Hebrew word · H1866

דְּרוֹר

uderor

swallow

A bird, usually identified as the swallow or swift (Ps 84:3, paired with tsippor). The same spelling also means 'release, liberty': the Jubilee and slave release (Lev 25:10; Jer 34:8; Isa 61:1). It is also a fragrant resin in 'liquid myrrh' (Exod 30:23).

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

a swallow, bird

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 Proverbs 26:2

Range of meaning

A bird, usually identified as the swallow or swift (Ps 84:3, paired with tsippor). The same spelling also means 'release, liberty': the Jubilee and slave release (Lev 25:10; Jer 34:8; Isa 61:1). It is also a fragrant resin in 'liquid myrrh' (Exod 30:23). HALOT lists the bird word separately, and whether the 'liberty' word and the bird are related is debated.

Against the English

Translations vary between 'swallow' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) and 'darting swallow' (NIV, BSB). The difference is minor.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 84:3: 'the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow (deror) a nest for herself.' Swallows and swifts are common in the Levant and known for long, unbroken flights.

Where it appears

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 84:3 וּדְר֤וֹר׀ and a swallow

    Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young near Your altars, O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 26:2 כַּדְּר֣וֹר like <the> swallow

    Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

    Here: 'Like the swallow.' A fast bird that seems to be always in the air. The word sounds the same as deror, 'release, liberty' (Lev 25:10), which suits a bird that seems to belong to no one, though whether the two are related is uncertain.

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