דַּוָּג
a fisherman
Definition
The Hebrew noun דַּוָּג (davvâg) refers specifically to a fisherman, a person who catches fish for a living. It is used in the Old Testament only in Ezekiel 47:10, where it describes the people who will stand beside the river flowing from the temple, fishing from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The word carries the straightforward occupational sense of one who catches fish, with no extended metaphorical meaning in its single biblical occurrence. Its usage is concrete and descriptive, painting a picture of abundant life and restoration in a prophetic vision.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the entire Old Testament, in Ezekiel 47:10. It is used in a prophetic, visionary context describing the future restoration and miraculous fertility brought by a river flowing from the temple. The fishermen symbolize the thriving, productive life that will exist in this renewed land, from En-gedi to En-eglaim along the Dead Sea.
Etymology
The word דַּוָּג (davvâg) is an orthographical variation of the more common דַּיָּג (dayyâg, H1771), which also means 'fisherman.' Both are denominative nouns derived from the root דָּג (dâg, H1709), meaning 'fish.' The formation follows a common Hebrew pattern for creating agent nouns (a person who does something) from a base noun, essentially meaning 'a fish-er' or 'one who deals with fish.'
Semantic Range
While the word itself is a common occupational term, its sole use in Ezekiel 47:10 gives it theological significance. It is part of a powerful vision of eschatological restoration and blessing. The fishermen represent the reversal of the curse and the establishment of abundant, sustainable life flowing from God's presence (the temple). Understanding this Hebrew term highlights the concrete, tangible nature of the prophetic promise—God's renewal will affect even the most ordinary livelihoods and the ecology of the land.
In ancient Israel, fishing was a common trade, especially around the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean coast. Fishermen used nets (cast nets and drag nets) and hooks. They worked in partnerships or family groups. The image in Ezekiel of fishermen along the banks of a river, rather than on a sea or lake, is somewhat unusual and emphasizes the miraculous, supernatural nature of the prophetic river that transforms even the Dead Sea into a place teeming with life.
דַּיָּג (dayyâg, H1771) — The more standard biblical Hebrew term for 'fisherman,' used in Jeremiah 16:16 and other prophetic texts.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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