Aramaic word · H1907

הַדָּבָר

hadaveraiya'

counselor

The king's highest ministers or privy councillors. It is probably borrowed from Old Persian *hada-bāra-, roughly 'companion, associate'. The word occurs only in Daniel (3:24, 27; 4:33; 6:8).

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

counsellor, minister

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 Daniel 3:24

Range of meaning

The king's highest ministers or privy councillors. It is probably borrowed from Old Persian *hada-bāra-, roughly 'companion, associate'. The word occurs only in Daniel (3:24, 27; 4:33; 6:8).

Against the English

'Counsellors' or 'advisers' (KJV, WEB, BSB) is accurate enough. It may suggest professional advisers, when the term really names the king's intimate inner circle at court, his 'companions' or 'Friends'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Old Greek version renders it 'friends' (philoi), the term used in Hellenistic courts for a king's inner circle. Theodotion has 'nobles' (megistanes). Persian loanwords are common in Daniel's Aramaic, which points to an author familiar with Persian-period court language.

Where it appears

Daniel · 4

  1. Daniel 3:24 לְהַדָּֽבְר֗וֹהִי to counselors his

    Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied.

    Here: A Persian loanword for the king's inner circle of top officials, literally his 'companions'. These senior officials had just watched the scene with him.

  2. Daniel 3:27 וְהַדָּבְרֵ֣י and [the] counselors of

    and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.

    Here: A Persian loanword, probably meaning "companions": the king's inner circle. These are the same advisers the king turned to in 3:24 with "Did we not throw three men bound into the fire?" They are his closest witnesses.

  3. Daniel 4:36 הַדָּֽבְרַ֥י counselors my

    At the same time my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

  4. Daniel 6:7 הַדָּֽבְרַיָּ֣א counselors the

    All the royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce a decree that for thirty days anyone who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.

    Here: Members of the king's inner circle (also in 3:24, 27; 4:36). Probably a Persian loanword; the exact original sense is uncertain.

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