דְּכַר
𐤃𐤊𐤓
dᵉkar
H1798 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A male animal, specifically a ram (adult male sheep), sometimes generalized to denote a male in a broader zoological sense. The term is used in Aramaic passages of the Hebrew Bible to distinguish the male of the species, most often in sacrificial or cultic contexts where gender distinction is important.
Semantic Range
male animal, ram, male sheep, male (as opposed to female)
Root / Etymology
Aramaic spelling of the root זכ״ר, corresponding to the Hebrew root זָכָר (z-k-r), which primarily refers to the male sex, especially as distinguished from female (נְקֵבָה) in both humans and animals. דְּכַר is the Aramaic form, reflecting the typical interchange of ז / ד between Hebrew and Aramaic.
Historical & Contextual Notes
דְּכַר occurs only in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Daniel 8:20), where it denotes a male sheep or ram, particularly as an emblematic or sacrificial animal. The specificity for a ram rather than generic 'male' is context-driven, as in Daniel the vision concerns rams and he-goats. This term stands in contrast to the Hebrew זָכָר (zākār), which is used for 'male' in both general and specific reference throughout the Hebrew Bible. English translations often narrow the meaning to 'ram' in these contexts, which fits the narrative but does not fully represent the underlying lexical generality of 'male.' Later Jewish Aramaic and extra-biblical sources confirm this general sense. Over time, the root continued to mean 'male' across Semitic languages, but in biblical Aramaic, דְּכַר is most prominently associated with sheep in ritual and visionary settings.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to זָכָר; properly, a male, i.e. of sheep; ram.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
זכר (z-k-r) — to be male, masculine
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2138 | זָכוּר | her male |
| H2139 | זַכּוּר | and Remembered-one |
| H2142 | זָכַר | I will cause to be remembered |
| H2143 | זֵכֶר | for remembrance of |
| H2144 | זֶכֶר | and Zeker |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1798-01 |
דִּכְרִ֣ין | dikherin | ANcmpa |
rams | male rams | 2 |
H1798-02 |
וְ/דִכְרִ֣ין | vedikherin | AC/Ncmpa |
and-males | and male animals | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences