Hebrew word · H1700

דִּבְרָה

divrati

cause

It is related to davar ('word, thing, matter'). It means a matter, a cause or case, or a manner. ʿal-dibrat elsewhere means 'concerning, because of, for the sake of' (Eccl 3:18; 7:14; 8:2). Job 5:8 uses dibrati for 'my cause'.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

cause, manner, reason

Aramaic equivalent: div.rah (דִּבְרָה "cause" H1701)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 110:4

Range of meaning

It is related to davar ('word, thing, matter'). It means a matter, a cause or case, or a manner. ʿal-dibrat elsewhere means 'concerning, because of, for the sake of' (Eccl 3:18; 7:14; 8:2). Job 5:8 uses dibrati for 'my cause'.

Against the English

KJV, ESV, NASB, BSB and WEB have 'after / in / according to the order of'. Most of them get 'order' from the Greek taxis, not from the Hebrew. NJPS (the 1985 Jewish Publication Society version) reads it as 'by my decree' and takes Malki-tsedeq as a title.

How it drifted

'Order' comes from the Septuagint's taxis ('rank, arrangement') and the Latin ordo. A modern reader hears 'order' as a society you join or a line of succession you are ordained into. The Hebrew points to kind or manner, not membership in an institution.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint (Ps 109:4) has kata tēn taxin Melchisedek. Hebrews quotes it this way (5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21). Hebrews also paraphrases it as kata tēn homoiotēta Melchisedek, 'in the likeness of Melchizedek' (7:15), which shows the writer understood it as resemblance. The Talmud (b. Nedarim 32b) reads it causally: 'on account of the word of Melchizedek'.

From the study of Ecclesiastes 3:18

Range of meaning

A late Hebrew phrase built from dābār ('word, matter'). It means 'concerning, with regard to', 'because of, for the sake of', or 'after the manner/order of' (Ps 110:4, 'after the order of Melchizedek', in an older form).

Against the English

BSB and WEB say 'as for'. KJV says 'concerning the estate of'. YLT says 'concerning the matter of'. These differ in style, not meaning. Some scholars read it as 'because of' or 'for the sake of' humans, which would hint at a purpose: God does this for their benefit or because of what they are.

Used elsewhere in the period

Eccl 7:14 ('so that', or 'to the end that, man may not find out'). Eccl 8:2 ('because of the oath of God'). The fuller form appears in Dan 2:30 and 4:17 (Aramaic) and is common in later Hebrew. The Septuagint translates very literally: 'concerning the speech (lalia) of the sons of men', taking the word as 'word/talk'.

From the study of Ecclesiastes 7:14

Range of meaning

A late-Hebrew compound meaning "on account of the matter that," i.e. "so that, in order that" (purpose), or "with the result that." dibrâ means "matter, cause, manner."

Against the English

KJV and WEB "to the end that"; YLT "to the intent that"; BSB "so that"; NIV "Therefore." NIV turns it into a conclusion rather than God's purpose.

Used elsewhere in the period

Elsewhere only in Eccl 3:18 and 8:2. The similar form ʿal-dibrātî appears in Ps 110:4 ("after the order/manner of Melchizedek"), and the expression has close Aramaic counterparts. The Greek Septuagint translated it very woodenly as "concerning speech," which shows its translator was following the Hebrew word by word.

Where it appears

Job · 1

  1. Job 5:8 דִּבְרָתִֽי׃ plea my

    However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him—

    Here: "My case / my cause." A rare word from the same root as "word" and "matter" (dabar). Here it means the matter you bring for a decision, close to a lawsuit or plea.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 110:4 דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י [the] manner of

    The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

    Here: A rare word, related to davar ('word, matter, affair'). Here it most likely means 'after the fashion of', which is how the Greek Bible ('order') and Hebrews read it. Some read the final -i as 'my': 'by my word'.

Ecclesiastes · 3

  1. Ecclesiastes 3:18 דִּבְרַת֙ cause of

    I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”

    Here: A late Hebrew word in the phrase 'al-dibrat', meaning 'with regard to' or 'because of' (as in 7:14 and 8:2). Here it means 'as for' or 'regarding the case of' humanity. KJV's 'estate' tries to keep the noun.

  2. Ecclesiastes 7:14 דִּבְרַ֗ת reason

    In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.

    Here: "The matter / the reason of": together with ʿal it makes a late-Hebrew phrase meaning "to the end that, so that."

  3. Ecclesiastes 8:2 דִּבְרַ֖ת [the] cause of

    Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.

    Here: A rare word, used in the phrase ʿal-dibrat, "on account of / concerning" (also Eccl 3:18; 7:14; Ps 110:4 has a related form). It gives either the reason for obeying or the topic of the next instruction.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.