Original Word: דּוּק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: duwq
Pronunciation: dook
Phonetic Spelling: (dook)
KJV: be broken to pieces
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H1854 (דָּקַק - crushed)]

1. to crumble

be broken to pieces

(Aramaic) corresponding to daqaq; to crumble -- be broken to pieces.

see HEBREW daqaq

Word Origin
(Aramaic) the same as deqaq, q.v.

[דְּקַק] verb be shattered, fall to pieces (Biblical Hebrew); —

Pe`al Perfect3masculine plural דָּקוּ Daniel 2:35.

Haph`el break in pieces: Perfect3feminine singular הַדֶּ֫קֶת Daniel 2:34,45, 3masculine pluralהַדִּ֑קוּ Daniel 6:25 (all followed by accusative); Imperfect3feminine singular תַּדִּק Daniel 2:40 (absolute), Daniel 2:44 (accusative); suffix תַּדֱּקִנַּהּ Daniel 7:23; Participle active מְהַדֵּק Daniel 2:40 (accusative), feminine מַדֱּקָה (K^{§ 46, 3 b})) absolute Daniel 7:7,19.

דָּר see דוּר.

Root and Semantic Range

Though דּוּק (duq, Strong’s 1751) itself is unattested in the Hebrew Old Testament, it belongs to a cluster of Semitic forms that convey the idea of something being crushed, pulverised, or reduced to extreme fineness. Cognate nouns and verbs (for example דַּק, דַּקָּה, and the verb דָּקַק) appear repeatedly in Scripture, setting the thematic backdrop for duq. The cognates describe “fine dust,” “powder,” “thinness,” or the act of grinding. In Aramaic and later Hebrew literature duq is used for powder-fine dust or infinitesimal particles.

Biblical Canvas of the Idea

1. Divine judgment that pulverises pride
• “Then I pulverised them as dust before the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets” (Psalm 18:42).
• “Your many foes will be like fine dust, the ruthless like blowing chaff” (Isaiah 29:5).

The picture is unmistakable: when the Holy One acts in judgment, the seemingly solid structures of human arrogance are ground to duq-like insignificance.

2. The frailty of man and created things
• “All flesh is grass… the nations are as a drop from a bucket; they are considered as dust on the scales” (Isaiah 40:6, 15).

The image of imperceptible dust highlights humanity’s transience before the eternal God.

3. Ritual reminder of dependence
• In Numbers 19:17 the ashes of the red heifer—reduced to powder—are mixed with water for cleansing.

The transition from living animal to purifying powder embodies both death and new purity. The pulverised medium becomes an instrument of restoration, prefiguring the gospel reality that Christ’s death brings cleansing (Hebrews 9:13-14).

Historical Notes

In Second-Temple Aramaic, duq was common for “fine dust.” Jewish scholars of late antiquity used the noun in halakhic discussions about contamination by minute fragments of bone. The verb form appears in Syriac for “to crush” or “to grate.” This extra-biblical usage helps clarify the OT cognates: whenever Scripture speaks of “fine dust” in judgment or worship, the audience would have pictured particles so light they almost disappear—duq.

Ministry Significance

1. Preaching judgment with compassion

The duq motif guards the preacher from trivialising divine wrath. Nations, empires, and individual rebels become powder before the Lord; yet Isaiah immediately offers comfort to the repentant. Effective ministry exposes sin’s end (pulverisation) while extending God’s gracious call.

2. Cultivating humility

Believers remembering that “He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14) can face trials without despair and successes without pride. Leaders who internalise the duq perspective shepherd the flock with gentleness.

3. Encouraging perseverance

In Daniel 2 the stone crushes the statue to powder, yet that same stone grows into a mountain filling the earth—a picture of Messiah’s indestructible kingdom. However small and scattered the church may appear, its destiny is not to remain duq but to inherit a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).

New Testament Connections

Jesus applies duq imagery when He instructs the disciples to “shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14), signalling that those who reject the gospel render themselves weightless in God’s scales. Paul cites Isaiah 29:5-6 in Romans 9:29-33 to show that God will both reduce the proud to powder and raise a remnant by grace.

Devotional Reflection

Every believer carries, as it were, a pinch of duq in the pocket: a reminder that we are creatures, yet loved; fragile, yet redeemed; perishable, yet destined for glory. When life’s achievements tempt us to self-sufficiency, or trials make us feel ground down, remembering duq refocuses our hearts on the One who “raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap” (Psalm 113:7).

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