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.
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"]
▼ 2 more senses below
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"]
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)…