Original Word: דּוֹנַג
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: downag
Pronunciation: doh-nawg
Phonetic Spelling: (do-nag')
KJV: wax
NASB: wax
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. wax

Of uncertain derivation; wax; -wax

Of uncertain derivation; wax; -wax.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
wax (as melting)
NASB Translation
wax (4).

דּוֺנַג noun masculine wax, דּוֺנַג Micah 1:4 2t.; דּוֺנָג֑ Psalm 22:15 — always in simile, of melting; at theophany hills melt like wax Psalm 97:5; like wax before fire Micah 1:4; wicked perish as wax melteth before fire Psalm 68:3; heart melteth like wax Psalm 22:15 (simile of fear, despair). On ׳ד in Psalm 118:12 compare Bae Che^{critical note}.

Figurative Power and Literary Function

דּוֹנַג is not an everyday commodity word in Scripture; every occurrence is poetic, serving as a vivid image of something that cannot withstand an intense presence. Wax, soft by nature, yields immediately to fire. The writers enlist that instant surrender to communicate human frailty, the impotence of the wicked, and even the plasticity of creation when confronted with Yahweh’s glory.

Metaphorical Imagery in the Psalms

Psalm 22:14 places wax inside the psalmist’s chest: “My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.” The simile captures utter vulnerability. David’s exterior threats become an interior collapse—an emblem of Christ’s own anguish on the cross. By contrast, Psalm 68:2 shifts the image outward toward God’s enemies: “As wax melts before the fire, the wicked perish in the presence of God.” Wax here becomes a moral commentary: resistance to the Lord is as futile as wax resisting flame. Psalm 97:5 widens the scope from individuals to geography itself: “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD.” Even the most solid features of the earth surrender when the Creator steps onto the scene.

Theophanic Contexts

In each setting, wax signals a theophany—God drawing near. Wax does not simply melt; it melts “before the fire” or “in the presence of God.” The word therefore functions as a theological alert: divine nearness transforms reality. Such theophanic meltings anticipate the apocalyptic dissolution described in 2 Peter 3:10, when “the elements will be dissolved in the fire.”

Prophetic Warning in Micah

Micah 1:4 employs the same imagery to announce judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem: “The mountains will melt beneath Him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax before the fire.” The prophet thus projects a cosmic courtroom. Wax is not merely soft material; it is the prophetic shorthand for imminent, unstoppable judgment.

Worship and Assurance

For the righteous, these texts invite awe, not terror. If mountains liquefy before Him, then human oppressors certainly will. The metaphor thus nurtures confidence in prayer and worship: steadfast love stands when everything meltable melts. When believers sing Psalm 97, they confess that the One they adore commands the very matter of creation.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Pastoral Care: Psalm 22:14 validates seasons when a believer’s “heart is like wax.” A minister can affirm that such frailty is not failure but participation in the suffering pattern modeled by Christ.
2. Evangelism: Psalm 68:2 underscores the urgency of repentance. Wax-before-fire imagery clarifies that judgment is not gradual erosion but sudden exposure to holiness.
3. Corporate Worship: Reading Psalm 97:5 before congregational praise recalibrates the assembly’s sense of divine grandeur.

Christological Foreshadowing

Psalm 22 is explicitly fulfilled in Jesus’ crucifixion. The melting heart prefigures the moment when the spear opens His side and “blood and water” flow (John 19:34). Just as wax liquefies at the flame’s touch, the incarnate Son yields entirely to the Father’s purifying purpose, securing redemption for those who would otherwise melt in judgment.

Continuity with New Testament Revelation

Hebrews 12:29 affirms, “Our God is a consuming fire.” The wax imagery of the Old Testament therefore pre-echoes the New Testament portrayal of divine holiness. In Revelation 1:14–16 Christ’s blazing presence still melts resistance. The motif reinforces the canonical unity of God’s character—graciously near, terrifyingly pure.

Summary

דּוֹנַג depicts more than melted wax; it crystallizes the Biblical conviction that nothing—heart, wickedness, mountain, or capital city—can endure the unveiled presence of the LORD. The same fire that liquefies also refines, calling every generation either to perish like wax or to be purified for everlasting fellowship with Him.

דּ֭וֹנַג דונג כַּדּוֹנַ֗ג כַּדּוֹנַג֙ כַּדּוֹנָ֑ג כדונג dō·w·naḡ Donag dōwnaḡ kad·dō·w·naḡ kad·dō·w·nāḡ kaddoNag kaddōwnaḡ kaddōwnāḡInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts