Lexical Summary dalaph: To drip, drop, leak Original Word: דָּלַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance drop through, melt, pour out A primitive root; to drip; by implication, to weep -- drop through, melt, pour out. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to drip, drop NASB Translation leaks (1), weeps (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs דָּלַף verb drop, drip (Wisdom Literature.) (Late Hebrew id. (זלף more common), דֶּלֶף through, etc., Aramaic דְּלַף,  , drip) — Qal Perfect3feminine singular אֶלאֱֿלוֺהַּ דָּֽלְפָה עֵינִי Job 16:20 i.e. weeps (drops in tears); דָּֽלְפָה נַפְשִׁי מִתּוּגָה Psalm 119:28 i.e. weeps (itself away Che compare De); Imperfect בְּשִׁפְלוּת יָדַיִם יִדְלֹף הַבָּֽיִת׃ Ecclesiastes 10:18 the house drips, i.e. leaks, because cracks are not mended. Topical Lexicon Imagery and Semantic Rangeדָּלַף evokes the picture of a slow but persistent dripping. In Scripture it is applied both to tears that escape the eyes and to water that escapes the roof. Whether the source is grief or neglect, the verb highlights what is unrelenting, erosive, and ultimately revealing: an inward condition that cannot be hidden for long. Usage in Wisdom Literature All three occurrences are found in the Wisdom corpus, where concrete images train the heart in godly discernment. • Job 16:20 employs the verb for streaming tears; the righteous sufferer’s eyes “pour out tears to God.” Tears and Intercession (Job 16:20) Job links dripping tears with prayer. Sorrow is not an end in itself but a catalyst for communion. His lament counters any notion that faith forbids raw emotion; rather, it directs emotion God-ward. The verse also answers the charge that the sufferer has no advocate: the very tears testify that an Advocate is sought and, ultimately, provided (Job 19:25). Sorrow and Strength (Psalm 119:28) Psalm 119 is a sustained meditation on Torah. When the psalmist confesses that his soul “melts,” he immediately appeals to the Word for reinforcement. Dripping grief is real, but it is not sovereign; Scripture supplies counterpressure that halts the leak and rebuilds the inner structure (Psalm 94:19; Romans 15:4). Neglect and Decay (Ecclesiastes 10:18) Qoheleth uses a leaking roof to expose the quiet tyranny of sloth. A house in ancient Israel depended on diligent maintenance of its flat, mud-plastered roof. Failure to roll, seal, and patch after seasonal rains would allow the first gentle drip, soon followed by rot, collapse, and ruin. The proverb warns leaders (10:16-17) that private habits spill into public consequence. Spiritual negligence likewise permits sin to seep in where vigilance would have preserved integrity (Hebrews 2:1). Theological Themes 1. The heart’s condition surfaces: Tears reveal inner anguish; leaks reveal hidden decay. Ministry and Devotional Implications • Pastoral care: Encourage congregants to let tears “drip” before God rather than bottle them. Authentic lament is therapeutic and theologically sound. Practical Applications for the Church Today 1. Incorporate psalms of lament in corporate worship so that tears find a biblical vocabulary. דָּלַף thus offers a compact yet potent theological lens: dripping tears call for divine comfort, and dripping roofs call for diligent stewardship. Both point to the same faithful God who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3) and who equips His people to build wisely upon the Rock (Matthew 7:24-27). Forms and Transliterations דָּלְפָ֣ה דָּלְפָ֥ה דלפה יִדְלֹ֥ף ידלף dā·lə·p̄āh dāləp̄āh dalFah yiḏ·lōp̄ yidLof yiḏlōp̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 16:20 HEB: אֶל־ אֱ֝ל֗וֹהַ דָּלְפָ֥ה עֵינִֽי׃ NAS: are my scoffers; My eye weeps to God. KJV: me: [but] mine eye poureth out [tears] unto God. INT: to God weeps my eye Psalm 119:28 Ecclesiastes 10:18 3 Occurrences |
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