H6600 H6600
A word, decree, command, or official communication (Aramaic loanword from Persian)
An Aramaic noun of Persian origin (pitgam) meaning a word, decree, or official communication. It covers a range from royal command (Ezra 6:11) to diplomatic correspondence (Ezra 4:17; 5:7) to a formal reply (Ezra 5:11), and even a more general sense of 'matter' or 'affair' (Dan 3:16; 4:17). The word entered Aramaic from Old Persian patigama ('message'), and its bureaucratic flavor suits the imperial contexts of Ezra and Daniel perfectly. It later passed into Rabbinic Hebrew as pitgam, a proverbial saying.
Senses
1. word / message / decree — A word, message, decree, or official communication — an Aramaic loanword from Persian patigama. Used for royal edicts (Ezra 6:11), official letters (Ezra 4:17; 5:7), formal replies (Ezra 5:11), and more loosely for a matter or affair (Dan 3:16; 4:17). Spanish mensaje ('message') and asunto ('matter') capture the dual register, while German Befehl ('command') emphasizes the authoritative dimension. The term consistently appears in imperial administrative contexts, reflecting the Persian bureaucratic environment of the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel. 6×
AR["الأَمْرُ", "الكَلِمَة-", "جَوَابًا", "رَدَّا", "كَلِمَة"]·ben["উত্তর", "কথা", "বচন", "সংবাদ"]·DE["Befehl", "[פתגם]", "[פתגמא]"]·EN["the-matter", "the-word", "word"]·FR["décret", "sentence"]·heb["ה-דבר", "מענה", "פתגם"]·HI["उत्तर", "पत्र", "यह-वचन"]·ID["Jawaban", "Laporan", "jawaban", "perkara", "perkataan"]·IT["[פתגם]", "[פתגמא]", "decreto"]·jav["lapuran", "pangandikan", "prakawis-punika", "wangsulan"]·KO["답변", "대답을", "말씀", "이-말씀-이요"]·PT["Resposta", "a-palavra", "palavra", "uma-palavra", "é-a-sentença"]·RU["Ответ", "Сообщение", "ответ", "слово"]·ES["Mensaje", "asunto", "esta-palabra", "la-sentencia", "mensaje"]·SW["jambo-hili", "jibu", "neno", "ujumbe"]·TR["Cevap", "Soz", "soz", "sozu", "söz"]·urd["جواب", "حکم", "فرمان"]
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
† פִּתְגָם n.m. Ezr 6:11 command, word, affair (Pers.: v. BH);—abs. פ׳ Dn 3:16; emph. -מָא Ezr 4:17 +;—command Ezr 6:11, word, by missive 5:7, from king 4:17 (both c. שְׁלַח), in answer 5:11 (c. התיב); weakened, thing, affair Dn 3:16; 4:14.