Lexical Summary dama: To be like, resemble, liken, compare Original Word: דָּמַע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sore, weep A primitive root; to weep -- X sore, weep. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to weep NASB Translation bitterly weep (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [דָּמַע] verb weep (Late Hebrew id., Arabic  &  ; Aramaic דְּמַע,  : Assyrian in derivatives, see below), Qal Imperfect3feminine singular, and Infinitive absolute, וְדָמֹעַ תִּדְמַע וְתֵרֵד עֵינִי דִּמְעָה Jeremiah 13:17. Topical Lexicon Essential Ideaדָּמַע conveys the action of eyes filling, overflowing, and spilling with tears. Scripture employs the term to depict profound grief that is inseparably joined to moral or covenantal failure, and therefore to divine judgment. The verb appears only in Jeremiah, giving it a distinctively prophetic and pastoral coloring. Occurrences Prophetic Setting Both texts fall within Jeremiah’s early public ministry, when Judah still enjoyed a measure of external stability yet had hardened itself against the warnings that exile was near. The prophet has just dramatized the ruined loincloth (chapter 13) and has announced the coming drought (chapter 14). In each passage דָּמַע rises from Jeremiah’s inner life as he stands between God and a rebellious people. • Jeremiah 13:17: “But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, flowing with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.” Theology of Tears 1. Moral Vision Dāmaʽ is not sentimental sorrow but anguish born of holiness violated. The prophet weeps because Judah’s “pride” (Jeremiah 13:17) blinds her to corrective mercy. The tears interpret judgment as moral necessity, not arbitrary fate. 2. Identification with God The language moves seamlessly between Jeremiah’s eyes and the heart of the LORD. By weeping, the prophet images God’s own grief over covenant breach (compare Hosea 11:8–9). Dāmaʽ therefore unveils divine compassion alongside divine justice. 3. Intercessory Lament In both verses tears become prayer. They flow “day and night” (Jeremiah 14:17), echoing Psalm 88:1 and Lamentations 2:18. When words fail, tears plead for God’s mercy and implicitly invite repentance (Joel 2:12–13). Canonical Connections • Lamentations 1:16; 2:11; 3:48–49 present the outworking of Jeremiah’s prophecy; the same tear-soaked vocabulary links the books literarily and theologically. Practical and Ministry Significance 1. Shepherding Hearts The prophet’s hidden weeping (“in secret,” Jeremiah 13:17) models pastoral burden: sin must be addressed openly, but grief over sin is borne privately before God. Modern ministry likewise requires both public clarity and private compassion. 2. Tears as Testimony Dāmaʽ exposes pride and invites humility. Congregational leaders who weep for spiritual decline give visible evidence of God’s own sorrow, making the call to repentance harder to dismiss. 3. Sustaining Hope Although the verb appears in contexts of looming disaster, the very act of weeping implies that the account is not finished; God still engages His people. Revelation 7:17 assures that “God will wipe away every tear,” completing what Jeremiah’s tears only began. Summary Dāmaʽ is the vocabulary of eyes that cannot ignore covenant unfaithfulness. Sparse in occurrence yet rich in resonance, the word crystallizes Jeremiah’s prophetic heart, joining divine holiness, human rebellion, and redeeming compassion within a single tear. Forms and Transliterations וְדָמֹ֨עַ ודמע תִּדְמַ֜ע תדמע tiḏ·ma‘ tidMa tiḏma‘ vedaMoa wə·ḏā·mō·a‘ wəḏāmōa‘Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 13:17 HEB: מִפְּנֵ֣י גֵוָ֑ה וְדָמֹ֨עַ תִּדְמַ֜ע וְתֵרַ֤ד NAS: And my eyes will bitterly weep KJV: and mine eye shall weep sore, INT: for for pride will bitterly weep and flow Jeremiah 13:17 2 Occurrences |
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