A1882 — דָּת (dâth) [Aramaic]¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H1882
Original: דָּת
Transliteration: dâth
Pronunciation: dawth
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: Persian loan-word; cf. Hebrew cognate H1881 (same form, same meaning)
Occurrences: 13 unique verses (14 tokens) in OT
Books: 2 (Daniel, Ezra)
First Occurrence: Ezr 7:12 — "Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

(Aramaic) corresponding to H1881; — decree, law.

BDB expanded: dâth noun feminine — (1) decree of a king (Dan 2:13, 15; Ezr 7:26); with suffix "decree against you" (Dan 2:9). (2) Unchangeable law of the Medes and Persians (Dan 6:9, 13, 16). (3) Law of God, in the mouth of non-Israelites (Dan 6:6; Ezr 7:12, 14, 21, 26; Dan 7:25). Persian loan-word; see also Biblical Hebrew H1881.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
(the/of the) law	6	46.2%
(the/a) decree	4	30.8%
and law(s)	2	15.4%
for you	1	7.7%

Note: "for you" (Dan 2:9) represents "one decree against you" — the KJV's loose rendering of דָּתְכוֺן (dāthəkôn), the word with a 2mp suffix.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Daniel	8	2.2
Ezra	5	1.8

Confined entirely to the Aramaic sections of the OT (Daniel 2–7; Ezra 4–7). Absent from all Hebrew books. The concentration in Daniel reflects the book's Persian court setting.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Royal Decree — Specific Edict from a King (Changeable or Harsh)¶

Dan 2:9 — "there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words before me"
Dan 2:13 — "And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain"
Dan 2:15 — "Why is the decree so hasty from the king?"
Ezr 7:26 — "whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him"

2. Irrevocable Law of Medes and Persians¶

Dan 6:8 — "establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not"
Dan 6:12 — "Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days... shall be cast into the den of lions?"
Dan 6:15 — "Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed"

3. Law of God — Divine Instruction (In the Mouth of Non-Israelites)¶

Ezr 7:12 — "Artaxerxes... unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven"
Ezr 7:14 — "sent of the king... to inquire concerning Judah... after the law of thy God which is in thine hand"
Ezr 7:25 — "set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God"
Dan 6:5 — "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God"
Dan 7:25 — "he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints... and think to change times and laws (dâth)"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
אֱלָהּ (ʼĕlâhh)	H426	7x (54%)	"law of his/thy God" (Dan 6:5; Ezr 7:12, 14, 25, 26)
לָא (lâʼ)	H3809	7x (54%)	"not changed / not do the law" — irrevocable or disobeyed
כֹּל (kôl)	H3606	6x (46%)	"all the law... whoever does not do..."
מִלָּה (millâh)	H4406	4x (31%)	"word/command" pairing — royal proclamation context
שְׁנָא (shᵉnâʼ)	H8133	4x (31%)	"changed" — specifically the law that cannot be altered
אֱסָר (ʼĕçâr)	H633	3x (23%)	"decree and interdict" — paired legal terms in Dan 6
מָדַי/פָּרַס (Medes/Persia)	H4076/H6540	3x (23%)	"law of the Medes and Persians"
עֶזְרָא (ʻEzrâʼ)	H5831	3x (23%)	"scribe of the law of God" — Ezra 7 context

Word Family / Cognates¶

H1881 דָּת (dâth) — Hebrew cognate: exact same spelling, same meaning ("royal edict, statute"); appears 22 times in Hebrew portions of OT, predominantly in Esther (19x) and once each in Deut 33:2, Ezra 8:36, and Isaiah 65:5. Same Persian loan-word, different biblical language section.

Synonyms¶

No synonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for this Aramaic noun.

Antonyms¶

No antonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for this Aramaic noun.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
דָּת (dâth, Hebrew)	H1881	both "law, decree, commandment"	H1881 = Hebrew form in non-Aramaic texts (esp. Esther); H1882 = Aramaic form in Daniel/Ezra Aramaic sections — same word, different language register
תּוֹרָה (tôwrâh)	H8451	both "law of God" in KJV	tôwrâh = instruction/teaching; the covenant law given through Moses; divine revelation; H1882 = administrative decree/statute; used of God's law by Gentile rulers from the outside
אֱסָר (ʼĕçâr)	H633	both translated "decree"	ʼĕçâr = interdict, prohibition — a temporary decree forbidding something (Dan 6); dâth = the standing law or statute

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
δόγμα (dógma)	G1378	4	9.18	Highest PMI; used for formal authoritative decree (Dan 2:13, 6:8)
νόμος (nómos)	G3551	6	5.51	Higher raw count; used when dâth = law of God (Ezr 7:12; Dan 7:25)
γραμματεύς (grammateús)	G1122	3	6.20	Co-occurs in Ezra scribe-of-the-law passages
βασιλεύς (basileús)	G935	8	2.82	Common by proximity (king's decree contexts)

G1378 (dogma) is the most precise LXX equivalent, capturing the formal-decree nuance. G3551 (nomos) is used when the referent is God's law specifically.

Semantic Domains¶

No semantic-domain data was returned by search_relationships.py for this Aramaic noun.