Lexical Summary dath: decree, law Original Word: דָּתTransliteration: dath Phonetic Spelling: (dawth) Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Short Definition: decree, law Meaning: a royal edict, statute Strong's Concordance commandment, commission, decree, law, manner Of uncertain (perhaps foreign) derivation: a royal edict or statute -- commandment, commission, decree, law, manner. Brown-Driver-Briggs H1881. dath דָּת noun feminineEsther 3:15 decree, law, usage, only in Persian period (Biblical Aramaic Late Hebrew id., Syriac or ; Persian loan-word, Old Persian dâta, law, SpiegAPK 225) — ׳ד absolute 1:8-9t.; construct דַּת 2:12, דָּת 9:13; suffix דָּתוֺ 2:8 4t.; plural construct דָּתֵי Ezra 8:36 2t.; suffix דָּתַיהֶם Esther 3:8; — 1 decree, edict, commission of Persian king Ezra 8:36 (word elsewhere only in Esther) Esther 2:8 ("" הַמֶּלֶךְ דְּבַר), 4:3 ("" id.) 8:17 ("" id.) 9:1 ("" id.; with עשׂה execute) compare also 9:13; with verb נָתַן 3:14-15, 8:13-14, 9:14; written כְּתָבהַֿדָּת 4:8 (compare 3:14; 8:13). 2 law, permanently valid and applicable, יַעֲבוֺר וְלֹא מָּרַסוּֿמָדַי בְּדָתֵי וְיִכָּתֵב Esther 1:19 compare 1:15; 4:11, 16; וָדִין דָּת יֹדְעֵי 1:13 those that understood law and judgment; הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּתֵי 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 (מַלְכוּת דְּבַר) concerning Vashti was reckoned among the laws (דָּתֵי) of the Persians & Medes (Esther 1:19). — In Deuteronomy 33:2 לָמוֺ דָּת אֵשׁ ᵑ0 fire was a law for them is corrupt; many emendations proposed, compare Di; Di suggests דֹת[לַמִּ] אֵשׁ fire of flames, flaming fire, compare הַלַּמִּידִם Exodus 20:18 (but לַמִּדֹת plural in תֹ֯ not in OT unless as proper name), or (better), דֶת[יֹקֶ] אֵשׁ a burning fire, compare Isaiah 65:5 (different sense). |