H1749 H1749
Wax; a soft, meltable substance used exclusively in similes of melting before God's power or fire.
Every occurrence of this word appears in a simile of melting, making it one of the most consistently figurative nouns in the Hebrew Bible. Mountains melt like wax at God's presence (Ps 97:5), the wicked perish as wax before fire (Ps 68:2), hills flow like wax at theophany (Mic 1:4), and the psalmist's heart melts like wax in anguish (Ps 22:14). Spanish cera and French cire confirm a stable, single referent. The word never appears in a literal, non-figurative context—it exists in Scripture solely as the quintessential image of what dissolves before overwhelming power.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Wax as a meltable substance, used exclusively in similes depicting dissolution before divine power or fire. Mountains melt like wax at theophany (Ps 97:5; Mic 1:4), the wicked perish as wax before flame (Ps 68:2), and the sufferer's heart turns to wax inside him (Ps 22:14). The consistent pairing with melting makes this word a stock image for helplessness and transience before God's overwhelming presence. 4×
AR["الشَّمْعِ", "كَ-الشَّمْعِ", "كَالشَّمْعِ"]·ben["মোম", "মোমের-মতো"]·DE["[כדונג]", "wax", "wie-wax"]·EN["like-wax", "wax"]·FR["cire", "comme-cire"]·heb["דונג", "כ-דונג"]·HI["जैसे-मोम", "मोम-की-तरह"]·ID["lilin", "seperti-lilin"]·IT["cera", "come-cera"]·jav["kados-lilin", "lilin"]·KO["밀랍-이", "밀랍-처럼"]·PT["cera", "como-cera"]·RU["воск", "как-воск"]·ES["cera", "como-cera", "como-la-cera"]·SW["kama-nta", "nta"]·TR["bal-mumu-gibi", "balmumu", "balmumu-gibi", "mum-gibi"]·urd["-موم-کی-طرح", "موم", "موم-کی-طرح"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† דּוֹנַג n.m. wax, דּוֹנַג Mi 1:4 + 2 times; דּוֹנָ֑ג ψ 22:15—always in simile, of melting; at theophany hills melt like wax ψ 97:5; like wax before fire Mi 1:4; wicked perish as wax melteth before fire ψ 68:3; heart melteth like wax ψ 22:15 (simile of fear, despair). On ד׳ in ψ 118:12 cf. Bae Checrit. n.