Original Word: דַד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: dad
Pronunciation: dad
Phonetic Spelling: (dad)
KJV: breast, teat
NASB: bosom, breasts
Word Origin: [apparently from the same as H1730 (דּוֹד דּוֹד - beloved)]

1. the breast (as the seat of love, or from its shape)

breast, teat

Apparently from the same as dowd; the breast (as the seat of love, or from its shape) -- breast, teat.

see HEBREW dowd

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
breast, teat, nipple
NASB Translation
bosom (3), breasts (1).

[דַּד] noun masculine^{Proverbs 5:19} breast, better teat, nipple (τιτθοί Aq Proverbs 5:19 Symm Ezekiel 23:3,21; Late Hebrew & Aramaic דַּד; primitive caressing word; according to Fl in NHWB^{i. 489}) — Du. construct דַּדֵּי Ezekiel 23:3,8) both strike out ᵐ5 ᵑ6 Co); suffix דַּדַּיִךְ Ezekiel 23:21 (read בתוליך ᵑ6 Co); דַּדֶּיהָ Proverbs 5:19; — of breasts of woman Proverbs 5:19; (Hi Bi read דֹּדֶיהָ her love compare Proverbs 7:18); of Samaria & Jerusalem under figure of young women Ezekiel 23:3 (דַּדֵּי בְּתוּלֵיהֶן) compare Ezekiel 23:8; דַּדַּיִךְ Ezekiel 23:21; but probably strike out ׳ד in Ezekiel compare above & Gei^{Urachrift 397}. — See also שַׁד below שׁדה.

דֹּד, דֹּדָה see below דוד.

Physical Referent

The noun דַד designates the female breast, especially the nipple area, an organ associated in Scripture with nurture (nursing) and with erotic appeal inside covenant marriage.

Occurrences

1. Proverbs 5:19
2. Ezekiel 23:3
3. Ezekiel 23:8
4. Ezekiel 23:21

Marital Delight and Fidelity (Proverbs 5:19)

“A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you at all times; may you be captivated always by her love.” (Proverbs 5:19)

Within a wisdom context warning against adultery, the verse sanctifies sexual pleasure in marriage. The husband is urged to find continual satisfaction in his wife’s breasts, underscoring that the God-given context for erotic joy is the lifelong covenant. The vocabulary is tender and affectionate, revealing that Scripture does not treat marital intimacy as merely procreative but also as a legitimate expression of delight and bonding.

Prophetic Condemnation of Spiritual Harlotry (Ezekiel 23:3, 8, 21)

Ezekiel employs vivid bodily imagery to portray Samaria (Oholah) and Jerusalem (Oholibah) as faithless wives who “played the prostitute in Egypt.” Their “breasts were fondled” (Ezekiel 23:3), and they “lusted after their lovers, whose flesh was like that of donkeys” (Ezekiel 23:20). The repeated mention of breasts accentuates the shamelessness of their alliances with pagan nations and idols. The prophet deliberately contrasts the holiness of covenant love with the degradation of spiritual adultery. דַד becomes a symbol of Israel’s perverted affections—what should have been devoted to Yahweh is offered to foreign powers.

Symbolic Range

• Physical beauty: Celebrated inside marriage as God’s good gift.
• Maternal nurture: By extension, breasts feed infants; though not explicit in these four texts, other Semitic usage suggests the nurturing role.
• Spiritual loyalty: In prophetic metaphor, the exposure or misuse of breasts signals covenant unfaithfulness.

Historical–Cultural Background

In Ancient Near Eastern iconography, female breasts often signified fertility and national prosperity. Israel’s prophets harness that cultural language to indict the nation: when Israel sought security through political treaties and idolatry, she was, in effect, offering her “breasts” to foreign gods. Conversely, wisdom literature, situated within family life, highlights the honorable enjoyment of the same body part in marriage.

Theological Implications

1. God affirms embodied human sexuality. The canonical tension between Proverbs and Ezekiel shows that the same physical reality can glorify God or dishonor Him, depending on covenant faithfulness.
2. Covenant structures sexual ethics. The breasts are honorable within marital faithfulness but shameful when symbolizing idolatry.
3. Prophetic realism. Ezekiel’s frank language underscores the seriousness of spiritual adultery; sin is not abstract but personal and intimate.

Pastoral and Ministry Application

• Marriage Counseling: Proverbs 5:19 legitimizes mutual physical enjoyment; counselors may encourage couples to cultivate such delight as part of marital faithfulness.
• Discipleship: Ezekiel 23 warns believers against divided loyalties. Teachers can illustrate how misplaced affections—whether relationships, careers, or idols—parallel Israel’s harlotry.
• Preaching: The juxtaposition of passages offers a balanced theology of sexuality: celebration within God’s design and condemnation outside it.

Intertextual Echoes

Song of Solomon often praises breasts (for example, Song of Solomon 7:3), complementing Proverbs 5:19 in affirming conjugal love. The New Testament draws on the marriage metaphor when describing Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32), showing that physical marriage and its intimacies foreshadow spiritual union.

Conclusion

דַד appears sparingly yet powerfully, functioning as both a tender emblem of legitimate marital pleasure and a stark image of covenant treachery. Its usage reminds readers that human bodies and relationships are arenas where faithfulness to God is either honored or betrayed.

דַּ֭דֶּיהָ דַּדֵּ֖י דַּדֵּ֣י דַּדַּ֔יִךְ דדי דדיה דדיך dad·da·yiḵ dad·dê dad·de·hā dadDayich daddayiḵ daddê daddehā dadDei DaddeihaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts