H1826a H1826a
To be silent, be still, cease; from voluntary hush before God to forced destruction; also to stand still and to calm.
Damam covers an evocative range from reverent hush to cosmic standstill to annihilating judgment. At one end, the psalmist counsels 'be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him' (Ps 37:7) — a chosen silence of trust. At the other extreme, Jeremiah's prophetic doom oracles use the Nifal to declare that entire nations will 'be silenced,' meaning destroyed and reduced to nothing (Jer 49:26; 50:30). Between these poles stands one of the Bible's most dramatic scenes: Joshua commanding the sun to 'stand still' at Gibeon (Josh 10:12), where silence becomes cosmic cessation of motion. The word's emotional palette is completed by the tender Piel of Psalm 131:2 — 'I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother.'
4. sense 4 — To calm, quiet (Piel causative): to deliberately bring about a state of quietness or tranquility in another. Psalm 131:2 — 'surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother' — is the sole clear instance, using the Piel to express gentle, nurturing pacification of inner turmoil. Spanish he-acallado ('I have hushed') and the English 'quieted' both capture the tender, self-directed soothing. Distinguished from the Hifil by the absence of destructive connotation; this is the silence of comfort, not of judgment. 1×
AR["وَأُسَكِّنْ"]·ben["এবং-নীরব-করেছি"]·DE["und-quieted"]·EN["and-quieted"]·FR["[ודוממתי]"]·heb["ו-דוממתי"]·HI["और-चुप-किया"]·ID["dan-mendiamkan"]·IT["e-tacque"]·jav["lan-meneng"]·KO["그리고-잠잠하게-하였나이다"]·PT["e-aquietei"]·RU["и-утишил"]·ES["y-he-acallado"]·SW["na-kumnyamazisha"]·TR["ve-sussturdum"]·urd["اور-خاموش-کیا-میں-نے"]
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. be silent, keep quiet — To be silent, keep quiet, refrain from speech or sound: the basic Qal intransitive sense and the largest cluster (16 occurrences). Aaron 'was silent' after the death of his sons (Lev 10:3) — a silence of grief and submission. The wise man 'keeps silent' in an evil time (Amos 5:13). The psalmist commands his own soul to 'be still' before God (Ps 4:4; 62:5). Lamentations 2:10 and 3:28 describe the elders and the mourner sitting in silence. Spanish calla and French se-taire select voluntary, speech-related silence. The Ethiopic cognate preserves the 'be stunned, stupefied' overtone that sometimes colors the Hebrew. 16×
AR["اصْمُتْ","اِصمُتي","تَسْكُتِي","تَصْمُتِينَ","صَامِتِينَ","صَمْتًا","وَ-اسْكُتُوا","وَ-صَمَتَ","وَ-صَمَتُ","وَ-يَسكُتونَ","وَاسْكُنِي","وَيَصْمُتُ","يَسْكُتُ","يَصْمُتُ","يَصْمُتُونَ"]·ben["আর-নীরব-থাকত","আর-নীরব-থাকতাম","এবং-চুপ-করলেন","এবং-চুপ-থাকো","এবং-নীরব-হও","এবং-নীরবে","চুপ-থাক","তারা-স্তব্ধ-হবে","থামুক","নীরব-থাকবে","নীরব-হও","নীরব-হবে","নীরব-হয়","নীরব-হোক","নীরবে"]·DE["Blut","[וידם]","[וידמו]","[ידם]","[ידמו]","[תדם]","lass-ihnen-sein-silent","schweigen","sein-silent","sie-sind-noch","und-Blut-von","und-Mensch","und-sein-noch","und-war-silent"]·EN["and-I-was-silent","and-be-silent","and-be-still","and-they-were-silent","and-was-silent","be-silent","in-silence","is-silent","let-be-still","let-them-be-silent","shall-be-silenced","they-are-still"]·FR["[דום]","[דומי]","[ודמו]","[ידם]","[ידמו]","et-leur-main","et-sang-de","et-se-taire","et-était-silent","ils-sont-encore","leur-main","se-taire"]·heb["דום","דומי","ו-אדום","ו-דומי","ו-דמו","ו-ידום","ו-ידם","ו-ידמו","ידוֹם","ידום","ידמו","תדמי","תידום"]·HI["और-चुप-रह","और-चुप-रहता-था-मैं","और-चुप-रहा","और-चुप-रहे","और-चुप-रहो","गूँगे-होंगे","चुप-रह","चुप-रहे","चुप-रहेगा","चुपचाप","चुपचाप-प्रतीक्षा-कर","तू-चुप-हो-जाएगा","मेरी-सलाह-के-लिए","रुके","वे-चुप-हों"]·ID["berdiam","berdiam-diri","dan-aku diam","dan-berdiam-diri","dan-diamlah","dan-mereka diam","diam","diamlah","engkau-akan-dibungkamkan","menjadi-kaku"]·IT["[ידם]","e-e-Io-era-silent","e-e-they-were-silent","e-fu-silent","e-la-loro-mano","e-tacere","e-tacque","essi-sono-ancora","sangue","tacere","tacque"]·jav["Mugi-kendel","badhe-bisu","kendel","kèndel","lan-kecep","lan-kula-kecep","lan-kèndel","lan-mendela","lan-meneng","mendel","meneng","mugi-sami-mendel","saha-mèneng-a","tentrem","tiyang-mendel"]·KO["그들이-잠잠하리이다","그리고-내가-잠잠하였다","그리고-잠잔하라","그리고-잠잠하는데","그리고-잠잠하라","그리고-잠잠했다","그리고-잠잠히","잉잠하게-하라","잠잠하라","잠잠하리니","잠잠하며","조용히","침묵하게-하소서","침묵하라-너는","침묵하지"]·PT["Descansa","E-calou-se","calam-se","calará","cesse","e-aquieta-te","e-aquietai-vos","e-calavam-se","e-cale-se","e-fiquei-calado","em-silêncio","emudeçam","ficarão-mudos","se-cale","serás-silenciada","silencia"]·RU["безмолвствуй","да-умолкнут","замолкнут","и-замолкал-я","и-замолчал","и-молча","и-молчали","и-умолкни","и-умолкните","молча","умолкай","умолкала","умолкнет","умолкнешь","умолкни"]·ES["Calla","callan","callará","calle","enmudecerán","enmudezcan","guarda-silencio","serás-silenciada","silenciosamente","y-callaban","y-callad","y-calle","y-callé","y-calló","y-quédate-quieta"]·SW["Tulia","atanyamaza","kimya","kuacha","na-akae-kimya","na-akanyamaza","na-kimya","na-nilikaa-kimya","na-nyamazeni","na-wakanyamaza","pumzika","utanyamazishwa","uwe-kimya","watakuwa-kimya","wawe-kimya"]·TR["Sessiz-ol","bekle","donacaklar","dursun","sessiz","sessizce","susacak","sussun","sussunlar","susturulacaksın","ve-sus","ve-sussun","ve-sustu","ve-sustular","ve-sustum","ve-susunuz"]·urd["اور-خاموش رہتے تھے","اور-خاموش-رہو","اور-خاموش-رہے","اور-خاموش-ہو","اور-میں خاموش رہا","اور-چپ-رہا","تو-خاموش-ہو-جائے-گی","خاموش","خاموش-رہ","خاموش-رہے","خاموش-رہے-گا","خاموش-ہوں","خاموش-ہوں-گے","خاموشی-سے","رکے"]
2. be silenced, perish — To be silenced, be cut off, perish: Nifal and related forms where silence is imposed as destruction or divine judgment. The wicked 'are silenced in darkness' (1 Sam 2:9); Jeremiah declares that the young men of Damascus, Kedar, and Babylon 'shall be silenced' — that is, destroyed (Jer 49:26; 50:30). In Jer 25:37 'the peaceful folds are silenced because of the fierce anger of the LORD.' Spanish enmudecerán and perezcan ('perish') show the oscillation between 'silenced' and 'destroyed.' Korean and Swahili renderings similarly toggle between silence and annihilation vocabulary. Six occurrences, all in prophetic judgment contexts. 6×
AR["تُصَمَّتُوا","وَ-سَكَتَتْ","وَنَصْمُتُ-","يَصْمُتُونَ","يُصَمَّتُونَ","يُصْمَتُونَ"]·ben["আর-নীরব-হবে","এবং-নীরব-হব","ধ্বংস-হও","নীরব-হবে"]·DE["schweigen","sind-silenced","und-schweigen"]·EN["And-are-silenced","and-let-us-be-silenced-","are-silenced","be-cut-off","will-be-silenced"]·FR["et-se-taire","se-taire","sont-silenced"]·heb["ו-נדמו","ו-נידמה","ידמו","יידמו","תדמו"]·HI["और-शान्त-कर-दी-गई-हैं","और-हम-चुप-रहें","चुप-हो-जाएंगे","चुप-होंगे","तुम-नष्ट-हो"]·ID["akan-dibungkamkan","dan-kita-binasa-","dan-menjadi-sunyi","dibungkamkan"]·IT["e-tacere","sono-silenced","tacere"]·jav["Lan-sepi","karisak","lan-sumangga-kita-meneng-","sami-bisu","sami-mendel"]·KO["그리고-멸망하자","그리고-잔잔해졌다","끊어지리라","잠잠하게-되리라","잠잠하다"]·PT["E-foram-silenciados","e-pereamos","sejais-silenciados","serão-silenciados"]·RU["И-опустели","будут-уничтожены","и-погибнем-","погибните","умолкнут"]·ES["Y-enmudecerán","enmudecerán","perezcan","serán-silenciados","y-perezcamos"]·SW["Na-yameangamizwa","angamizwe","na-tuangamie","watanyamazishwa"]·TR["Ve-sessizleşti","susturulacak","susturulur","ve-sessiz-olalım-","yok-olmayın"]·urd["اور-خاموش-ہو-گئیں","اور-خاموش-ہوں-","تم-خاموش-ہو-جاؤ","خاموش-ہو-جائیں-گے","خاموش-ہوں-گے"]
3. stand still, cease — To stand still, cease, halt: physical cessation of motion rather than absence of sound. Joshua's command to the sun — 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon' (Josh 10:12) — and its fulfillment, 'the sun stood still' (Josh 10:13), are the definitive instances. First Samuel 14:9 uses it of soldiers standing still. Job 30:27 and Psalm 35:15 extend the concept to internal turmoil that will not 'be still.' Spanish Estad-quietos and German stehe-noch both select physical-cessation vocabulary rather than speech-silence words. Five occurrences where the spatial-kinetic sense is primary. 5×
AR["تَسكُنُ","فَ-وَقَفَت","قِفي","قِفُوا","يَكُفّوا"]·ben["অপেক্ষা-কর","এবং-থামল","থাম","থামল","শান্ত-হয়"]·DE["[דמו]","sie-ceased","stehe-noch","stehen-noch","und-stand-noch"]·EN["and-stood-still","are-still","stand-still","they-ceased"]·FR["[דמו]","et-se-tint-encore","se-taire","se-tenir-encore","tiens-toi-encore"]·heb["דום","דמו","ו-דמם"]·HI["और-ठहरा","चुप-हुए","ठहर","ठहरो","शांत-हुईं"]·ID["Diamlah","berhentilah","dan-berhenti","diam"]·IT["are-still","e-stette-ancora","sta-ancora","stare-in-piedi-ancora","tacque"]·jav["Lan-mandheg","kecep","mandhega","ngentosi","sami-mendel"]·KO["가만히-있으라","그리고-멈추었다","그치지-않는다","멈추라","쉬지"]·PT["calaram","descansam","detém-te","parai","¶ E-deteve-se"]·RU["И-остановилось","перестают","стой","стойте","умолкали"]·ES["Estad-quietos","Y-se-detuvo","callan","cesaron","deténte"]·SW["hayapumziki","kutulia","na-likasimama","simama","simameni"]·TR["Ve-durdu","dur","durun","duruyorlar","sustular"]·urd["اور-ٹھہر-گیا","خاموش","رُکے","ٹھہر-جا","ٹھہرو"]
5. sense 5 — To cause to be silent, silence by destruction (Hifil causative): to impose silence through overwhelming, annihilating force. In Jeremiah 8:14 the people confess 'the LORD our God has silenced us' — using the Hifil to mark God as the external agent who reduces a nation to silence through devastating judgment. Spanish nos-ha-destruido ('has destroyed us') and French se-taire show the destructive force. Distinguished from the Nifal passive (sense 2) by the explicit causative morphology identifying the agent, and from the Piel (sense 4) by the punitive rather than nurturing intent. 1×
AR["أَصْمَتَنَا"]·ben["আমাদের-নীরব-করেছেন"]·DE["schweigen"]·EN["has-silenced-us"]·FR["se-taire"]·heb["הדמנו"]·HI["हमें-चुप-कराया-है"]·ID["membinasakan-kita"]·IT["tacere"]·jav["menengaken-kita"]·KO["우리를-멸망시켰다"]·PT["fez-nos-perecer"]·RU["обрёк-нас"]·ES["nos-ha-destruido"]·SW["ametuangamiza"]·TR["susturdu-bizi"]·urd["خاموش-کیا-ہمیں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [דָּמַם] vb. be or grow dumb, silent, still (NH id.; Ethiopic in ii. 1 አድመመ stupefy; iii., 1 & 2 ተደመ, ተደመመ be astounded, stupefied)— Qal Pf. דָּ֑מּוּ ψ 35:15 Jb 30:27; Impf. יִדֹּם Am 5:13 + 2 times, וַיִּדֹּם Lv 10:3; Jos 10:13; 3 fs. תִּדֹּם La 2:18; 2 fs. תִּדֹּמִּי Je 48:2 (so Ki Ol & Kö327 q.v.; others Niph.); וָאֶדֹּם Jb 31:14; יִדְּמוּ Ex 15:16 + 3 times; 1 pl. cohort. נִדְּמָה Je…