Lexical Summary domen: Refuse, dung, filth Original Word: דֹּמֶן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dung Of uncertain derivation; manure -- dung. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition dung NASB Translation dung (6). Brown-Driver-Briggs דֹּ֫מֶן noun masculine dung (Arabic  ) always in this form and always of corpses, lying on ground as offal 2 Kings 9:37; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 9:21; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 25:33; Psalm 83:11. Topical Lexicon Meaning and imagery The term evokes the repulsive sight and stench of manure spread across a field. In every occurrence it portrays what happens to those who fall under divine judgment: their bodies are reduced to the status of refuse, treated with the same disregard shown to animal droppings. Such imagery underscores the radical reversal of human honor; the one who rejects God is stripped of dignity and exposed as waste. Occurrences in Scripture • 2 Kings 9:37 – Jezebel, once a queen, is trampled, devoured, and her corpse “will lie like dung on the surface of the field at Jezreel.” Historical and cultural background In the ancient Near East, burial signified respect, family continuity, and covenant hope. To remain unburied, exposed to sun, carrion birds, and scavengers, was one of the worst conceivable disgraces. By likening unburied corpses to manure, Scripture intensifies the shame. Farmers spread dung to fertilize; afterward no one thinks of it again. Likewise, once-proud rebels against God are rendered forgotten, their memory trampled underfoot. The image would have been shocking to original hearers, reinforcing prophetic calls to repentance. Theological significance 1. Covenant curse. Unburied bodies fulfill warnings given in Deuteronomy 28:26, confirming that God’s judgments are neither random nor arbitrary but covenantal. Prophetic and pastoral applications • An urgent call to repentance. The revolting picture of bodies as dung strips away any romanticism about sin. Preachers can use these texts to awaken consciences hardened by familiarity with evil. Christological reflection At the cross, the sinless Savior willingly accepted the shame reserved for covenant breakers. Though His body was not left to become dung, He bore the curse symbolized by such imagery (Galatians 3:13). His honorable burial (John 19:38-42) stands in stark contrast to the prophetic pictures above, signaling vindication and the promise that those united to Him will never experience the final disgrace symbolized by unburied corpses. Implications for discipleship Believers are called to esteem what God esteems and despise what He despises. The passages featuring this term remind Christians to value holiness over worldly honor, to cultivate a sober view of sin, and to proclaim a gospel that saves from the ultimate degradation of body and soul. Forms and Transliterations דֹּ֝֗מֶן דמן כְּדֹ֖מֶן כְּדֹ֛מֶן כדמן לְדֹ֛מֶן לדמן dō·men Domen dōmen kə·ḏō·men keDomen kəḏōmen lə·ḏō·men leDomen ləḏōmenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 9:37 HEB: נִבְלַ֣ת אִיזֶ֗בֶל כְּדֹ֛מֶן עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י NAS: of Jezebel will be as dung on the face KJV: of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face INT: and the corpse of Jezebel dung on the face Psalm 83:10 Jeremiah 8:2 Jeremiah 9:22 Jeremiah 16:4 Jeremiah 25:33 6 Occurrences |
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