Original Word: דּוּחַ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: duwach
Pronunciation: doo'-akh
Phonetic Spelling: (doo'-akh)
KJV: cast out, purge, wash
NASB: rinse, purged, washed me away
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to thrust away
2. (figuratively) to cleanse

cast out, purge, wash

A primitive root; to thrust away; figuratively, to cleanse -- cast out, purge, wash.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to rinse, cleanse away by rinsing or washing
NASB Translation
purged (1), rinse (2), washed me away (1).

[דּוּחַ, דִּיחַ] verb rinse, cleanse away by rinsing, washing (Late Hebrew Hiph`il, Aramaic Aph`el id.; compare Assyrian dî—u Dl^{Pr 177}) —

Hiph`il Perfect suffix הדיחנו Kt Jeremiah 51:34 Qr הֱדִיחָ֑נִי but read הִדִּיחני from נדח (Hi, compare Jeremiah 50:17); Imperfect3masculine singular יָדִיחַ Isaiah 4:4; 3masculine plural יָדִיחוּ2Chronicles 4:6 + Ezekiel 40:38 (Co conjecture הַקָּדִים); —

1 rinse, victims to be offered in sacrifice Ezekiel 40:38, Songs 2 Chronicles 4:6 (compare above)

2 figurative cleanse by washing Isaiah 4:4, of removing guilt.

Root Meaning and Theological Overtones

דּוּחַ conveys the action of rinsing or washing away defilement. In every appearance the verb underscores the removal of uncleanness—whether ceremonial, moral, or judicial—highlighting the broader biblical theme that God alone provides true purification.

Cultic Cleansing in the First Temple

• 2 Chronicles 4:6 records ten lavers made by Solomon, “He set five on the south side and five on the north, to rinse the burnt offering.” Though blood sacrifice effected atonement, the offerings were first rinsed so that what was presented on the altar was free from impurity. The verb here signals meticulous obedience to the Levitical demand that everything brought before the LORD be undefiled (Leviticus 1:9).
• The priests themselves, standing between a holy God and a sinful people, modeled this cleansing in the molten sea (2 Chronicles 4:6b). Physical rinsing testified that ministry cannot proceed without prior purification.

Temple Vision and Future Worship

Ezekiel 40:38, given in the prophet’s apocalyptic temple tour, again locates a chamber “where they rinse the burnt offering.” The continuity of דּוּחַ from Solomon’s Temple to Ezekiel’s visionary temple affirms that the principle of cleansing will not be set aside in future worship. Even in eschatological hope, approach to God requires washing.

Moral and Eschatological Purification

Isaiah 4:4 shifts the verb from ritual to moral cleansing:

“When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.”

Here דּוּחַ portrays the Lord Himself rinsing His covenant community. External water imagery merges with internal purification; judgment and fire strip away impurity so that a remnant may dwell in holiness (Isaiah 4:3–4). The verb thus anticipates the new covenant promise of internal cleansing (Jeremiah 31:34; Ezekiel 36:25).

Judicial Reversal upon the Nations

Jeremiah 51:34 places דּוּחַ on Babylon’s lips: “He has rinsed me out.” Nebuchadnezzar, once the instrument of divine discipline, is accused of devouring and discarding his victims like refuse. The verb depicts ruthless exploitation—God’s people treated as wastewater. The same term that comforts Zion in Isaiah becomes a lament under tyranny, demonstrating that cleansing imagery can express both grace to the repentant and condemnation of the oppressor.

Canonical Connections

• דּוּחַ complements other Hebrew verbs for washing (רחץ, כבס), yet its nuance of rinsing emphasizes final removal of residue.
• New Testament writers echo the motif: believers are “washed” (Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11), Christ “cleansed the church by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26), and saints “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).
• The altar rinsing foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose once-for-all offering needs no further cleansing (Hebrews 10:10–14).

Ministry Implications

1. Worship leaders should stress the necessity of heart-cleansing before service (Psalm 24:3–4; 1 John 1:9).
2. Preaching that announces both the purifying judgment of God (Isaiah 4:4) and the gracious washing available through Christ maintains biblical balance.
3. Baptism symbolizes this rinsing work; yet ongoing confession and obedience manifest daily cleansing (John 13:10).
4. Pastoral care for oppressed believers may draw on Jeremiah 51:34, assuring them that abusers who “rinse out” God’s people will face divine retribution.

Historical Significance

The verb preserves a snapshot of ancient sacrificial procedure, illustrating Israel’s advanced cultic technology (ten mobile lavers, massive bronze sea) and the priesthood’s dedication to purity. Archaeological finds of temple basins and drainage channels corroborate such practices.

See Also

Leviticus 1:9; Psalm 51:2; Zechariah 13:1; John 15:3; Hebrews 9:22.

הֱדִיחָֽנִי׃ הדיחני׃ יָדִ֣יחַ יָדִ֣יחוּ יָדִ֥יחוּ ידיח ידיחו hĕ·ḏî·ḥā·nî hediChani hĕḏîḥānî yā·ḏî·aḥ yā·ḏî·ḥū yaDiach yāḏîaḥ yaDichu yāḏîḥūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts