H1881 H1881
Law, regulation, or statute; a royal decree or edict; a judicial sentence or verdict
The noun דָּת is a Persian loanword that entered biblical Hebrew during the exile and post-exilic period, appearing exclusively in Esther, Ezra, and once in Deuteronomy 33:2 (a debated occurrence). It denotes an authoritative legal pronouncement — whether a standing regulation of the Persian empire ('the law of the Medes and Persians,' cf. Esth 1:19) or a specific royal edict. In Esther, the word saturates the narrative of court intrigue: the king's law that none may approach the inner court uninvited (Esth 4:11), the irrevocable decree against the Jews (Esth 3:14-15), and the counter-decree that saves them (Esth 8:13-14). Its narrow distribution reflects the Persian administrative vocabulary that shaped Jewish legal discourse in the Second Temple period.
Senses
1. law, regulation, statute — The primary sense of a binding law, regulation, or statute with ongoing legal force, covering 19 of 22 occurrences. In Esth 1:8 the king's law governs the feast ('no one was compelled'), and in Esth 1:13,15 legal experts are consulted about what 'the law' requires. The multilingual glosses converge on legal terminology — Spanish 'ley,' French 'loi,' German 'Gesetz' — distinguishing this as standing regulation rather than a one-time command. The controversial occurrence at Deut 33:2 ('a fiery law,' אֵשׁ דָּת) may be an archaic use or textual emendation, debated since antiquity. 19×
AR["شَرَائِعَ", "شَرِيعَةً", "شَرِيعَةٌ", "فِي-شَرَائِعِ", "كَ-الشَّرِيعَةِ", "كَ-شَرِيعَةِ", "كَ‒شَرِيعَةِ", "وَ-الشَّرِيعَةُ", "وَ-شَرَائِعُهُمْ", "وَ-شَرِيعَتُهُ", "وَ-شَرِيعَتِهِ", "وَ‒شَرِيعَتُهُ"]·ben["-আইন-অনুসারে", "-বিধি-অনুসারে", "-বিধিতে", "আইন", "ও-আইন", "ও-তাঁর-আইন", "ও-তাঁর-বিধি", "ও-তাদের-বিধি", "ও-বিধি", "নিয়ম-অনুসারে", "বিধান", "বিধি", "বিধি-অনুসারে", "বিধিগুলি"]·DE["Gesetz", "und-Gesetz", "und-der-Gesetz", "wie-Gesetz"]·EN["according-to-law", "according-to-law-of", "and-his-law", "and-the-law", "and-their-laws", "in-laws-of", "law", "laws-of"]·FR["décret", "et-décret", "loi"]·heb["ב-דת", "דת", "ו-דת-ו", "ו-דת-ם", "ו-ה-דת", "כ-דת", "כ-ה-דת"]·HI["आज्ञा", "आज्ञा-के-अनुसार", "आज्ञा-के-रूप-में", "और-आज्ञा", "और-उनकी-व्यवस्थाएँ", "और-उसकी-आज्ञा", "और-व्यवस्था", "नियम-के-अनुसार", "व्यवस्था", "व्यवस्था-के", "व्यवस्था-के-अनुसार", "व्यवस्था-के-रूप-में", "व्यवस्थाएँ", "व्यवस्थाओं-में"]·ID["(hukum)", "dalam-hukum", "dan-hukum", "dan-hukum-hukumnya", "dan-hukumnya", "hukum", "hukum-hukum", "menurut-hukum"]·IT["decreto", "e-decreto", "legge"]·jav["Miturut-hukum", "angger-angger", "hukum", "ing-pranatan", "lan-hukum", "lan-hukum-ipun", "lan-pranatan-ipun", "miturut-hukum", "miturut-pranatan", "pranatan"]·KO["그리고-그-법이", "그리고-그들의-법들이", "그리고-그의-법", "그리고-그의-법이", "대로-법", "법(접)", "법과", "법들을", "법에-따라", "법으로", "법이", "에-법들에", "처럼-법"]·PT["Conforme-a-lei", "conforme-a-lei", "conforme-decreto-de", "conforme-lei-de", "decreto", "e-a-lei", "e-decreto-seu", "e-lei-sua", "e-leis-deles", "e-o-decreto", "lei", "leis-de", "nas-leis-de"]·RU["в-законах", "закон", "закона", "законом", "законы", "и-закон", "и-закон-его", "и-законы-их", "по-закону"]·ES["Según-ley", "conforme-a-ley-de", "decreto", "en-leyes-de", "ley", "leyes-de", "según-la-ley", "según-ley-de", "y-el-decreto", "y-la-ley", "y-su-decreto", "y-su-ley", "y-sus-leyes"]·SW["(sheria)", "kama-sheria", "katika-sheria", "kwa-sheria", "na-amri-yake", "na-sheria", "na-sheria-yake", "na-sheria-zao", "nitaangamia", "sheria"]·TR["(yasa)", "kurala-göre-", "ve-yasa-", "ve-yasaları", "ve-yasası", "yasa", "yasalarına-", "yasalarını", "yasasına-göre-", "yasaya-göre-", "yasayı"]·urd["(شریعت)", "اور-اس-کا-قانون", "اور-ان-کے-قوانین", "اور-قانون", "قانون", "قانون-کے-مطابق", "قوانین", "مطابق-قانون", "میں-قوانین"]
2. royal decree, edict — The narrower sense of a specific royal decree or edict — an authoritative command issued for a particular occasion rather than a permanent statute. Ezra 8:36 reports that the king's edicts (דָּתֵי) were delivered to the satraps, and Esth 4:8 mentions a copy of 'the written decree' (כְּתָב הַדָּת) issued for the Jews' destruction. Spanish 'decreto/decretos' and French 'décret' distinguish this from the broader 'law' sense, marking a specific promulgated instrument of royal will rather than an ongoing legal norm. 2×
AR["الشَّرِيعَةِ", "شَرائِع"]·ben["-বিধির", "বিধান"]·DE["Gesetz", "das-Gesetz"]·EN["the-edicts-of", "the-law"]·FR["décret"]·heb["דת", "ה-דת"]·HI["आज्ञा-की", "आदेश"]·ID["hukum", "keputusan"]·IT["decreto"]·jav["hukum", "pranatan-pranatanipun"]·KO["그-법의", "법들을"]·PT["a-lei", "as-ordens-de"]·RU["указа", "указы"]·ES["el-decreto", "los-decretos-de"]·SW["ambayo", "amri"]·TR["kanunlarini", "yasanın-"]·urd["احکام", "قانون-کی"]
3. sentence, penalty, verdict — A rare judicial sense at Esth 4:11 where דָּת functions as a sentence, penalty, or verdict applied to a specific person. Anyone who approaches the king uninvited has 'one law' (אַחַת דָּתוֹ) — death — unless the king extends his golden scepter. Here the 'law' has become a specific punitive consequence rather than a code of regulations or a royal proclamation. The Spanish 'su ley' and English 'his law' preserve the personal, punitive application that distinguishes this sense from the broader legal and decree senses. 1×
AR["شَرِيعَتُهُ"]·ben["তার-বিধি"]·DE["Gesetz"]·EN["his-law"]·FR["décret"]·heb["דת-ו"]·HI["दण्ड"]·ID["hukumnya"]·IT["decreto"]·jav["hukum-ipun"]·KO["그의-법이"]·PT["lei-sua"]·RU["закон-его"]·ES["su-ley"]·SW["kuuawa"]·TR["yasası"]·urd["اس-کا-قانون"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† דָּת 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;— 1. decree, edict, commission of Pers. king Ezr 8:36 (word elsewhere only in Est)…