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דּוֹר

𐤃𐤅𐤓

dôwr

H1755 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דור to revolve, go in a circle, repeat, cycle

Definition

A period or span of human life, typically denoting a 'generation'—the people living at a particular time, or the duration of their life-cycle. Also denotes the recurring cycle or sequence of generations in human history. Sometimes used with broader reference to the idea of an 'age' or 'epoch,' occasionally extending to mean 'posterity.' In rare cases, a sense related to 'habitation' or 'dwelling' is attested, likely derivative from the primary temporal sense.

Semantic Range

generation, age, period, epoch, contemporaries, cycle of human life, posterity, people of a specific era, in rare cases: dwelling, habitation

Root / Etymology

The noun דּוֹר (dôr) derives from the root דּוּר (dûr), meaning 'to turn, go around, circle.' The root's core sense is that of revolving or recurring motion, which developed into the concept of a regularly recurring period or cycle. The noun thus inherited the meaning of a 'cycle,' particularly as applied to the repeating succession of human generations. The association with 'dwelling' or 'habitation' is less common and may be secondary, possibly emerging from the idea of a family group or established settlement over a period of time.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, דּוֹר primarily refers to the group of people comprising a generation—either contemporaries or a sequence in the chain of ancestry or posterity (e.g., 'generation to generation,' 'in his generation'). The term is a key marker for tracking collective human experience and the succession of family, tribal, or national history. It is distinct from other Hebrew terms like עוֹלָם (ʿolam), which more often connotes unbounded or indefinite duration ('forever'), while דּוֹר focuses on the fixed, human-centered cycle of existence. Over time, especially in post-exilic literature, the word came to be used in more abstract senses for broad epochs and cycles of history. Its rare use for 'dwelling' (e.g., Isa 38:12) reflects metaphorical development, possibly drawing on the idea of a generation as a settled group. Standard English translations like 'generation' capture the core sense, but can obscure its cyclical and temporal nuance, and less often reflect the broader sense of 'age' or 'epoch.'

Translation Consistency

primary "generation" 102 occurrences

Most common and natural English equivalent for דּוֹר across contexts. It covers the primary senses (a span of human life, the people living at a particular time, and the recurring cycle of generations) and can be inflected or pluralized in context where needed. Other readings (age, posterity, dwelling) are rarer and are still encompassed or can be rendered by context-specific phrasing while keeping this single consistent base term.

Alternatives (66 occurrences):
"generation-cycle" (64x) "dwelling" (1x) "generational cycle" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (shortened) דֹּר; from דּוּר; properly, a revolution of time, i.e. an age or generation; also a dwelling; age, [idiom] evermore, generation, (n-) ever, posterity.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דור (d-w-r) — to revolve, circle, repeat, cycle

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1752 דּוּר from dwelling
H1753 דּוּר dwellers of
H1754 דּוּר Encircle!
H1756 דּוֹר generation-cycle
H1757 דּוּרָא Dura (Enclosed Place)

Word Forms

22 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1755-04 דֹּֽר dor HNcmsa generation cycle-generation generation 38
H1755-21 וָ/ד֑וֹר vador HC/Ncmsa and generation and generation-cycle and generation-cycle 30
H1755-19 לְ/דֹרֹתֵי/כֶ֑ם ledoroteykhem HR/Ncmpc/Sp2mp throughout your generations to your generations to your generations 27
H1755-15 לְ/דֹ֥ר ledor HR/Ncmsa to generation to a generation-cycle to a generation-cycle 26
H1755-17 לְ/דֹרֹתָ֖/ם ledorotam HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp throughout their generations for their generations for their generations 11
H1755-12 הַ/דּ֥וֹר hador HTd/Ncmsa the generation the generation-cycle the generation-cycle 8
H1755-02 בְּ/ד֣וֹר bedor HR/Ncmsa in-generation in a generation-cycle in a generation 5
H1755-08 דֹּר֣וֹת dorot HNcmpc generations cycles of generations generations of 3
H1755-06 דּוֹרִֽים dorim HNcmpa generations generational cycles generations 3
H1755-10 דֹּרוֹתֵי/נוּ֮ doroteynu HNcmpc/Sp1cp our generations our generational cycles our generations 2

Occurrences in Scripture

168 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1755-03 Genesis 6:9 בְּ/דֹֽרֹתָ֑י/ו bedorotayv HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms in his generations in his generational cycles in his generations
H1755-01 Genesis 7:1 בַּ/דּ֥וֹר bador HRd/Ncmsa in the generation in the generation-cycle in the generation
H1755-16 Genesis 9:12 לְ/דֹרֹ֖ת ledorot HR/Ncmpc for generations for generations of for generations
H1755-22 Genesis 15:16 וְ/ד֥וֹר vedor HC/Ncmsa in the fourth and a generation and a generation
H1755-17 Genesis 17:7 לְ/דֹרֹתָ֖/ם ledorotam HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp throughout their generations for their generations for their generations
H1755-17 Genesis 17:9 לְ/דֹרֹתָֽ/ם ledorotam HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp throughout their generations for their generations for their generations
H1755-19 Genesis 17:12 לְ/דֹרֹתֵי/כֶ֑ם ledoroteykhem HR/Ncmpc/Sp2mp throughout your generations to your generations to your generations
H1755-12 Exodus 1:6 הַ/דּ֥וֹר hador HTd/Ncmsa the generation the generation-cycle the generation-cycle
H1755-15 Exodus 3:15 לְ/דֹ֥ר ledor HR/Ncmsa to generation to a generation-cycle to a generation-cycle
H1755-04 Exodus 3:15 דֹּֽר dor HNcmsa after generation cycle-generation generation
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