Detailed Word Study
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### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew root dâʼag (`{{H1672}}`) is a primitive verb that fundamentally describes a state of mental agitation or perturbation. Its semantic range is broad, encompassing various forms of emotional distress and preoccupation. At its core, it signifies a disquietude of the mind, often in response to perceived threats, uncertainties, or misfortunes. This can manifest as:
* **Anxiety or Worry:** A forward-looking apprehension concerning future events or potential negative outcomes.
* **Fear or Dread:** A more immediate and intense sensation of alarm or terror in the face of danger or an intimidating prospect.
* **Sorrow or Grief:** A backward-looking or present-tense feeling of deep sadness, distress, or regret over loss, suffering, or failure.
* **Care or Concern:** While sometimes used in a neutral sense of being preoccupied, within the context of dâʼag, it typically leans towards an burdensome or distressing form of concern rather than diligent attention.
The specific nuance is heavily dependent on the context, often highlighting a lack of peace or trust.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
Though not exceedingly frequent, the occurrences of dâʼag are poignant and reveal its various shades of meaning:
* **1 Samuel 9:5:** Kish, Saul's father, expresses dâʼag (anxiety/concern) for his son who has been gone for days, fearing for his well-being. Here, it denotes a deep, parental distress.
* **Proverbs 12:25:** "Anxiety (דָּאַג) in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad." This proverb directly links dâʼag to a burdensome, depressive state, highlighting its debilitating psychological effect and contrasting it with the uplifting power of encouraging speech.
* **Psalm 38:18:** The psalmist laments, "For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow (דָּאַג) is continually before me." In this confessional psalm of distress, dâʼag clearly signifies deep grief or sorrow, likely over his sin and suffering.
* **Jeremiah 17:8:** This verse contrasts the righteous person who is like a tree planted by water, "and will not be anxious (דָּאַג) in the year of drought." Here, dâʼag is presented as the opposite of trust in God's provision, indicating a lack of faith in adverse circumstances.
* **Jeremiah 38:19:** King Zedekiah expresses his dâʼag (fear/concern) to Jeremiah, fearing that if he surrenders to the Babylonians, he will be handed over to the Judean deserters and mocked. This illustrates a personal fear of humiliation and mistreatment at the hands of his own people.
* **Isaiah 57:11:** God confronts Israel, asking, "Of whom were you afraid and dâʼag (dreaded) that you lied to me and did not remember me?" This passage strongly links dâʼag to a fear of human powers that supplants trust in God, leading to spiritual infidelity and disobedience.
* **Hosea 11:11:** "They shall come trembling (דָּאַג) like a bird from Egypt..." Here, the word describes the agitated, fearful movement of those returning from exile, indicative of their past oppression and present apprehension.
Across these contexts, dâʼag is consistently portrayed as a negative, often debilitating, emotional state that can stem from external pressures, internal struggles, or a fundamental lack of trust in God.
### Related Words & Concepts
The semantic field of dâʼag overlaps with several other Hebrew terms related to fear, sorrow, and distress:
* **`{{H3013}}` (yagôn):** "Sorrow," "grief." Often denotes a deep, heavy emotional pain, similar to the "sorrow" aspect of dâʼag.
* **`{{H3026}}` (yare'):** "To fear," "be afraid." While dâʼag can mean fear, yare' is a more common and general term for fear, encompassing both negative dread and positive, reverential fear of God. dâʼag often implies a disturbing, unsettling fear or anxiety.
* **`{{H6037}}` (anah):** "To be bowed down," "afflicted." This term often describes the physical or emotional oppression that can accompany or result from dâʼag.
* **`{{H2730}}` (charad):** "To tremble," "be terrified." This word focuses more on the physical manifestation of fear, often a consequence of intense dâʼag.
In the New Testament, conceptual parallels exist with:
* **`{{G3309}}` (merimnao):** "To be anxious," "to worry." This Greek term directly corresponds to the primary sense of "anxiety" in dâʼag, notably in Jesus' teachings against worry in the Sermon on the Mount.
* **`{{G5399}}` (phobeo):** "To fear." This term covers the "afraid" aspect of dâʼag.
* **`{{G3077}}` (lupe):** "Sorrow," "grief." This term aligns with the "sorrow" aspect of dâʼag.
### Theological Significance
The theological implications of dâʼag are profound, primarily revolving around the themes of trust, human frailty, and divine sovereignty:
* **A Sign of Distrust in God:** Perhaps the most significant theological implication is that dâʼag often indicates a deficiency in faith or trust in Yahweh. When an individual is consumed by anxiety or fear, it suggests a reliance on self or circumstances rather than on God's omnipotence and faithfulness. [[Jeremiah 17:8]] and [[Isaiah 57:11]] powerfully illustrate this, contrasting anxiety with steadfast trust in the Lord.
* **The Human Condition and the Fall:** dâʼag is a tangible expression of the human condition in a fallen world, where uncertainty, suffering, and the consequences of sin are ever-present. It highlights our inherent vulnerability and limited control.
* **Hindrance to Spiritual Flourishing:** The Bible often presents dâʼag as an internal burden that can impede one's spiritual journey. It distracts from God, saps spiritual energy, and can lead to ungodly choices, as seen in Zedekiah's fear of mockery leading to potential compromise.
* **God's Antidote: Peace and Provision:** While dâʼag describes a negative state, its presence in Scripture often serves as a backdrop against which God's character and promises are illuminated. The biblical narrative implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, offers God's peace, comfort, and unwavering provision as the ultimate antidote to anxiety and sorrow. The wisdom literature, like Proverbs, also suggests the role of community and encouraging words in alleviating this burden [[Proverbs 12:25]].
### Summary
The Hebrew word dâʼag (`{{H1672}}`) describes a deeply unsettling state of mental and emotional disquiet, encompassing anxiety, fear, worry, and sorrow. It reflects a heart that is perturbed, often by the uncertainties of life, perceived threats, or the weight of misfortune. Biblically, dâʼag is consistently portrayed as a negative and debilitating emotion, frequently serving as an indicator of a lack of trust in God's sovereign care and provision. It reveals human vulnerability and can hinder one's walk with the Lord, diverting focus from divine faithfulness. Ultimately, the biblical witness, while acknowledging the reality of dâʼag in human experience, implicitly and explicitly calls believers to find their peace and security in Yahweh, whose steadfast love and power are the true antidote to such inner turmoil.
TRV