This noun refers to an authoritative ordinance, command, or official arrangement—something prescribed or ordered. Stephen speaks of the law being received 'through the arrangement of angels' (Acts 7:53), while Paul discusses submission to governing authorities, calling them God's 'ordinances' (Romans 13:2). The term suggests formal arrangement or prescription with binding authority. It shares root with words for arranging or ordering. Spanish 'disposiciones' and French 'ordonnance' both capture the sense of authoritative decree or regulation. The term can apply to divine, angelic, or governmental ordering, emphasizing the binding, prescribed nature of these arrangements.