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דָּת

𐤃𐤕

dâth

H1881 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain to decree, to establish law, to set ordinance

Definition

An official decree, statute, law, or rule issued by royal or governing authority, especially referring to the legislative commands imposed within the governmental, political, or legal framework of a state or empire. The term may refer to a broad range of legally binding ordinances, including edicts of rulers and formalized systems of societal regulation.

Semantic Range

royal edict, statute, law, decree, ordinance, official command, commission, legal custom, manner

Root / Etymology

Likely of Persian origin, deriving from Old Persian dāta-, meaning 'law' or 'decree'; the Hebrew דָּת appears to be a borrowing during the Persian period and is not derived from an indigenous Semitic root. The core Persian root denotes 'something set, established or decreed.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word דָּת occurs chiefly in late biblical books, especially in Esther, Ezra, and Daniel—texts which reflect Persian imperial administration. It differs from the indigenous Hebrew term תּוֹרָה (torah), which more fundamentally connotes teaching, instruction, or legal tradition specific to Israelite/Judahite religious contexts. דָּת generally refers to a formal royal decree or law—often a statute enacted by foreign (typically Persian) authorities. Its usage marks a shift toward codified, written, and public forms of legislative authority. In later biblical books, especially those originating in Persian and early Hellenistic contexts, דָּת expands to cover not only foreign but also Israelite legal ordinances, sometimes reflecting the intersection of indigenous and imperial systems. English translations frequently render דָּת as 'law,' 'decree,' or 'edict,' though these do not always capture its political-institutional nuance or external derivation. The word does not appear in earlier biblical periods; its presence signals intercultural legal and administrative influence during the post-exilic or Second Temple period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain (perhaps foreign) derivation; a royal edict or statute; commandment, commission, decree, law, manner.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

דת (d-t) — decree, law, ordinance, established rule

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1882 דָּת in official decree

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1881-02 דָּ֖ת dat HNcfsa law official decree 5
H1881-09 וְ/דָת֔/וֹ vedato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his decree and his royal decree 4
H1881-06 כְּ/דָת֙ kedat HR/Ncfsa according to the law according to a decree 3
H1881-03 דָּתֵ֤י datey HNcfpc laws decrees of 2
H1881-07 כַ/דָּ֖ת khadat HRd/Ncfsa according to the law according to decree 2
H1881-10 וְ/הַ/דָּ֥ת vehadat HC/Td/Ncfsa and the decree and the decree 2
H1881-01 בְּ/דָתֵ֥י bedatey HR/Ncfpc among the laws of in decrees of 1
H1881-08 וְ/דָתֵי/הֶ֞ם vedateyhem HC/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and their laws and their decreed laws 1
H1881-05 הַ֠/דָּת hadat HTd/Ncfsa of the edict the decree 1
H1881-04 דָּת/וֹ֙ dato HNcfsc/Sp3ms law of it his decree 1

Occurrences in Scripture

22 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1881-02 Deuteronomy 33:2 דָּ֖ת dat HNcfsa law official decree
H1881-07 Esther 1:8 כַ/דָּ֖ת khadat HRd/Ncfsa according-to-the-law according to decree
H1881-02 Esther 1:13 דָּ֥ת dat HNcfsa law official decree
H1881-06 Esther 1:15 כְּ/דָת֙ kedat HR/Ncfsa according to law according to a decree
H1881-01 Esther 1:19 בְּ/דָתֵ֥י bedatey HR/Ncfpc among the laws of in decrees of
H1881-09 Esther 2:8 וְ/דָת֔/וֹ vedato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his decree and his royal decree
H1881-06 Esther 2:12 כְּ/דָ֤ת kedat HR/Ncfsc according to the law according to a decree
H1881-08 Esther 3:8 וְ/דָתֵי/הֶ֞ם vedateyhem HC/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and their laws and their decreed laws
H1881-03 Esther 3:8 דָּתֵ֤י datey HNcfpc the laws decrees of
H1881-02 Esther 3:14 דָּת֙ dat HNcfsa decree official decree
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