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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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