Word Study for H1740 (דּוּחַ)

dûwach /doo'-akh/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto thrust away; figuratively, to cleanse

KJV usagecast out, purge, wash.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of dûwach — 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 dûwach, represented by H1740, is a primitive root meaning to thrust away or, figuratively, to cleanse. Its base definition includes actions like to cast out, purge, wash. It appears 4 times across 4 unique verses in the Bible, demonstrating a specific range of use from physical expulsion to ritual and spiritual purification.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H1740 carries distinct meanings depending on the context. In a literal, violent sense, it describes the feeling of being rejected, as when Jerusalem laments that Nebuchadrezzar has cast me out Jeremiah 51:34. In a ceremonial context, it refers to the specific act of washing sacrificial items. The burnt offerings were washed H1740 in the lavers of the temple 2 Chronicles 4:6, a practice also mentioned in Ezekiel's vision of the temple Ezekiel 40:38. Figuratively, the term is used for divine judgment and purification, where the Lord will have purged H1740 the blood of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment Isaiah 4:4.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide deeper context for the actions associated with H1740:

H7364 râchats: Defined as to lave (the whole or a part of a thing); bathe (self), wash (self). This word is often used for general or personal washing. In the temple, while the burnt offerings were washed H1740, the sea was for the priests to wash in H7364 2 Chronicles 4:6, showing a distinction in ritual cleansing. It is also used alongside H1740 in the prophecy of Zion's cleansing Isaiah 4:4.
H6675 tsôwʼâh: Meaning excrement; generally, dirt; figuratively, pollution; dung, filth(-iness). This word describes the impurity that must be removed. In Isaiah 4:4, the Lord first washes away the filth H6675 of Zion before he will have purged H1740 its blood.
H1818 dâm: This word for blood often carries the figurative sense of bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood) or blood-guiltiness. In Isaiah 4:4, it is specifically the blood H1818 of Jerusalem that is purged H1740, signifying the removal of guilt for shed blood.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H1740 is seen in its application to purification and judgment:

Ceremonial Purification: The word is used specifically for the washing of burnt offerings, a necessary step in the sacrificial system to prepare an offering for God (2 Chronicles 4:6, Ezekiel 40:38). This highlights the importance of external purity in acts of worship.
Divine Judgment and Cleansing: The most significant use is figurative, where God purges the blood H1818 of Jerusalem. This is not a physical washing but a spiritual cleansing from blood-guiltiness accomplished through a "spirit of judgment and... burning" Isaiah 4:4.
Rejection and Exile: In a non-ritual context, the word conveys a sense of violent rejection. Jerusalem, personified, feels devoured and then cast out by Babylon, connecting the idea of being "thrust away" to the experience of exile and defeat Jeremiah 51:34.

Summary

In summary, H1740 is a potent verb that bridges the physical and the spiritual. While it can mean to be physically cast out Jeremiah 51:34, its primary weight is found in the context of cleansing. It moves from the literal, ceremonial washing of a burnt offering 2 Chronicles 4:6 to the profound, figurative purging of a city's bloodguilt by God himself Isaiah 4:4. This demonstrates how a single Hebrew root can encompass both ritual action and divine judgment.

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 3 occurrences, inflected in 2 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.

יָדִיחוּ
יָדִיחַ

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 4 verses across 4 of the 39 books. 4 books tie for most frequent (1 verse each); never once in the other 35.

2 Chronicles

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

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.