Lexical Summary daag: To be anxious, to fear, to worry Original Word: דָּאַג Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be afraid careful, sorry, sorrow, take thought A primitive root; be anxious -- be afraid (careful, sorry), sorrow, take thought. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be anxious or concerned, to fear NASB Translation anxious (3), become anxious (1), dread (1), full of anxiety (1), worried (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs דָּאַג verb be anxious, concerned, fear (Talmud דְּאֵיג, דְּאִג id.) — Qal Perfect3masculine singular וְדָאַג consecutive 1 Samuel 9:5; 1 Samuel 10:2; 2feminine singular דָּאַגְתְּ Isaiah 57:11; Imperfect3masculine singular יִדְאָ֑ג Jeremiah 17:8; אֶדְאַג Psalm 38:19; Participle דֹּאֵג Jeremiah 38:19, דֹּאֲגִים Jeremiah 42:16; — 1 be anxious, concerned, with reference to, in behalf of, with לְ 1 Samuel 9:5; 1 Samuel 10:2; id. with מִן Jeremiah 42:16 (famine personified); followed by מֵחַטָּאתִי Psalm 38:19; be anxious, absolute Jeremiah 17:8 ("" יָרֵא). 2 fear, dread, followed by accusative of person feared Isaiah 57:11 ("" יָרֵא) Jeremiah 38:19 (where also followed by clause with מֶּן). Topical Lexicon Overview of Scriptural Usage The verb דָּאַג appears seven times in the Old Testament, always in the Qal stem and always describing the inner agitation that rises when circumstances seem beyond human control. Whether the concern is practical (lost livestock), relational (fear of reprisal), physical (serious illness), or national (threat of invasion), the word exposes an anxious heart that has shifted its gaze from the Lord’s sufficiency to the instability of earthly conditions. Narrative Contexts in 1 Samuel In 1 Samuel 9:5 Saul, still unknown as Israel’s first king, frets about his father Kish’s reaction to prolonged absence: “Come, let us go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us”. The text highlights ordinary family life in ancient Israel; lost animals represented economic loss and social embarrassment. In 1 Samuel 10:2 Samuel reassures Saul that the same paternal anxiety has already been relieved: “...your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and is anxious about you…”. These twin references frame Saul’s call to kingship with a reminder that human concerns are transient; divine purposes move forward despite them. Wisdom and Worship: Psalm 38:18 David confesses, “I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me”. The psalm expresses spiritual anxiety born of sin’s consequences. The use of דָּאַג in a penitential psalm links worry to unresolved guilt, teaching that the surest remedy for inner turmoil is repentance and restored fellowship with God. Prophetic Warnings: Isaiah and Jeremiah Isaiah 57:11 confronts misplaced fear: “Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to Me…?”. Here anxiety toward human powers crowds out reverence for the Holy One. Jeremiah employs דָּאַג four times, each illustrating different facets of anxious unbelief: Theological Reflection on Anxiety and Faith In every occurrence, worry signals a functional failure to remember covenant promises. Scripture does not deny legitimate concern; rather, it condemns the self-focused agitation that dethrones God’s sovereignty. The righteous man of Jeremiah 17:8 shows that freedom from worry is not the absence of trouble but the presence of steadfast trust. Practical Ministry Application 1. Pastoral counseling can draw on these texts to differentiate between responsible concern and corrosive anxiety. Intertextual Considerations with the New Testament The Old Testament portrait of דָּאַג anticipates Jesus’ command: “Do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25) and Paul’s exhortation, “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). The continuity underscores that anxiety has always been a spiritual issue remedied by trust in God’s character and promises. Summary דָּאַג exposes the heart’s tendency toward fretful self-reliance. Through narrative, poetry, and prophecy, Scripture consistently redirects that energy toward faith, demonstrating that the God who numbers Israel’s donkeys, pardons David’s sin, and sustains trees in drought is able to bear the burdens of His people today. Forms and Transliterations אֶ֝דְאַ֗ג אדאג דָּאַ֤גְתְּ דֹּאֲגִ֣ים דֹאֵ֣ג דאג דאגים דאגת וְדָ֥אַג וְדָאַ֤ג ודאג יִדְאָ֔ג ידאג ’eḏ’aḡ ’eḏ·’aḡ dā’aḡt dā·’aḡt daAgt dō’ăḡîm ḏō’êḡ dō·’ă·ḡîm ḏō·’êḡ doaGim doEg edAg veDaag wə·ḏā·’aḡ wəḏā’aḡ yiḏ’āḡ yiḏ·’āḡ yidAgLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 9:5 HEB: מִן־ הָאֲתֹנ֖וֹת וְדָ֥אַג לָֽנוּ׃ NAS: the donkeys and will become anxious for us. KJV: [caring] for the asses, and take thought for us. INT: about the donkeys and will become 1 Samuel 10:2 Psalm 38:18 Isaiah 57:11 Jeremiah 17:8 Jeremiah 38:19 Jeremiah 42:16 7 Occurrences |
    |