דָּשֵׁן

Definition of H1879: דָּשֵׁן (dashen)

In the Hebrew Scriptures, דָּשֵׁן describes the kind of rich abundance that overflows—whether talking about well-fattened cattle, prosperous people, or trees bursting with sap. This word captures divine blessing made visible in the physical world, where spiritual faithfulness produces tangible flourishing.

What This Word Actually Means

When you encounter דָּשֵׁן (dashen) in Scripture, you’re seeing more than just physical fatness or material wealth. This Hebrew adjective describes “fat; figuratively, rich, fertile” in ways that ancient audiences would have immediately understood as signs of divine favor.

Think about it—in the ancient Near East, fatness wasn’t associated with excess or health problems like it often is today. Fat animals meant healthy livestock. Fat people meant prosperity and blessing. Rich soil meant abundant harvests. The word דָּשֵׁן captures all of this in one powerful concept: the visible evidence of God’s goodness overflowing in the physical world.

The word appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible, but each usage is strategically placed to show different aspects of divine abundance. Whether describing the wealthy who bow before the Messiah in Psalm 22:29, the righteous who flourish like sap-filled trees in Psalm 92:14, or the rich bread that comes from blessed ground in Isaiah 30:23, דָּשֵׁן always points to God as the source of abundance.

Etymology Alert

The word דָּשֵׁן comes from the root H1878 (also דָּשֵׁן), which is a verb meaning “to be fat, to anoint, to satisfy.” This connection shows how the adjective grew out of the action. Things become דָּשֵׁן (fat/rich) because they have been דָּשֵׁן (fattened/enriched) by God’s provision.

Cultural Context That Changes Everything

Here’s what modern readers often miss: in the ancient world, fatness and prosperity weren’t morally neutral—they were theological statements. The term depicts “the well-fattened state of fields, livestock, and people who enjoy God-given abundance” as direct evidence of divine blessing.

When Psalm 22:29 talks about “all the דִּשְׁנֵי אֶרֶץ (dishney eretz)—the fat/rich ones of the earth” bowing before the Messiah, it’s not making a statement about body weight or economic inequality. It’s declaring that even those who have received the most visible signs of God’s blessing will recognize their ultimate dependence on the Messianic King.

The cultural assumption was simple: if you were prosperous, it was because God had blessed you. And if God had blessed you with abundance, the proper response was worship and humility, not pride or self-sufficiency.

Cultural Context

In ancient agricultural societies, “fatness” represented security, blessing, and divine favor. Well-fed livestock, abundant harvests, and prosperous people were all seen as tangible evidence that the covenant community was walking in righteousness before God.

How Scripture Uses It

The three biblical appearances of דָּשֵׁן create a beautiful theological progression:

Psalm 22:29 – Messianic Worship: “All the rich of the earth (literally ‘the fat ones’) bow before the Messianic King. Material prosperity is portrayed as an instrument for worship rather than self-indulgence.” Here, דָּשֵׁן describes those who have been blessed with material abundance, and the psalmist prophetically declares that they will join in worshiping the coming Messiah.

Psalm 92:14 – Righteous Flourishing: The righteous who are “planted in the courts of the Lord” will “still bear fruit in old age; healthy and green they will remain.” The word דְּשֵׁנִים (deshenim) here describes the righteous as “fat with sap”—bursting with spiritual vitality that doesn’t diminish with age.

Isaiah 30:23 – Covenant Restoration: After describing God’s judgment on rebellious Israel, Isaiah promises that repentance will bring agricultural abundance. The bread will be דָשֵׁן (rich and abundant), showing how spiritual restoration produces physical blessing.

Translation Challenge

English translations struggle with דָּשֵׁן because “fat” has largely negative connotations today, while “rich” or “prosperous” can miss the physical, tangible nature of the Hebrew concept. The word encompasses both material abundance and the spiritual reality behind it.

Why This Word Matters

Understanding דָּשֵׁן helps us see how the Hebrew Bible connects the physical and spiritual realms. This isn’t the prosperity gospel—it’s covenant theology. God’s blessings often do manifest in tangible, physical ways, but the proper response to such blessing is always worship, stewardship, and recognition of our dependence on the Giver.

The word also challenges both extremes in Christian thinking about wealth. Against those who spiritualize away all material blessing, דָּשֵׁן reminds us that God does bless His people with tangible abundance. Against those who see prosperity as an end in itself, דָּשֵׁן insists that all abundance exists for the purpose of worship and service.

“True covenant prosperity culminates in adoration; wealth unites with humility when the righteous acknowledge their Benefactor.”

Where You’ll Find This Word

Primary passages where this word appears:

• Psalm 22:29 – The wealthy/prosperous of the earth worship the Messianic King
• Psalm 92:14 – The righteous flourish like trees full of sap in God’s courts
• Isaiah 30:23 – The bread from blessed ground will be rich and abundant

Notable translations across versions:

• ESV: “rich” (Ps 22:29), “full of sap” (Ps 92:14), “rich” (Isa 30:23)
• NIV: “rich” (Ps 22:29), “full of sap” (Ps 92:14), “rich” (Isa 30:23)
• NASB: “prosperous” (Ps 22:29), “full of sap” (Ps 92:14), “rich” (Isa 30:23)

Other translation options: fat, well-fed, prosperous, abundant, flourishing

Words in the Same Family

Root family:

• H1878 – דָּשֵׁן (dashen) – to be fat, to anoint, to satisfy (the verb form)
• H1880 – דֶּשֶׁן (deshen) – fat ashes, fatness

Synonyms and near-synonyms:

• H8082 – שָׁמֵן (shamen) – fat, rich (more commonly used for actual physical fatness)
• H6238 – עָשַׁר (ashar) – to be rich, to become wealthy (focuses more on accumulation of wealth)

Key Takeaway

דָּשֵׁן teaches us that material abundance, when properly understood, is meant to be a signpost pointing to God’s goodness and a platform for worship. It challenges us to see prosperity not as an end in itself, but as a means to glorify the God who gives all good gifts.

Dig Deeper

Internal Resources:

• H1878 – dashen (verb) – The root verb meaning “to be fat, to anoint”
• Psalm 22:29 analysis – Messianic worship from all social classes
• Psalm 92:14 analysis – The flourishing of the righteous in old age

External Scholarly Resources:

• Blue Letter Bible entry – Comprehensive lexical data
• Bible Hub concordance – Usage examples and translations
• Ancient Hebrew Lexicon – Pictographic and etymological insights
• Bible Tools lexicon – Additional linguistic analysis

All external links open in new windows for continued study