---
title: דָּת — decree · The Tanakh dictionary
description: דָּת (1881), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 22 times: decree. BDB 1906: n.f. decree, law, usage, only. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# דָּת

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«דָּת» in the Tanakh dictionary: **decree** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 22 times · **Key:** 1881 · **BDB:** דָּת

### Glosses

law (8); the.law (4); the.laws (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

decree [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1491/1881/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. decree, law, usage, only [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1491/1881/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. Est 3:15; 4:11; decree, law, usage, only in Persian period (Biblical Aramaic NH id., Syriac ܕܰܬܳܐ or ܕܳܬܳܐ Pers. loan-w., Old Pers. dâta, law, SpiegAPK 225)—ד׳ abs. Est 1:8 + 9 times; cstr. דַּת Est 2:12, דָּת 9:13; sf. דָּתוֹ Est 2:8 + 4 times; pl. cstr. דָּתֵי Ezr 8:36 + 2 times; sf. דָּתֵיהֶם Est 3:8;— decree, edict, commission of Pers. king Ezr 8:36 (word elsewhere only in Est) Est 2:8 (‖ דְּבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ), 4:3 (‖ id.) 8:17 (‖ id.) 9:1 (‖ id.; c. עשׂה execute) cf. also 9:13; c. vb. נָתַן 3:14, 15; 8:13, 14; 9:14; written כְּתָב־הַדָּת 4:8 (cf. 3:14; 8:13). law, permanently valid and applicable, וְיִכָּתֵב בְּדָתֵי פָרַס־וּמָדַי וְלֹא יַעֲבוֹר Est 1:19 cf. v 15; 4:11, 16; יֹדְעֵי דָּת וָדִין 1:13 those that understood law and judgment; דָּתֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ 3:8; of laws of the Jews in Persia 3:8; even of rules for drinking at a feast 1:8; for purifying of women 2:12.—The distinction between 1 \& 2 is not absolute. The king’s will was law, and the royal edict (דְּבַר מַלְכוּת) concerning Vashti was reckoned among the laws (דָּתֵי) of the Persians \& Medes (1:19).—In Dt 33:2 MT אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ fire was a law for them is corrupt; many emend. proposed, cf. Di; Di suggests אֵשׁ \[לַפִּ\]דֹת fire of flames, flaming fire, cf. הַלַּפִּידִם Ex 20:18 (but לַפִּדֹת pl. in ת—ֹ not in OT unless as n.pr.), or (better), אֵשׁ \[יֹקֶ\]דֶת a burning fire, cf. Is 65:5 (diff. sense).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 21 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «דָּת» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1491/1881/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Esther 9:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/EST.9.14/)

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וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְהֵֽעָשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן וַתִּנָּתֵ֥ן דָּ֖ת בְּשׁוּשָׁ֑ן וְאֵ֛ת עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת בְּנֵֽי־הָמָ֖ן תָּלֽוּ׃

*Word for word:* and he.said the king to be.done thus and it.was.given the.law in Susa and (et) the.ten the.sons of.Haman people.hanged

*JPS 1917:* And the king commanded it so to be done; and a decree was given out in Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

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[Esther 1:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/EST.1.13/)

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וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לַחֲכָמִ֖ים יֹדְעֵ֣י הָֽעִתִּ֑ים כִּי־כֵן֙ דְּבַ֣ר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לִפְנֵ֕י כָּל־יֹדְעֵ֖י דָּ֥ת וָדִֽין׃

*Word for word:* and he.said the king to wise men \[who\].knew (of).the times (dm) \[was\].thus the.manner of the.king before all \[those.who\].knew (of).law and judgment

*JPS 1917:* Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times — for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment;

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