English · KJV
H1809

דָּלַל

dâlal /daw-lal'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root (compare דָּלָה)
Meaningto slacken or be feeble; figuratively, to be oppressed
KJV usagebring low, dry up, be emptied, be not equal, fail, be impoverished, be made thin.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of dâlal — 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 dâlal, represented by H1809, is a primitive root meaning to slacken or be feeble. It appears 11 times across 9 unique verses. Its definition covers a range of related concepts including being oppressed, brought low, dried up, emptied, failing, being impoverished, or made thin.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical contexts, H1809 describes states of weakness and decline. It is used to portray Israel as "greatly impoverished" by the Midianites Judges 6:6. In the Psalms, it expresses a personal state of desperation, as in "I was brought low, and he helped me" Psalms 116:6, and a collective plea: "we are brought very low" Psalms 79:8. The word can also describe physical weakness, such as when one's eyes "fail with looking upward" Isaiah 38:14, or the figurative decline of a nation's glory being "made thin" Isaiah 17:4. It is even applied to nature, where brooks are "emptied and dried up" Isaiah 19:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the context and consequences of being in a state of dâlal:

  • H3467 yâshaʻ (to free or succor): This word often appears as the divine solution to the problem of being brought low. In Psalms 116:6, the psalmist declares, "I was brought low (dâlal), and he helped (yâshaʻ) me."
  • H2199 zâʻaq (to shriek (from anguish or danger)): This represents the human cry for help that often results from the condition of H1809. When Israel was "impoverished" (dâlal) by the Midianites, the people "cried" (zâʻaq) to the Lord Judges 6:6.
  • H2717 chârab (to parch... desolate, destroy, dry up): This term is used in parallel with H1809 to describe environmental devastation, as when the brooks of defence are "emptied" (dâlal) and "dried up" (chârab) Isaiah 19:6.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H1809 is seen in its consistent portrayal of human weakness as a precursor to divine action.

  • A State of Complete Dependence: To be "brought low" is to be in a position where self-reliance has failed. This condition, whether from oppression or sin, highlights human frailty. The psalmist's cry, "I am brought very low: deliver me" Psalms 142:6, illustrates a total reliance on God for rescue.
  • The Consequence of Iniquity: The state of being "brought low" is sometimes linked to sin. In Psalms 79:8, the people plead for mercy in light of their "former iniquities" H5771, a situation that has left them "brought very low."
  • The Prerequisite for Salvation: Scripture repeatedly shows that being "brought low" (dâlal) sets the stage for God's help. God "preserveth the simple," and the psalmist's testimony is a direct result of this principle: "I was brought low, and he helped H3467 me" Psalms 116:6. This demonstrates that recognizing one's own feeble state is often the first step toward experiencing divine deliverance.

Summary

In summary, H1809 dâlal is a potent descriptor of a state of being weakened, diminished, or made low. It is applied to individuals in personal distress Psalms 116:6, nations facing impoverishment Judges 6:6, and even the natural world being emptied Isaiah 19:6. Theologically, it frames human vulnerability not as a final state, but as the very condition that often prompts a cry for help and invites divine intervention, turning a moment of feebleness into an opportunity for God to save.

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 9 occurrences, inflected in 5 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.

  • דַּלּוּ
  • דַּלּוֹתִי
  • יִּדַּל
  • יִדַּל
  • דַלּוֹנוּ

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.

H3467 יָשַׁע a primitive root; properly, to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; causatively, to free or succor; H2199 זָעַק a primitive root; to shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly; assembl H2717 חָרַב or חֲרֵב; a primitive root; to parch (through drought) i.e. (by analogy,) to desolate, destroy, kill; decay, (be) desola H5771 עָוֺן or עָווֹן; (2 Kings 7:9; Psalm 51:5 (אֲבַד)), from עָוָה; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil; fault, iniquity, mischeif, puni

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 9 verses across 5 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms and Isaiah (3 verses each); never once in the other 34.

1
Judges
1
Job
3
Psalms
1
Proverbs
3
Isaiah

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.