Original Word: מְדַחְפָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mdachphah
Pronunciation: mad-khay-fah'
Phonetic Spelling: (med-akh-faw')
KJV: overthrow
NASB: speedily
Word Origin: [from H1765 (דָּחַף - impelled)]

1. a push, i.e. ruin

overthrow

From dachaph; a push, i.e. Ruin -- overthrow.

see HEBREW dachaph

Word Origin
from dachaph
Definition
a thrust
NASB Translation
speedily (1).

[מַדְחֵפָה] noun feminine thrust, Psalm 140:12 יְצוּדֶנּוּ לְמַדְחֵפֹת (evil) shall hunt him with thrust upon thrust (Che, compare De).

Definition and Occurrence

מְדַחְפָה appears a single time in the Old Testament at Psalm 140:11. It conveys the idea of a calamity, disaster, or force that “drives” or “pushes” someone relentlessly. The term evokes an active, pursuing misfortune rather than a passive setback.

Context in Psalm 140

Psalm 140 is both a lament and an imprecatory prayer. David pleads for deliverance from violent men (verses 1-5), trusts in the Lord’s protection (verses 6-8), and calls for retributive justice (verses 9-11). The petition culminates: “May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence” (Psalm 140:11). Here מְדַחְפָה is pictured as a pursuing agent of judgment. The wicked who once chased the righteous now find themselves relentlessly hunted by disaster—reversal theology reminiscent of Psalms 7:15-16 and Proverbs 26:27.

Calamity as Instrument of Divine Justice

Throughout Scripture, calamity is often portrayed as God’s tool to expose sin and vindicate righteousness:

• Proverbs 13:21 – “Disaster pursues sinners, but righteousness is rewarded with prosperity.”
• Isaiah 47:11 – “Disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away.”
• Jeremiah 17:17-18 – Jeremiah prays that his persecutors, not he, would meet “the day of disaster.”

מְדַחְפָה in Psalm 140:11 stands within this theological stream: divine justice is not arbitrary but correspondingly targeted, ultimately reflecting God’s holy character (Deuteronomy 32:4).

The Pursuit Motif

The verb “hunt down” (יִצּוּד) intensifies the imagery. Calamity is not static; it tracks, corners, and overtakes. Other biblical texts employ the same motif:

• Numbers 32:23 – “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
• Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and loving devotion will follow me all the days of my life.”

Both goodness and calamity can “pursue”—the direction depends on one’s relation to the covenant Lord.

Historical and Cultural Insights

Ancient Near Eastern literature often depicts misfortune as a deity or spirit chasing evildoers. Psalm 140 reorients the idea: disaster is under Yahweh’s sovereign rule. David’s prayer does not invoke impersonal fate but entrusts vengeance to the Lord (cf. 1 Samuel 24:12). The imprecatory language served liturgically to assure Israel that unrepentant violence would not escape divine reckoning, sustaining communal faith amid oppression.

Theological Implications

1. Moral order: מְדַחְפָה underlines Scripture’s consistent message that violence begets judgment (Proverbs 10:6, Hosea 8:7).
2. Divine agency: calamity is not chance; it is ultimately supervised by God (Amos 3:6).
3. Eschatological foreshadowing: Psalm 140 anticipates final judgment when all injustice is decisively answered (Revelation 19:1-2).

Application for Ministry Today

• Pastoral assurance: Believers facing persecution may pray Psalm 140, confident that God will address unresolved wrongs (Romans 12:19).
• Ethical warning: Those tempted toward violence or slander are reminded that hidden sin invariably draws pursuing consequences (Galatians 6:7-8).
• Worship and lament: The church can employ imprecatory texts to voice righteous indignation while maintaining personal integrity and forgiveness (Matthew 5:44).

Related Scripture

Job 31:3; Psalm 34:21; Proverbs 11:19; Nahum 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9.

לְמַדְחֵפֹֽת׃ למדחפת׃ lə·maḏ·ḥê·p̄ōṯ lemadcheFot ləmaḏḥêp̄ōṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts