← H1781 H1783 →

דַּיָּן

𐤃𐤉𐤍

dayân

H1782 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דין to judge, govern, preside, execute justice

Definition

A person appointed or recognized to adjudicate disputes, render verdicts, or interpret legal matters; specifically, a judge or official with authority to administer justice, particularly in a formal legal or administrative capacity. In biblical Aramaic, generally denotes a judicial official rather than a partisan advocate.

Semantic Range

judge, judicial official, legal adjudicator, magistrate

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root דין (DYN), meaning 'to judge, to govern, to rule.' The form דַּיָּן (dayân) is an agent noun formation from this root, indicating 'one who judges.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term דַּיָּן appears exclusively in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably in the books of Daniel and Ezra), reflecting its use within imperial administrative and legal contexts of the Persian and Hellenistic periods. Unlike the Hebrew שֹׁפֵט (shophet), which often has broader connotations including tribal and military leadership in the pre-monarchic period, דַּיָּן primarily refers to a legal judge or official. In later Jewish tradition (post-biblical), dayân became the standard term for a rabbinic judge in Jewish courts (beit din), but this is a development after the biblical period. English translations usually render the term 'judge,' which accurately reflects its administrative judicial sense in biblical Aramaic contexts. The word does not carry the later religious connotations associated with rabbinic judges in Classical and post-Classical Hebrew and Aramaic.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to דַּיָּן; {a judge or advocate}; judge.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

דין (d-y-n) — to judge, govern, preside, execute justice

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1777 דִּין Judge
H1778 דִּין those who judge
H1779 דִּין legal judgment
H1780 דִּין legal judgment
H1781 דַּיָּן to a judicial official

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1782-01 וְ/דַיָּנִ֗ין vedayanin AC/Ncmpa and judges and judicial officials 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1782-01 Ezra 7:25 וְ/דַיָּנִ֗ין vedayanin AC/Ncmpa and judges and judicial officials
← H1781 Hebrew Lexicon H1783 →