Hebrew word · H1767

דַּי

dei

enough

Sufficiency, 'enough', what meets a need (Exod 36:7; Prov 25:16, 'eat only enough'). With prepositions it builds idioms: middê, 'as often as'; bᵉdê, 'for the need of, enough for'. Malachi 3:10 has the opposite: blessing poured out 'until there is no more need' (ʿad bᵉlî-dāy).

Appears 38 times in 34 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) sufficiency, enough

1a) enough

1b) for, according to the abundance of, out of the abundance of, as often as

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 Nahum 2:12

Range of meaning

Sufficiency, 'enough', what meets a need (Exod 36:7; Prov 25:16, 'eat only enough'). With prepositions it builds idioms: middê, 'as often as'; bᵉdê, 'for the need of, enough for'. Malachi 3:10 has the opposite: blessing poured out 'until there is no more need' (ʿad bᵉlî-dāy).

Against the English

KJV, WEB and BSB keep 'enough'. YLT's 'parts' misses it. Paraphrases that drop the word lose the contrast in the verse.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 36:5–7; Proverbs 25:16; Jeremiah 49:9 ('they would destroy only enough for themselves'); Habakkuk 2:13 (bᵉdê-rîq, 'for the sake of nothing').

From the study of Isaiah 66:23

Range of meaning

The noun day means “sufficiency, enough.” With the preposition min (“from”) it becomes the idiom midde, meaning “as often as, whenever, every time that” (BDB, HALOT). When it is followed by a noun repeated with “its” (“new moon in its new moon”), it means “regularly, each one in its turn.”

Against the English

KJV, BSB, NIV and WEB: “from one new moon to another.” ESV and NASB: “from new moon to new moon.” YLT: “from month to month.” All of these capture the repetition. However, “from one … to another” can sound like the span of time between two dates. The Hebrew does not mean “during the interval.” It means “on each new moon, whenever it comes.”

Used elsewhere in the period

The closest parallel is Zech 14:16: the survivors of the nations go up midde shanah beshanah, “year by year,” to bow to the King, Yahweh, and to keep the Feast of Booths. The same idiom appears in 1 Sam 1:7 (“as often as she went up” to Shiloh), 1 Sam 18:30, 1 Kgs 14:28 and Jer 31:20 (“as often as I speak against him”).

From the study of Obadiah 1:5

Range of meaning

Sufficiency, enough, what is needed or adequate (Exod 36:7; Prov 25:16 'eat only enough'; Mal 3:10 'until there is no more need').

Against the English

KJV 'till they had enough'; BSB 'only what they wanted'; YLT 'their sufficiency.' All are fair. 'What they wanted' brings out the thief's appetite, 'enough' the built-in limit.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 25:16; Prov 27:27; the parallel Jer 49:9 has 'they would destroy (only) their enough' (hišḥîtû dayyām).

Where it appears

Exodus · 2
  1. Exodus 36:5 מִדֵּ֤י more than sufficiency of

    and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD has commanded us to do.”

  2. Exodus 36:7 דַיָּ֛ם sufficiency their

    since what they already had was more than enough to perform all the work.

Leviticus · 4
  1. Leviticus 5:7 דֵּ֣י sufficiency of

    If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.

    Here: 'The enough of a sheep', meaning the amount it takes to get one, its price. The same phrase is used for the new mother's offering in Lev 12:8.

  2. Leviticus 12:8 דֵּ֣י sufficiency of

    But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

    Here: 'The sufficiency of', meaning enough for, the amount needed to get. It sets the measure: the value of one animal from the flock.

  3. Leviticus 25:26 כְּדֵ֥י according to [the] sufficiency of

    Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his land,

  4. Leviticus 25:28 דֵּי֮ sufficiency

    But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee, however, it is to be released, so that he may return to his property.

Deuteronomy · 2
  1. Deuteronomy 15:8 דֵּ֚י sufficiency of

    Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.

  2. Deuteronomy 25:2 כְּדֵ֥י according to [the] sufficiency of

    If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.

Judges · 1
  1. Judges 6:5 כְדֵֽי־ according to [the] abundance of

    For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.

    Here: Literally 'according to the plenty of'. More than a bare 'like': they came in the quantity of locusts, not merely resembling them.

1 Samuel · 3
  1. 1 Samuel 1:7 מִדֵּ֤י as often as

    And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat.

  2. 1 Samuel 7:16 מִדֵּ֤י as often as

    Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places.

  3. 1 Samuel 18:30 מִדֵּ֣י as often as

    Every time the Philistine commanders came out for battle, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers, so that his name was highly esteemed.

1 Kings · 1
  1. 1 Kings 14:28 מִדֵּי־ as often as

    And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

    Here: Literally 'from the sufficiency of'. Joined to a verb it is a fixed phrase meaning 'every time that'. It marks what follows as a repeated custom, not a one-off.

2 Kings · 1
  1. 2 Kings 4:8 מִדֵּ֣י as often as

    One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.

    Here: An idiom meaning "as often as" or "every time that" (1 Sam 1:7; 18:30; 1 Kgs 14:28). One meal became a regular arrangement.

2 Chronicles · 2
  1. 2 Chronicles 12:11 מִדֵּי־ as often as

    And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would go with him, bearing the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

  2. 2 Chronicles 24:5 מִדֵּ֤י as often as

    So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly.” The Levites, however, did not make haste.

Nehemiah · 1
  1. Nehemiah 5:8 כְּדֵ֣י according to [the] sufficiency

    and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.

Esther · 1
  1. Esther 1:18 וּכְדַ֖י and [will be] as enough of

    This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.

Job · 1
  1. Job 39:25 בְּדֵ֤י in [the] sufficiency of

    At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shouts of captains and the cry of war.

Proverbs · 2
  1. Proverbs 25:16 דַּיֶּ֑ךָּ sufficiency your

    If you find honey, eat just what you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up.

    Here: 'Your enough': the amount that meets your need. The word sets a measure that fits you, not a fixed ration, and the limit is built into the command itself.

  2. Proverbs 27:27 וְדֵ֤י׀ and a sufficiency of

    You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you—food for your household and nourishment for your maidservants.

Isaiah · 5
  1. Isaiah 28:19 מִדֵּ֤י as often as

    As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.

  2. Isaiah 40:16 דֵּ֖י דֵּ֖י [is] sufficiency of

    Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.

  3. Isaiah 66:23 מִֽדֵּי־ וּמִדֵּ֥י as often as, and as often as

    From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.

    Here: Built from “from” plus “sufficiency/enough.” As an idiom it means “every time that” and marks something that happens again and again. Here it describes a repeating cycle, not one single event.

Jeremiah · 6
  1. Jeremiah 20:8 מִדֵּ֤י as often as

    For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long.

    Here: Literally 'from the sufficiency of'. It is a fixed idiom for 'every time that, as often as' (compare 1 Sam 1:7; Jer 31:20; 48:27). It does not mean 'since, from the time when'.

  2. Jeremiah 31:20 מִדֵּ֤י as often as

    Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

    Here: From day, 'enough, sufficiency'. With mi- it means 'as often as, every time that' (compare 1 Sam 1:7). It describes something that happens again and again, not 'since' a single moment (KJV).

  3. Jeremiah 48:27 מִדֵּ֧י as often as

    Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.

  4. Jeremiah 49:9 דַיָּֽם׃ sufficiency their

    If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the night, would they not steal only what they wanted?

  5. Jeremiah 51:58 בְּדֵי־ בְּדֵי־ for [the] sufficiency of

    This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.”

    Here: Literally 'for the enough of', an idiom meaning 'just for' or 'only to supply'. Their toil produces exactly enough of... nothing.

Obadiah · 1
  1. Obadiah 1:5 דַּיָּ֑ם sufficiency their

    “If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, how you will be ruined—would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings?

    Here: 'Their enough': as much as they need, want or can carry, and no more. They take some things and leave the rest.

Nahum · 1
  1. Nahum 2:12 בְּדֵ֣י for [the] sufficiency of

    The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

    Here: 'For the enough of', meaning as much as was needed. The lion tore up enough to satisfy every cub. The provider image is deliberate, and it sets up the excess of the second half of the verse.

Habakkuk · 2
  1. Habakkuk 2:13 בְּדֵי־ בְּדֵי־ for [the] sufficiency of

    Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

    Here: An idiom built on 'enough': 'for just what is enough for'. Here it means 'merely for, only to feed'. All that toil comes to exactly as much as the fire needs and nothing more.

Zechariah · 1
  1. Zechariah 14:16 מִדֵּ֧י as often as

    Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

    Here: An idiom built on day, 'enough'. Literally 'from the enough of', it means 'every time that comes around'. Together with the next two words it means 'year by year, annually'.

Malachi · 1
  1. Malachi 3:10 דָֽי׃ sufficiency

    Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.

    Here: 'Enough.' The phrase 'until without enough' most likely means 'until there is no more lack' or 'beyond what is needed.' KJV takes it as 'not room enough to receive it.'

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