Hebrew word · H1702
דֹּבְרוֹת
doerot
raft
Rafts, or logs bound into floating units. The word may be related to the root d-b-r in the sense of 'drive' or 'lead' (as cattle are driven), so 'things driven or towed along'. That link is uncertain.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
floats, rafts
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
- Range of meaning
Rafts, or logs bound into floating units. The word may be related to the root d-b-r in the sense of 'drive' or 'lead' (as cattle are driven), so 'things driven or towed along'. That link is uncertain.
- Against the English
KJV has 'floats', an older English word for rafts. Modern versions use 'rafts'. YLT's 'floats in the sea' is literal.
- How it drifted
KJV 'floats' is accurate for 1611, but a modern reader may picture fishing floats or buoys.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. The parallel 2 Chronicles 2:16 uses rapsōdôt, another rare word for rafts. Assyrian palace reliefs from Sargon II's palace at Khorsabad (8th century BC) show Phoenician boats towing logs and carrying them on board along the coast. The Egyptian Tale of Wenamun (about 11th century BC) describes cedar being felled in Lebanon and shipped from Byblos.
Where it appears
1 Kings · 1
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1 Kings 5:9 דֹּבְר֤וֹת rafts
My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
Here: A rare technical word for log-rafts, found only here in the Hebrew Bible. The parallel in 2 Chronicles 2:16 uses a different rare word (rapsōdôt). Timber was moved by lashing the logs together or towing them.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.