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H1710 · Hebrew · Old Testament
דָּגָה
dagah
Noun, feminine
fish; the fish of the sea

Definition

Dagah is the collective feminine noun for fish, related to dag (a single fish). It appears in key theological passages: in the Aaronic blessing ('multiply like fish'), in Jonah's great fish (dag gadol), and in Ezekiel's prophecy of the Dead Sea coming to life. Fish represent teeming, fruitful life. In the New Testament, fish symbolize the kingdom harvest — Jesus calls his disciples to be fishers of men.

Usage & Theological Significance

Fish symbolism flows through Scripture from creation (Genesis 1:28) to the messianic feast (John 21:9-13). Jonah's fish is an instrument of both judgment and rescue — a belly of death that becomes a womb of commission. Ezekiel's vision of fish multiplying in the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:9-10) pictures impossible life where nothing could live. The risen Christ serves fish on the shore, restoring broken disciples. In every case, dagah signals the miraculous multiplication of life.

Key Verses

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea.'
Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish [dag].
Ezekiel 47:10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From En-gedi to En-eglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish [dagah] will be of very many kinds.
Matthew 4:19 And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'
John 21:13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.

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