H1827 H1827
whisper, silence—a quiet voice or the sound of deep stillness
This feminine noun denotes a whisper or profound silence. Its most famous occurrence is 1 Kings 19:12: after wind, earthquake, and fire, God speaks to Elijah in 'a voice of gentle whisper' (qol demamah daqqah)—often rendered 'a still small voice.' Job 4:16 describes Eliphaz's vision: 'a whisper and a voice I heard'—an articulate, eerie whisper in the night. Psalm 107:29 celebrates God settling the storm 'into whisper' (li-demamah). The word suggests either hushed speech or the deep quiet that follows tumult—both communicating divine presence more powerfully than noise.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A whisper or deep silence, appearing in three contexts of divine encounter or deliverance. 1 Kings 19:12 uses the construct 'a voice of whisper, gentle' (qol demamah daqqah)—God's presence in quietness after dramatic phenomena. Job 4:16 pairs it with 'voice': 'whisper and a voice' (demamah va-qol), an articulate supernatural whisper in Eliphaz's vision. Psalm 107:29 describes storm transformed 'to whisper/stillness' (li-demamah). Cross-linguistic glosses: English 'silence/to stillness,' Spanish 'silencio/en calma' (silence/into calm), French 'silence/à calme,' German 'silence/zu stillness.' The word encompasses both hushed speech and profound quiet—God's preferred mode of revelation beyond spectacular displays. 3×
AR["سُكونٌ", "لِهُدوء", "هُدوءٍ"]·ben["নীরবতা", "নীরবতার", "শান্ততায়"]·DE["[דממה]", "silence", "zu-stillness"]·EN["silence", "to-stillness"]·FR["silence", "à-calme", "דממה"]·heb["דממה", "ל-דממה"]·HI["नीरवता", "शांत", "स्तब्धता-में"]·ID["keheningan", "menjadi-teduh"]·IT["[לדממה]", "silence"]·jav["dados-tentrem", "kasepen", "kèndhel"]·KO["고요함-으로", "고요함-의", "고요함이"]·PT["em-calmaria", "silêncio"]·RU["до-тишины", "тишина", "тишины"]·ES["en-calma", "silencio"]·SW["kimya", "kuwa-utulivu", "utulivu"]·TR["sessizlik", "sessizliğe"]·urd["خاموشی", "خاموشی-کی", "سکون-میں"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† דְּמָמָה n.f. (silence) whisper (on format. cf. BaNB 87)—וְאַחַר הָאֵשׁ קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּ֑ה 1 K 19:12; דְּמָמָה וָקוֹל אֶשְׁמָ֑ע Jb 4:16 a whisper and a voice, i.e. an articulate whisper (cf. Di); יָקֵם סְעָרָה לִדְמָמָ֑ה ψ 107:29 he settleth storm into whisper.