H5122 H5122
A dunghill, refuse heap, or pile of ruins and rubble
This Aramaic loanword appears in Ezra and Daniel for a refuse heap or pile of ruins. King Darius decrees that anyone who alters his edict shall have a beam pulled from his house and he shall be impaled on it, 'and his house shall be made a dunghill' (Ezra 6). Daniel twice uses it in royal threats: houses will be made into dunghills as punishment for failing to interpret dreams or blaspheming God. The term evokes complete degradation—a dwelling reduced to a garbage heap, utter ruin and humiliation.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A dunghill or refuse heap. Ezra 6:11 records Darius's decree: 'whoever alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill.' Daniel 2:5 has Nebuchadnezzar threaten: 'if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.' Similarly 3:29 threatens those who blaspheme God. The Aramaic forms and consistent 'dunghill/refuse' rendering show this is a heap of destruction and desolation. 3×
AR["كُومَةً", "مَزَابِلَ", "مَزْبَلَةً"]·ben["আবর্জনার-স্তূপ", "আবর্জনাস্তূপ"]·DE["[נולו]", "[נולי]"]·EN["a-dunghill", "dunghill"]·FR["[נולו]", "déchet"]·heb["אשפה", "נולו"]·HI["कूड़े-का-ढेर", "गोबर-के-ढेर"]·ID["tempat-sampah", "timbunan-sampah"]·IT["[נולו]", "[נולי]"]·jav["reruntuhan", "sampah"]·KO["무더기로", "분뜨더미"]·PT["então", "montão-de-lixo", "montões-de-lixo"]·RU["в-нечистоту", "нечистотами", "нечистотой"]·ES["en-estiércol", "un-muladar"]·SW["jalala", "lundo-la-takataka"]·TR["copluk", "çöplük"]·urd["کچرا", "کچرے-کا-ڈھیر"]
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
† נְוָלוּ, נְוָלִי (K§ 61, 4. 5) n.f. refuse-heap (𝔗 נְוָלִי dung-heap; perhaps loan-word from Assyrian namâlu (nawâlu), ruin, JenKB vi. 363);—נְוָלוּ Ezr 6:11, נְוָלִי Dn 2:5; 3:29.