1748. dumam

Lexical Summary

dumam: Silence, stillness

Original Word: דּוּמָם
Part of Speech: proper name; masculine; noun masculine; adverb
Transliteration: duwmam
Pronunciation: doo-mawm'
Phonetic Spelling: (doo-mawm')
KJV: dumb, silent, quietly wait
NASB: silently, mute
Word Origin: [from H1826 (דָּמַם - To be silent)]

1. still
2. adverbially, silently

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

dumb, silent, quietly wait

From damam; still; adverbially, silently -- dumb, silent, quietly wait.

see HEBREW damam

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as dumah
Definition
a silence, in silence, silently
NASB Translation
mute (1), silently (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. דּוּמָה proper name

1. masculine son of Ishmael Genesis 25:15 = 1 Chronicles 1:30 compare probably Dumath al-Jandal in Northern Arabia in Jôf see Burckhardt^{Travels in Syria 662f.} Di; also Ges^Comm. on Isaiah 21:11, Glaser^{Skizze ii. 392, 440.}

2 city in mountains of Judah Joshua 15:52, compare Δοῦμα in the Daroma, 17 miles from Eleutheropolis Lag^{Onom. 250. 2nd ed. 258}, = modern Daume, southwest from Hebron van de Velde^{Memoir 308} Guérin^{Judée iii. 359 ff.} compare Di.

3 name of Edom with mystic meaning Isaiah 21:11 Duma = silence of death, desolation, De Che and others (JDMich Ges Hi think 31; ᵐ5 has Ἰδουμαια; Jerome interprets as part of Idumea; still another view below I.דּוּמָה).

דּוּמָם noun [masculine] silence Habakkuk 2:19 ׳אֶבֶן ד stone of silence = dumb stone;

adverb in silence, silently, Isaiah 47:5; Lamentations 3:26 (? read here וְרָמַם from דמם).

דּוּמֶּ֫שֶׂק 2 Kings 16:10 compare דַּמֶּשֶׂק.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Scope

The term expresses an intentional, complete quiet: the hush that falls when speech is forbidden, sound is stilled, or breath is held in awe. Unlike incidental pauses, it points to a purposeful stillness—whether imposed by God, embraced by the faithful, or exposed in the lifelessness of idols.

Occurrences and Immediate Contexts

1. Isaiah 47:5 – Babylon, once boisterous, is commanded, “Sit in silence,” as the LORD’s judgment strips her of pomp.
2. Lamentations 3:26 – In the wake of Jerusalem’s fall, Jeremiah affirms, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD,” framing silence as hopeful submission.
3. Habakkuk 2:19 – The prophet mocks the “silent stone” that cannot respond, underscoring the impotence of idols.

Silence Before Divine Judgment

In Isaiah, stillness is punitive. The conqueror becomes speechless, illustrating that no empire can boast before the Almighty (compare Revelation 18:21-23). The motif warns nations and individuals alike that pride ends in a hush decreed by heaven.

Silence in Patient Faith

Lamentations shows the other side: not forced muteness but chosen quiet as the soul waits for God. Such waiting echoes “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) and anticipates the restful trust urged by Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34. Here silence is an act of worship, surrendering argument and anxiety to divine timing.

Silence as Proof of Idolatry’s Futility

Habakkuk contrasts the speechless idol with the living God who answers prayer (Habakkuk 2:20). Paul later reaches the same conclusion in 1 Corinthians 12:2: dumb idols enslave, but the Spirit speaks. The word therefore exposes the emptiness of all substitutes for the Lord.

Historical Backdrop

• Isaiah 47 addresses Babylon near the height of its power (seventh-sixth centuries BC).
• Lamentations 3 laments the 586 BC destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon.
• Habakkuk prophesies shortly before Babylon’s rise, around 609-605 BC.

The shared Babylonian setting reminds readers that every human glory eventually falls silent before God’s sovereignty.

Links with the Wider Canon

• The thirty-minute silence in heaven (Revelation 8:1) underscores awe before unfolding judgment, mirroring Isaiah 47.
• Jesus stood silent before His accusers (Matthew 26:63), fulfilling Isaiah 53:7; His purposeful silence achieved redemption where Babylon’s enforced silence signaled disgrace.
• The Sabbath principle elevates holy stillness as a covenant gift (Exodus 16:23-30; Hebrews 4:9-10).

Ministerial Applications

1. Encourage periods of deliberate silence in corporate worship to foster reverence.
2. Teach waiting prayer from Lamentations 3:26 as a remedy for frantic activism.
3. Confront modern idols—materialism, technology, self-promotion—whose promises are as mute as Habakkuk’s stone.
4. Offer pastoral counsel that in seasons of discipline, enforced quiet may be God’s invitation to deeper trust rather than evidence of abandonment.

Preaching Outline Suggestion

I. The Silence God Commands (Isaiah 47:5) – humbling pride.

II. The Silence God Commends (Lamentations 3:26) – nurturing hope.

III. The Silence God Condemns (Habakkuk 2:19) – exposing idols.

IV. The Silence God Completes (Revelation 8:1) – ushering final justice.

Devotional Reflection

True life is found not in ceaseless noise but in the quiet that listens for the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27). To sit “in silence” may feel like loss, yet it positions the believer to witness the salvation of the LORD and to proclaim, with renewed voice, His unfailing glory.

Forms and Transliterations

דּוּמָ֑ם דוּמָ֛ם דומם וְדוּמָ֔ם ודומם dū·mām ḏū·mām duMam dūmām ḏūmām veduMam wə·ḏū·mām wəḏūmām

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 47:5
HEB: שְׁבִ֥י דוּמָ֛ם וּבֹ֥אִי בַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ
NAS: Sit silently, and go into darkness,
KJV: Sit thou silent, and get
INT: Sit silently and go darkness

Lamentations 3:26
HEB: ט֤וֹב וְיָחִיל֙ וְדוּמָ֔ם לִתְשׁוּעַ֖ת יְהוָֽה׃
NAS: that he waits silently For the salvation
KJV: that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation
INT: good bear silently the salvation of the LORD

Habakkuk 2:19
HEB: ע֖וּרִי לְאֶ֣בֶן דּוּמָ֑ם ה֣וּא יוֹרֶ֔ה
NAS: Awake!' To a mute stone,
KJV: Awake; to the dumb stone,
INT: Arise stone to the dumb it shall teach

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1748
3 Occurrences

ḏū·mām — 2 Occ.
wə·ḏū·mām — 1 Occ.