דִּין
𐤃𐤉𐤍
dîyn
H1778 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To judge, to pass sentence, to govern or administer justice. In legal contexts, refers to making decisions in disputes, rendering verdicts, or establishing what is legally right. May also denote the process of evaluating, determining, or discerning an outcome or right course of action, especially in judicial or official proceedings. In the Aramaic of the Hebrew Bible, this verb is primarily associated with formal acts of judgment or governance, rather than informal opinion or assessment.
Semantic Range
to act as judge, to render judgment, to govern, to administer justice, to give a verdict, to decide a case, to settle a legal dispute
Root / Etymology
Root: דין. The root דין in both Hebrew and Aramaic means 'to judge,' 'to act as judge,' or more broadly, 'to administer law or justice.' The form דִּין is the standard Aramaic verbal form corresponding to the Hebrew verb דָּן (dan) from the same root. The core idea is authoritative decision-making, usually in a legal or official sense. The root conveys the act of rendering or pronouncing judgment, settling disputes, or governing by statutes or laws.
Historical & Contextual Notes
דִּין appears in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, notably in the books of Ezra and Daniel, where the Babylonian exile context led to the use of Aramaic as the administrative and lingua franca. In these passages, the term denotes governance by law, judicial decisions, or authority exercised by officials—typically in reference to imperial or provincial courts, not exclusively Israelite legal tradition. The Hebrew noun דִּין (din) and verb דָּן (dan) carry similar meanings in Hebrew narrative and legal texts, while the Aramaic form reflects the broader Mesopotamian legal-administrative context. While standard English translations frequently render דִּין as "to judge" or "to govern," these may not fully convey the formality or official/legal weight of the term in its original cultural-historical setting. The term does not intrinsically carry the religious or eschatological overtones sometimes associated with 'judgment' in later tradition.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to דִּין; to judge; judge.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דין (d-y-n) — to judge, to administer justice, to govern, to rule
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1777 | דִּין | Judge |
| H1779 | דִּין | legal judgment |
| H1780 | דִּין | legal judgment |
| H1781 | דַּיָּן | to a judicial official |
| H1782 | דַּיָּן | and judicial officials |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1778-01 |
דָּאיְנִין֙ | dayenin | AVqrmpa |
judges | those who judge | 1 |
H1778-02 |
דאנין | dnyn | AVqrmpa |
judging | those administering justice | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences