Davaq is a verb of violence and devotion. The root dalet-bet-qof carries a physical, tactile force that English never touches. It means to cling, to adhere, to fuse, to bond so completely that separation would require tearing. When Eleazar son of Dodo fought the Philistines until his hand davaq to his sword (2 Samuel 23:10), his grip fused to the weapon. He physically could not release it. That is davaq: irreversible, costly, total.

English gives you "cleave" (KJV), "hold fast" (ESV), "be joined to" (NIV), or "be united to" (NASB). Every one of them sounds passive, comfortable, like two things placed gently side by side. The Hebrew is none of those things. Davaq appears in contexts of warfare, worship, and covenant loyalty. In Deuteronomy 10:20, the verb is directed at HaShem: "To Him you shall davaq." In Ruth 1:14, Ruth davaq to Naomi, binding herself to Naomi's people and God at the cost of everything she knew. In Psalm 63:9, "My nefesh davaq after You." The soul pursuing HaShem with grip-force intensity.

In Genesis 2:24, the subject of the verb is the man. He leaves his father and mother. He davaq to his wife. The direction is toward her. The intensity is the same word used for a warrior's hand locked to his blade and a soul clinging to its Creator. Your English Bible made it sound like a wedding ceremony. The Hebrew made it sound like a man who would rather lose the use of his hand than let go.