Original Word: דָּמָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: damah
Pronunciation: dah-maw'
Phonetic Spelling: (daw-mam')
KJV: cease, be cut down (off), destroy, be brought to silence, be undone, X utterly
NASB: ruined, cut off, perish, cease, completely cut off, destroy, destroyed
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to be dumb or silent
2. (hence) to fail or perish
3. trans. to destroy

cease, be cut down off, destroy, be brought to silence, be undone, utterly

A primitive root; to be dumb or silent; hence, to fail or perish; trans. To destroy -- cease, be cut down (off), destroy, be brought to silence, be undone, X utterly.

Word Origin
a prim root
Definition
to cease, cause to cease, cut off, destroy
NASB Translation
cease (1), completely cut off (1), cut off (2), destroy (1), destroyed (1), perish (2), ruined (5), silenced (1), unceasingly* (1).

II. [דָּמָה] verb cease, cause to cease, cut off, destroy —

Qal Perfect1singular דָּמִיתִי Jeremiah 6:2, וְדָמִ֫יתִי consecutive Hosea 4:5; Imperfect3feminine singular תִּדְמֶה Lamentations 3:49; 3feminine plural jussive תִּדְמֶינָה Jeremiah 14:17; —

1 intransitive cease Jeremiah 14:17 (eyes from weeping)Lamentations 3:49 (id.)

2 cause to cease, cut off, destroy, with accusative Israel (under figure of בתצֿיון) Jeremiah 6:2; (under figure of אִמֶּ֑ךָ) Hosea 4:5.

Niph`al Perfect נִדְמָה Isaiah 15:1 (twice in verse) +; 3feminine singular נִדְמְתָה Jeremiah 47:15; 2masculine singular נִדְמֵיתָה Obadiah 5, נִדְמֵיתָ Ezekiel 32:2; 1singular נִדְמֵיתִי Isaiah 6:5; 3plural נִדְמוּ Hosea 4:6 +; Infinitive absolute נִדְמֹה Hosea 10:15; Participle נִדְמֶה Hosea 10:7; be cut off, destroyed, ruined, of a city Isaiah 15:1 (twice in verse) ("" שֻׁדַּד) Jeremiah 47:5; of people Hosea 4:6; Zephaniah 1:11; Obadiah 5; of king Hosea 10:7,15 (twice in verse) compare Ezekiel 32:2; of beasts Psalm 49:13; Psalm 49:21; be ruined, undone, prophet at sight of Yahweh Isaiah 6:5.

Meaning and Themes

דָּמָה gathers the ideas of being cut off, ruined, silenced, or brought to an end. Whether depicting an individual, a nation, or commercial activity, the verb paints the moment when human strength fails and life’s noise falls mute before God’s sovereign judgment.

Occurrences and Literary Settings

• Wisdom: Psalm 49:12, 20
• Major Prophets: Isaiah 6:5; Isaiah 15:1 (twice); Jeremiah 14:17
• Minor Prophets and Lament: Jeremiah 47:5; Lamentations 3:49; Hosea 4:5-6; Hosea 10:7, 15 (twice); Obadiah 1:5; Zephaniah 1:11

The spread moves from reflective wisdom to vivid prophetic oracles, underscoring that “ceasing” is an ever-present possibility for both the individual and the nation out of step with the covenant.

Wisdom Perspective: Mortality Unmasked (Psalm 49)

Twice Psalm 49 warns that wealth cannot forestall the fate of beasts:

“Man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:12)

The term shatters any illusion that status or riches can preserve life; only redemption from God (Psalm 49:15) offers rescue from the grave.

Personal Ruin Before Holiness (Isaiah 6:5)

Isaiah’s cry, “Woe to me, for I am ruined!” shows דָּמָה at the heart of true worship. Awareness of God’s majesty instantly exposes sin and helplessness. Yet the following verses display grace: the burning coal cleanses, proving that confession opens the door to commissioning rather than annihilation.

National Collapse and Lament (Isaiah 15; Jeremiah 47; Obadiah)

Prophetic burdens employ דָּמָה to announce overnight catastrophe:

“Ar in Moab is devastated… Kir in Moab is devastated.” (Isaiah 15:1)

“Ashkelon will be ruined.” (Jeremiah 47:5)

“Oh, how you have been destroyed!” (Obadiah 1:5)

The verb conveys sudden, irreversible loss, often tied to pride, violence, or idolatry. The prophets portray not random misfortune but the moral government of God over history.

Covenantal Warning to Israel (Hosea 4; 10)

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

Ignorance of the LORD is lethal. Hosea connects spiritual unfaithfulness with political collapse: “At dawn the king of Israel will be utterly destroyed.” (Hosea 10:15). דָּמָה thus functions as a covenant lawsuit term—God’s own people face the same fate as pagan nations when they abandon knowledge of Him.

Ceaseless Tears and Intercession (Jeremiah 14:17; Lamentations 3:49)

Jeremiah’s all-night weeping and the unending tears of Lamentations use the negated form (“not cease”) to describe grief that refuses to be silenced until God acts. The word’s normal sense of stopping is deliberately inverted, highlighting persistent intercession amid judgment.

Commercial Collapse (Zephaniah 1:11)

“Wail… for all your merchants will be cut down.” The fall of the market district shows that economic systems are not immune to divine scrutiny. דָּמָה punctures the illusion of financial invulnerability.

Theological Trajectory

1. Universal mortality—no human achievement can escape דָּמָה (Psalm 49).
2. Holiness exposes sin—self-reliance dissolves before the throne (Isaiah 6).
3. Covenant accountability—privilege without knowledge invites destruction (Hosea).
4. Redemptive hope—ruin is not God’s final word; cleansing, ransom, and restoration follow for the repentant (Isaiah 6:6-7; Hosea 6:1-3).

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Use דָּמָה texts to confront complacency, then point to Christ who swallowed destruction in His death and triumphed in resurrection.
• Counseling: Psalm 49 offers perspective for those grieving sudden loss—God alone redeems from Sheol.
• Intercession: Jeremiah 14:17 and Lamentations 3:49 model prayer that refuses to “cease” until mercy comes.
• Discipleship: Hosea 4:6 warns that biblical literacy is not optional; ignorance imperils families and nations.

Christological Lens

Jesus embodies the opposite of דָּמָה: though He “was crucified in weakness,” He “lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4). Believers united to Him share in a life that cannot be cut off (John 10:28), turning the final sting of the verb into a defeated foe.

Summary

דָּמָה confronts humanity with the certainty of cessation—life, power, and commerce all meet their limit. Yet every context that announces ruin also opens a window to grace: the humbled worshipper is cleansed, the penitent nation finds healing, and through Christ, those appointed to perish receive imperishable life.

וְדָמִ֖יתִי ודמיתי נִדְמ֥וּ נִדְמְתָ֥ה נִדְמֵ֔יתָה נִדְמֵ֗יתִי נִדְמֶ֥ה נִדְמָ֔ה נִדְמָ֖ה נִדְמָֽה׃ נִדְמָה֙ נִדְמֹ֥ה נִדְמֽוּ׃ נדמה נדמה׃ נדמו נדמו׃ נדמיתה נדמיתי נדמתה תִּדְמֶ֑ינָה תִדְמֶ֖ה תדמה תדמינה niḏ·māh niḏ·mê·ṯāh niḏ·mə·ṯāh niḏ·mê·ṯî niḏ·meh niḏ·mōh niḏ·mū nidMah niḏmāh nidMeh niḏmeh nidMeitah nidMeiti nidmeTah niḏmêṯāh niḏməṯāh niḏmêṯî nidMoh niḏmōh nidMu niḏmū tiḏ·me·nāh ṯiḏ·meh tidMeh ṯiḏmeh tidMeinah tiḏmenāh vedaMiti wə·ḏā·mî·ṯî wəḏāmîṯîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts