H1818 H1818
Blood as physical substance (sacrificial, dietary, bodily); bloodshed or violence (metonymic); bloodguilt or blood-liability (juridical).
Dam is a word that pulses through the entire sacrificial, moral, and legal fabric of the Hebrew Bible. At its most concrete, it is the red fluid of life -- sprinkled on doorposts at Passover (Exod 12:7), poured at the base of the altar (Lev 4:30), and forbidden as food because 'the life is in the blood' (Lev 17:11). In its metonymic extension, often signaled by the plural damim, blood stands for violence itself: Ezekiel's 'city of bloods' (Ezek 22:2) and the cry of Abel's blood 'from the ground' (Gen 4:10). A further juridical specialization appears in formulas like 'his blood be upon his head' (Josh 2:19), where damim denotes the guilt or liability for shedding blood.
Senses
1. blood (physical substance) — The literal red fluid of humans and animals, encompassing sacrificial blood applied to altars and doorposts (Exod 12:7, 13, 22; Lev 4:30), the dietary prohibition against consuming blood (Gen 9:4; Lev 17:11-14), blood of wounds and battlefield slaughter, and menstrual or postpartum blood (Lev 12:7). Glosses across all languages converge: 'la-sangre,' 'le-sang,' 'das-Blut,' 'the-blood.' This overwhelmingly dominant sense (327 occurrences) is the foundation upon which the metonymic senses build. 327×
AR["-الدَّمَ","-الدَّمِ","الدَّمَ","الدَّمُ","الدَّمِ"]·ben["রক্ত","রক্তের","সেই-রক্ত"]·DE["das-Blut","der-Blut"]·EN["the-blood"]·FR["le-sang"]·heb["ה-דם"]·HI["लहू","लहू-में-से"]·ID["darah","darah itu","darah-itu"]·IT["il-sangue"]·jav["rah","rah-punika","rah-punika,"]·KO["그-피","그-피가","그-피를","그-피의"]·PT["o-sangue"]·RU["крови","кровь","кровью"]·ES["la-sangre"]·SW["damu","ya-damu"]·TR["-kan","kan","kandan","kanı","kanın"]·urd["-خون","خون"]
Exod 7:21, Exod 12:7, Exod 12:13, Exod 12:13, Exod 12:22, Exod 12:23, Exod 24:6, Exod 24:6, Exod 24:8, Exod 29:12, Exod 29:20, Exod 29:21 (+38 more)
2. bloodshed, violence, murder — Bloodshed, violence, or murder by metonymy, where blood stands for the act of killing rather than the substance itself. Often marked by the plural damim, as in 'city of bloods' (Nah 3:1; Ezek 22:2) or 'innocent blood' shed unjustly (Deut 19:10; Jer 22:3). The cry of Abel's blood 'from the ground' (Gen 4:10-11) is the paradigmatic instance. Spanish 'las-sangres' and German 'der-bloodshed' reflect translators' effort to capture this shift from substance to event. Includes contexts of ambush, conspiracy, and prophetic denunciation of violence. 28×
AR["الدِّماءِ","الدِّمَاءِ","بِدَمِ","بِسَبَبِ-دِماءِ","دَمٍ","دِماءٍ"]·ben["-রক্তের-জন্য","থেকে-রক্তের-","রক্ত","রক্তকে","রক্তগুলির","রক্তপাতের","রক্তপাতের,","রক্তের"]·DE["Blut","der-bloodshed","in-Blut-von","von-Blut-von"]·EN["because-of-blood-of","blood","bloodshed","for-blood-of","the-blood","the-bloods","the-bloodshed"]·FR["le-sang-versé","sang"]·heb["ב-דם","דמים","ה-דמים","מ-דמי"]·HI["के-खून-के","खून","खून-का","खून-के","खूनों","खूनों-का","खूनों-के","खूनों-के-कारण","रक्त-के","रक्तों-के","लहू-का","लहू-के"]·ID["-darah","darah","darah-darah","karena-darah","penumpah-darah","pertumpahan-darah!"]·IT["da-sangue-di","il-sangue","il-spargimento-di-sangue","sangue"]·jav["Gusti Allah","amargi-getih","amargi-rah-","badhé-nyangga","getih","ingkang-ngwutahaken-rah","rah","rah-punika","rah-rah"]·KO["그-피들의","로-인하여-사람-들의-피","로-인하여-사람-의-피","신랑이다","에-피","피-를","피-의","피들-의","피의"]·PT["de-sangue","de-sangues","os-sangues","pelos-sangues-de","por-sangues-de-","sangue","sangues"]·RU["-кровей","за-кровь","и-объяви","кровей","крови","кровожадные","кровь"]·ES["las-sangres","las-sangres?","por-sangre-de","por-sangre-de-","sangre","sangres"]·SW["-damu","damu","kwa-sababu-ya-damu-ya","wa-damu","ya-damu"]·TR["kancı","kanları","kanların","kanlarından","kanında"]·urd["خون","خون-ریز","خون-والے","خون-کا","خون-کی","خون-کے","خون-کے-سبب","خونریز","خونوں-کے"]
Gen 4:10, Gen 4:11, Exod 4:25, Exod 4:26, 1 Sam 25:26, 1 Sam 25:33, 2 Sam 16:7, 2 Sam 16:8, 2 Sam 21:1, 1 Chr 22:8, 2 Chr 24:25, Ps 5:6 (+16 more)
3. bloodguilt, blood-liability — Bloodguilt or blood-liability, the juridical responsibility incurred by shedding blood. Appears in legal formulas: 'his blood shall be upon him' (Lev 20:9), 'his blood be upon his own head' (Josh 2:19; 2 Sam 1:16), and David's plea 'deliver me from bloodguilt' (Ps 51:14[16]). English 'bloodguilt' and 'bloodguiltiness' along with German 'bloodguilt' and French 'sang-versé' distinguish this from mere violence (sense 2) by emphasizing legal culpability. Found in casuistic law (Exod 22:2-3) and Deuteronomic legislation (Deut 19:10; 22:8). 6×
AR["دَمٌ","دِمَاءً","دِمَاءٌ","مِنَ-الدِّمَاءِ","وَدِماؤُهُ"]·ben["এবং-তার-রক্তপাত","রক্ত","রক্তপাত","রক্তপাত।","হইতে-রক্তপাত"]·DE["bloodguilt","und-Blut","von-Blut"]·EN["and-his-bloodguilt","bloodguilt","from-bloodguiltiness"]·FR["de-sang","et-sang","sang-versé"]·heb["דמים","ו-דמיו","מ-דמים"]·HI["और-उसके-खून","खून","खून-का-दोष","लहू","लहूों-के-दोष-से"]·ID["darah"]·IT["bloodguilt","da-sangue","e-sangue"]·jav["dhateng-kula","getih","lan-rah","salah-getih","salah-getih."]·KO["그리고-그의-피들을","피-의-값이","피-흘림-에서","피가","피를"]·PT["de-sangue","e-sangues-dele","sangues"]·RU["и-кровь-его","кровная-вина","кровной-вины","кровь","от-кровей"]·ES["de-sangres","sangre","sangres","y-su-sangre"]·SW["damu","na-damu","na-damu-yake"]·TR["kan-borçlusu","kan-suçundan","kanlar","ve-kanlarını"]·urd["اور-اُس-کا-خون","خون","خونوں-سے"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H1320 1. body, physical being (207×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)G4561 1. flesh, physical body (150×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† דָּם360 n.m. Gn 9:6 blood (NH id. Arabic دَمٌ, Ethiopic ደም: Assyrian damu Nor 239 ZimBP 72, 76; Aramaic דַּם, דְּמָא, ܕܶܡ, ܕܡܳܐ )—abs. ד׳ Gn 37:22 + 154 times; cstr. דַּם Gn 9:6 + 62 times; sf. דָּמִי 1 S 26:20 + 3 times; דָּֽמְךָ 2 S 1:16 (Qr; Kt דמיך) + 4 times; דָּמֵךְ Ez 16:22 + 3 times; דָּמוֹ Gn 9:4 + 30 times דָּמָהּ Lv 4:30(×2) + 11 times; דִּמְכֶם Gn 9:5; דָּמָם Lv 16:27 + 11 times;…