Original Word: דַּהֲהַר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: dahahar
Pronunciation: dah-har-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (dah-hah-har')
KJV: pransing
NASB: dashing
Word Origin: [by reduplication from H1725 (דָּהַר - galloping)]

1. a gallop

pransing

By reduplication from dahar; a gallop -- pransing.

see HEBREW dahar

Word Origin
from dahar
Definition
a rushing, dashing
NASB Translation
dashing (2).

[דַּהֲרָה] noun feminine rushing, dashing, of riders — Plural construct דַּהֲרוֺת דַּהֲרוֺת אַבִּירָיו Judges 5:22; repetition for intensity, furious dashing.

Occurrences

The term appears only in Judges 5:22, where it is used twice in rapid succession to mimic the pounding rhythm of war-horses.

Literary Setting

Judges 5 is the victory song of Deborah and Barak after the Lord’s deliverance from Sisera. The repeated word reproduces the sound of hooves in flight, reinforcing the poem’s dramatic tension: “Then the horses’ hooves pounded—the galloping, galloping of his stallions” (Judges 5:22).

Historical Background

Sisera commanded nine hundred iron chariots (Judges 4:3), the cutting-edge military force of the day. When the Lord sent a storm that swelled the Kishon Brook (Judges 5:20-21), the chariots bogged down, forcing the horses into a frantic stampede. The term captures that headlong, panicked flight, turning technological superiority into a scene of defeat and underscoring the reliability of the narrative as an eyewitness account.

Imagery and Poetic Function

• Onomatopoeia: The doubled form creates the audible effect of thundering hooves.
• Reversal of power: Horses—normally a symbol of strength—become an emblem of the enemy’s collapse.
• Intensification: The rapid repetition heightens the sense of chaos that follows divine intervention.

Theological Significance

The word reinforces the consistent biblical contrast between human might and divine sovereignty. The strongest cavalry cannot stand before the Lord’s purpose (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31). Nature itself joins the battle on Israel’s behalf, echoing other passages where weather, earthquakes, or celestial bodies serve God’s redemptive plan (Joshua 10:11; 1 Samuel 7:10).

Ministry and Devotional Application

• Proclamation: The verse encourages believers to recount God’s victories with vivid praise, turning history into worship.
• Spiritual warfare: It illustrates that opposing forces, no matter how formidable, are powerless against God’s command.
• Leadership: Deborah’s song models immediate, God-centered celebration after success, a pattern for ministry today.

Related Themes

Horses in battle—Exodus 15:1-21; 2 Kings 2:11; Zechariah 10:3

Songs of deliverance—Exodus 15; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Revelation 15:3-4

Divine use of nature—Judges 5:4-5; Job 38:22-23; Nahum 1:3-6

Summary

Though used only in one verse, דַּהֲהַר vividly conveys the thunder of fleeing horses and encapsulates the lesson of Deborah’s song: human power cannot withstand the sovereign Lord, whose deliverance turns the enemy’s proud charge into a panicked retreat.

דַּהֲר֥וֹת דהרות מִֽדַּהֲר֖וֹת מדהרות da·hă·rō·wṯ dahaRot dahărōwṯ mid·da·hă·rō·wṯ middahaRot middahărōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts