דָבַר
to speak
also: declare, converse, command, promise fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Piel verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘with acc. rei’
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘only inf.’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”).
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
99 verses where H1696 appears in the Piel stem in the Book of Jeremiah. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Jeremiah
- Jeremiah 1:6 דַּבֵּ֑ר Piel inf.cs Then said I, Ah, Lord Yahweh! behold, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child.
- Jeremiah 1:7 תְּדַבֵּֽר Piel impf 2ms But Yahweh said to me, Don't say, I am a child; for to whoever I shall send you, you shall go, and whatever I shall command you, you shall speak.
- Jeremiah 1:16 וְ/דִבַּרְתִּ֤י conj + Piel wpf 1cs I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
- Jeremiah 1:17 וְ/דִבַּרְתָּ֣ conj + Piel wpf 2ms You therefore gird up your loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command you: don't be dismayed at them, lest I dismay you before them.
- Jeremiah 3:5 דברתי דִבַּ֛רְתְּ Piel pf 1cs Piel pf 2fs Will he retain [his anger] forever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, you have spoken and have done evil things, and have had your way.
- Jeremiah 4:12 אֲדַבֵּ֥ר Piel impf 1cs a full wind from these shall come for me: now will I also utter judgments against them.
- Jeremiah 4:28 דִבַּ֨רְתִּי֙ Piel pf 1cs For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.
- Jeremiah 5:5 וַ/אֲדַבְּרָ֣ה conj + Piel coh 1cs I will get me to the great men, and will speak to them; for they know the way of Yahweh, and the law of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
- Jeremiah 5:14 דַּבֶּרְ/כֶ֔ם Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 2mp Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
- Jeremiah 5:15 יְדַבֵּֽר Piel impf 3ms Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far, house of Israel, says Yahweh: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don't know, neither understand what they say.
- Jeremiah 6:10 אֲדַבְּרָ֤ה Piel coh 1cs To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they can't listen: behold, the word of Yahweh is become to them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
- Jeremiah 7:13 וָ/אֲדַבֵּ֨ר וְ/דַבֵּר֙ conj + Piel wimpf 1cs conj + Piel inf.abs Now, because you have done all these works, says Yahweh, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you didn't hear; and I called you, but you didn't answer:
- Jeremiah 7:22 דִבַּ֤רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs For I didn't speak to your fathers, nor command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
- Jeremiah 7:27 וְ/דִבַּרְתָּ֤ conj + Piel wpf 2ms You shall speak all these words to them; but they will not listen to you: you shall also call to them; but they will not answer you.
- Jeremiah 8:6 יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ Piel impf 3mp I listened and heard, but they didn't speak aright: no man repents him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? everyone turns to his course, as a horse that rushes headlong in the battle.
- Jeremiah 9:5 יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ דַּבֶּר Piel impf 3mp Piel inf.cs They will deceive everyone his neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves to commit iniquity.
- Jeremiah 9:8 דִבֵּ֑ר יְדַבֵּ֔ר Piel pf 3ms Piel impf 3ms Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lays wait for him.
- Jeremiah 9:12 דִּבֶּ֧ר Piel pf 3ms Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and [who is] he to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that he may declare it? why is the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?
- Jeremiah 9:22 דַּבֵּ֗ר Piel impv 2ms Speak, Thus says Yahweh, The dead bodies of men shall fall as dung on the open field, and as the handful after the harvester; and none shall gather [them].
- Jeremiah 10:1 דִּבֶּ֧ר Piel pf 3ms Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, house of Israel!
- Jeremiah 10:5 יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ Piel impf 3mp They are like a palm tree, of turned work, and don't speak: they must be carried, because they can't go. Don't be afraid of them; for they can't do evil, neither is it in them to do good."
- Jeremiah 11:2 וְ/דִבַּרְתָּ/ם֙ conj + Piel wpf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp Hear you the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
- Jeremiah 11:17 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms For Yahweh of Hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have worked for themselves in provoking me to anger by offering incense to Baal.
- Jeremiah 12:1 אֲדַבֵּ֣ר Piel impf 1cs Righteous are you, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet would I reason the cause with you: why does the way of the wicked prosper? why are all they at ease who deal very treacherously?
- Jeremiah 12:6 יְדַבְּר֥וּ Piel impf 3mp For even your brothers, and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; even they have cried aloud after you: don't believe them, though they speak beautiful words to you.
- Jeremiah 13:15 דִּבֵּֽר Piel pf 3ms Hear you, and give ear; don't be proud; for Yahweh has spoken.
- Jeremiah 14:14 דִבַּ֖רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Then Yahweh said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I didn't send them, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I to them: they prophesy to you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart.
- Jeremiah 16:10 דִבֶּ֨ר Piel pf 3ms It shall happen, when you shall show this people all these words, and they shall tell you, Why has Yahweh pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against Yahweh our God?
- Jeremiah 18:7 אֲדַבֵּ֔ר Piel impf 1cs At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it;
- Jeremiah 18:8 דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.
- Jeremiah 18:9 אֲדַבֵּ֔ר Piel impf 1cs At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
- Jeremiah 18:20 לְ/דַבֵּ֤ר prep + Piel inf.cs Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
- Jeremiah 19:2 אֲדַבֵּ֥ר Piel impf 1cs and go forth to the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell you;
- Jeremiah 19:5 דִבַּ֔רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal; which I didn't command, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
- Jeremiah 19:15 דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring on this city and on all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it; because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.
- Jeremiah 20:8 אֲדַבֵּר֙ Piel impf 1cs For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, Violence and destruction! because the word of Yahweh is made a reproach to me, and a derision, all the day.
- Jeremiah 20:9 אֲדַבֵּ֥ר Piel impf 1cs If I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I can't [contain].
- Jeremiah 22:1 וְ/דִבַּרְתָּ֣ conj + Piel wpf 2ms Thus said Yahweh: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
- Jeremiah 22:21 דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, I will not hear. This has been your manner from your youth, that you didn't obey my voice.
- Jeremiah 23:16 יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ Piel impf 3mp Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, Don't listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 23:17 דִּבֶּ֣ר Piel pf 3ms They say continually to those who despise me, Yahweh has said, You shall have peace; and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come on you.
- Jeremiah 23:21 דִבַּ֥רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I didn't speak to them, yet they prophesied.
- Jeremiah 23:28 יְדַבֵּ֥ר Piel juss 3ms The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the straw to the wheat? says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 23:35 דִּבֶּ֖ר Piel pf 3ms Thus shall you say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his brother, What has Yahweh answered? and, What has Yahweh spoken?
- Jeremiah 23:37 דִּבֶּ֖ר Piel pf 3ms Thus shall you say to the prophet, What has Yahweh answered you? and, What has Yahweh spoken?
- Jeremiah 25:2 דִּבֶּ֜ר Piel pf 3ms which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
- Jeremiah 25:3 וָ/אֲדַבֵּ֧ר וְ/דַבֵּ֖ר conj + Piel wimpf 1cs conj + Piel inf.abs From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years, the word of Yahweh has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; but you have not listened.
- Jeremiah 25:13 דִּבַּ֣רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs I will bring on that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.
- Jeremiah 26:2 וְ/דִבַּרְתָּ֞ לְ/דַבֵּ֣ר conj + Piel wpf 2ms prep + Piel inf.cs Thus says Yahweh: Stand in the court of Yahweh's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in Yahweh's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them; don't diminish a word.
- Jeremiah 26:7 מְדַבֵּ֛ר Piel ptcp.act ms The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 26:8 לְ/דַבֵּר֙ לְ/דַבֵּ֖ר prep + Piel inf.cs prep + Piel inf.cs It happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, You shall surely die.
- Jeremiah 26:13 דִּבֶּ֖ר Piel pf 3ms Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God; and Yahweh will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you.
- Jeremiah 26:15 לְ/דַבֵּר֙ prep + Piel inf.cs Only know for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on the inhabitants of it; for of a truth Yahweh has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.
- Jeremiah 26:16 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms Then said the princes and all the people to the priests and to the prophets: This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God.
- Jeremiah 26:19 דִּבֶּ֣ר Piel pf 3ms Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Didn't he fear Yahweh, and entreat the favor of Yahweh, and Yahweh repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.
- Jeremiah 27:12 דִּבַּ֔רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
- Jeremiah 27:13 דִּבֶּ֣ר Piel pf 3ms Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
- Jeremiah 27:16 דִּבַּ֣רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus says Yahweh: Don't listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, Behold, the vessels of Yahweh's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon; for they prophesy a lie to you.
- Jeremiah 28:16 דִבַּ֖רְתָּ Piel pf 2ms Therefore thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will send you away from off the surface of the earth: this year you shall die, because you have spoken rebellion against Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 29:23 וַ/יְדַבְּר֨וּ conj + Piel wimpf 3mp because they have worked folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn't command them; and I am he who knows, and am witness, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 29:32 דִבֶּ֖ר Piel pf 3ms therefore thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he see the good that I will do to my people, says Yahweh, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 30:2 דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Thus speaks Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, Write you all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.
- Jeremiah 30:4 דִּבֶּ֧ר Piel pf 3ms These are the words that Yahweh spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
- Jeremiah 31:20 דַבְּרִ/י֙ Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 32:4 וְ/דִבֶּר conj + Piel wpf 3ms and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall see his eyes;
- Jeremiah 32:24 דִּבַּ֛רְתָּ Piel pf 2ms Behold, the mounds, they are come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what you have spoken has happened; and, behold, you see it.
- Jeremiah 33:14 דִּבַּ֛רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.
- Jeremiah 33:24 דִּבְּר֣וּ Piel pf 3cp Don't you consider what this people has spoken, saying, The two families which Yahweh did choose, he has cast them off? thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.
- Jeremiah 34:3 יְדַבֵּ֖ר Piel impf 3ms and you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 34:5 דִבַּ֖רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs you shall die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they make a burning for you; and they shall lament you, [saying], Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 34:6 וַ/יְדַבֵּר֙ conj + Piel wimpf 3ms Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
- Jeremiah 35:2 וְ/דִבַּרְתָּ֣ conj + Piel wpf 2ms Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of Yahweh, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
- Jeremiah 35:14 דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי וְ/דַבֵּ֔ר Piel pf 1cs conj + Piel inf.abs The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father's commandment: but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; and you have not listened to me.
- Jeremiah 35:17 דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Piel pf 1cs therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.
- Jeremiah 36:2 דִּבַּ֧רְתִּי דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs Piel pf 1cs Take a scroll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.
- Jeremiah 36:4 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book.
- Jeremiah 36:7 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms It may be they will present their supplication before Yahweh, and will return everyone from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Yahweh has pronounced against this people.
- Jeremiah 36:31 דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they didn't listen.
- Jeremiah 37:2 דִּבֶּ֔ר Piel pf 3ms But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did listen to the words of Yahweh, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 38:1 מְדַבֵּ֥ר Piel ptcp.act ms Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
- Jeremiah 38:4 לְ/דַבֵּ֣ר prep + Piel inf.cs Then the princes said to the king, Let this man, we pray you, be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this man doesn't seek the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
- Jeremiah 38:8 וַ/יְדַבֵּ֥ר conj + Piel wimpf 3ms Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying,
- Jeremiah 38:25 דִבַּ֣רְתִּי דִּבַּ֧רְתָּ דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 1cs Piel pf 2ms Piel pf 3ms But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don't hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said to you:
- Jeremiah 39:5 וַ/יְדַבֵּ֥ר conj + Piel wimpf 3ms But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.
- Jeremiah 39:12 יְדַבֵּ֣ר Piel impf 3ms Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do to him even as he shall tell you.
- Jeremiah 40:2 דִּבֶּר֙ Piel pf 3ms The captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said to him, Yahweh your God pronounced this evil on this place;
- Jeremiah 40:3 דִּבֵּ֑ר Piel pf 3ms and Yahweh has brought it, and done according as he spoke: because you have sinned against Yahweh, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come on you.
- Jeremiah 42:19 דִּבֶּ֨ר Piel pf 3ms Yahweh has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah, Don't you go into Egypt: know certainly that I have testified to you this day.
- Jeremiah 43:1 לְ/דַבֵּ֣ר prep + Piel inf.cs It happened that, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking to all the people all the words of Yahweh their God, with which Yahweh their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
- Jeremiah 43:2 מְדַבֵּ֔ר Piel ptcp.act ms then spoke Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying to Jeremiah, You speak falsely: Yahweh our God has not sent you to say, You shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there;
- Jeremiah 44:16 דִּבַּ֥רְתָּ Piel pf 2ms As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we will not listen to you.
- Jeremiah 44:25 וַ/תְּדַבֵּ֣רְנָה conj + Piel wimpf 3fp Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, saying, You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink-offerings to her: establish then your vows, and perform your vows.
- Jeremiah 45:1 דִּבֶּר֙ Piel pf 3ms The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these word in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,
- Jeremiah 46:13 דִּבֶּ֣ר Piel pf 3ms The word that Yahweh spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and strike the land of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 50:1 דִּבֶּ֧ר Piel pf 3ms The word that Yahweh spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.
- Jeremiah 51:12 דִּבֶּ֖ר Piel pf 3ms Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set the watchmen, prepare the ambushes; for Yahweh has both purposed and done that which he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
- Jeremiah 51:62 דִבַּ֜רְתָּ Piel pf 2ms and say, Yahweh, you have spoken concerning this place, to cut it off, that none shall dwell therein, neither man nor animal, but that it shall be desolate forever.
- Jeremiah 52:9 וַ/יְדַבֵּ֥ר conj + Piel wimpf 3ms Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.
- Jeremiah 52:32 וַ/יְדַבֵּ֥ר conj + Piel wimpf 3ms and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
דבר (dâbar) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to speak.” Translators differ — “spake” in the King James Version, then “spoke” (unfoldingWord Literal Text), as the renderings breakdown shows. With 1,049 verses in 36 books, it is one of the most common word in the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Genesis 8:15. Read the stem: it spans 6 stems, including Qal and Niphal. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1696 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 1,049
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 1,049 distinct verses.
- 36 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 36 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #33
- by frequency
- Top 50 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 33 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 1,049 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 1,049 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 486 verses · 46%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 389 verses · 37%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 174 verses · 17%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Spake 229×, Speak 139×, He spake 43×
- American Standard Version: Spake 240×, Speak 114×, He spake 44×
- Berean Standard Bible: Speak 126×, Said 120×, Spoke 72×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Spoke 232×, Speak 183×, And 143×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1696 across 1,143 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 204 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H1696 across 1,137 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 244 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H1696 across 1,112 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 225 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 26 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1696 across 1,330 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 112 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
24 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel) and Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 24 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- only inf. (once?) & pt.: Inf. sf. בְּדָרְרֶ֑ךָ (by attraction to בְּשָׁפְטֶ֑ךָ for usual Piel) ψ 51:6; Pt. דֹּבֵר Ex 6:29 + 30 times; pl. דֹּבְרִים Nu 36:5 ψ 109:20; cstr. דֹּבְרֵי ψ 5:7 + 3 times; f. דֹּבְרוֹת Nu 27:7 ψ 31:19; pass. דָּבֻר Pr 25:11;—speak, abs. Nu 27:7; 32:27; 36:5 (P) ψ 51:6 (?); דָּבָר דָּבֻר word spoken Pr 25:11; with acc. rei דֹּבֵר דָּבָר speaking a word Jb 2:13; אמת ψ 15:2, תמים Am 5:10, (מ) ישׁרים Pr 16:13; Is 33:15, צדק Is 45:19, שׁלום Est 10:3 ψ 28:3, שׁקר(ים) ψ 63:12; 101:7; Je 40:16, כזב ψ 5:7; 58:4, רע ψ 109:20, נבלה Is 9:16, הַוַּת נפשׁו Mi 7:3; with אֶל of person, unto Gn 16:13 (J) Ex 6:29 (P) Je 38:20; 40:16 Dn 10:11 Jon 3:2; בְּאָזְנֵי in the ears of Dt 5:1; Je 28:7; עַל concerning, about ψ 31:19; 109:20; Je 32:42 (sometimes rendered against, but dub.); עִם with ψ 28:3; הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדֹּבֵר בִּי the angel that spake with me (as a prophet, an instrument of communicating with Israel) Zc 1:9, 13, 14; 2:2, 7; 4:1, 4, 5; 5:5, 10; 6:4 (vid. prep. בְּ III. 2 Ew§ 217 f. (3)). e.g. Psalms 51:6
Niphal
- Pf. נִדְבְּרוּ Mal 3:16, נִדְבָּ֑רוּ ψ 119:23, נִדְבַּרְנוּ Mal 3:13; Pt. הַנִּדְבָּרִים Ez 33:30; reciprocal sense, speak with one another, talk, abs. Mal 3:16; with בְּ, against ψ 119:23; Ez 33:30; with עַל, concerning, about Mal 3:13 (RV against, vid. Ew § 217 i.) e.g. Malachi 3:16
Piel
- Pf. דִּבֶּר Gn 12:4 +, דִּבֵּ֑ר Gn 21:1 + (on דִּבֶּ֑ר Ex 12:25 Dt 26:19 v. Bö§ 1021 d (1) Köi 188); Impf. יְדַבֵּר Gn 44:7 +, יְדַבֶּר־ Gn 44:18 +; תְּדַבְּרוּן Gn 32:20, תְּדַבֵּר֑וּן ψ 58:2; Imv. דַּבֵּר Gn 24:38 +, דַּבֶּר־ Ex 11:2 +; Inf. דַּבֵּר Gn 24:50 +, דַּבֶּר־ Is 59:13 +; Pt. מְדַבֵּר Gn 27:6 +; f. מְדַבֶּרֶת 1 S 1:13 +;—(הַדִּבֵּר Je 5:13, inf. Ki 48, prob. Ol§ 182 e Kö§ 23 (5), perhaps MV; but more prob. a noun, as Ges§ 52 (2), Anm. 3 Ew§ 156 a, dub. pf. as Sta§ 222; בְּיוֹם דִּבֶּר Ex 6:28 Nu 3:1 Dt 4:15; תְּחִלַּת דִּבֶּר־ Ho 1:2, inf. Ki48 Bö§ 987 (7) Kö§ 23 (5); but more prob. pf., as Ges§ 52 (2), Anm. 3);—speak, e.g. Genesis 12:4
- 1. abs. Dt 18:17 + (throughout the literature) usually with לֵאמֹר, less freq. וַיֹּאמֶר: 2 K 18:28 +, cf. the phrases †דברתי (י׳) אני Ez 5:13 + 18 times Ez; †כי י׳ דבר Is 1:2; 21:17; 22:25; 24:3; 25:8; Je 13:15; Jo 4:8; Ob 18; †כי פי י׳ דבר Is 1:20; 40:5; 58:14; Mi 4:4; †פי ידבר ψ 49:4; †(י)דבר פי ψ 66:14; 145:21; †השׁכם ודבר Je 17:13; 25:3; 35:14; †עוד זה מדבר Jb 1:16, 17, 18. e.g. Deuteronomy 18:17
- 2. with acc. rei, very frequently, ד׳ את הדברים האלה Ex 20:1 Dt 5:19 +; לָמָּה תְּדַבֵּר עוֹד דְּבָרֶיךָ why speakest thou any more of thy affairs? 2 S 19:30; עַד אִם־דִּבַּרְתִּי דְּבָרָ֑י until I have told my errand Gn 24:33; seld. sq. דָּבָר indef.; as ד׳ דָּבָר Is 58:13 speak a (mere, empty) word; so prob. also ד׳ דְּבָרִים Ho 10:4; with other nouns, e.g. דבר קשׁות spake rough words Gn 42:7, 30 (E); ד׳ גבהה proud words 1 S 2:3; טבות friendly words Je 12:6; טוב 1 S 19:4 1 K 22:13 Est 7:9; שׁקר Is 59:3 +, כזב Dn 11:27, אמת Je 9:4 +, שׁוא ψ 12:3 +; דבר שׁיר utter, sing a song Ju 5:12; משׁל 1 K 5:12; יְהוּדִית the Jewish language Ne 13:24; †סרה rebellion Dt 13:6 Je 28:16; 29:32. e.g. Exodus 20:1
- 3. with persons:
- a. rarely acc. יָֽכְלוּ דַבְּרוֹ לְשָׁלֹם they could [not] speak unto him peaceably Gn 37:4 (J; but Ew§ 282 a about him); וַיְדַבֵּר … אֹתָם Nu 26:3 (P, but text corrupt vid. Di; no satisfactory explanation yet given, possibly read אִתָּם vid. d). e.g. Genesis 37:4
- b. most frequently with אֶל throughout the literature: Gn 8:15 +; cf. phrases וַיְדַבֵּר י׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר Ex 6:10 + 87 times; P; but †וידבּר י׳ אל משׁה לך Ex 32:7; 33:1 (JE); דבּר אל אהרן Lv 6:18 + 8 times (P); דבר אל בני ישׂראל Ex 6:9 + 38 times (P); elsewhere, Ex 19:6 (E) Dt 1:3; 4:45 (D) ד׳ אל (כל) העדה Ex 12:3 Lv 19:2 Nu 16:24, 26 (P); ד׳ אל לב speak unto one’s heart Gn 24:45, i.e. to oneself, cf. also ד׳ על לִבָּהּ 1 S 1:13, v. 5 infr.; אל is used inexactly for על 1 S 3:12 1 K 16:12 Is 16:13 Je 27:13; 30:4; 33:14; 36:7, 31; 40:2; 50:1; 51:12, 62 where it is rendered concerning or against. e.g. Genesis 8:15
- c. with לְ, speak to 1 K 2:19 Ez 32:21 Dn 2:4; ליהוה speak, sing to Yahweh words of a song Jos 10:12 (D) 2 S 22:1 (= ψ 18:1 title); in D, דבר ל promise to, in phrases †כאשׁר דבר(י׳) ל Dt 1:11, 21; 6:3; 9:3; 10:9; 11:25; 12:20; 15:6; 18:2; 26:18; 27:3; 29:12 Jos 13:14, 33; 22:4; 23:5, 10 (all D); אשׁר דבר ל Dt 9:28 1 K 8:24, 25, 26 (= 2 Ch 6:15, 16, 17).—דבר ל Gn 24:7; 28:15; 49:28 Ex 32:34 (J) Jos 9;21 (P) Ju 14:7 2 S 23:3 Is 30:10 Zc 9:10 usually rendered speak to, but often rather promise to. הֲיֵשׁ לְדַבֶּר־לָךְ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ is it possible to speak for thee unto the king? 2 K 4:13 (by attraction to לַעֲשׂוֹת לָךְ). e.g. 1 Kings 2:19
- d. with †אֵת speak with Gn 17:3, 22, 23; 21:2; 23:8; 34:6, 8; 35:13, 15 Ex 25:22; 31:18; 34:29, 33, 34, 35 Nu 3:1; 7:89 Jos 22:15, 21 (all P) Gn 35:14; 41:9; 42:7; 45:15 Jos 17:14 (all E) Dt 5:21; sources of S K Ch 2 S 3:27; 7:7 = 1 Ch 17:6 1 K 8:15 = 2 Ch 6:4 1 K 22:24 = 2 Ch 18:23 2 Ch 10:10 (= אל 1 K 12:10) Je 5:5; 7:22; 9:7; 35:2; 38:25 Ez 2:1; 3:22, 24, 27; 14:4; 20:3; 44:5 Dn 1:19 Zc 8:16; cf. phrases †דבר חד את אחד speak one with another Ez 33:30; †דבר משׁפטים את speak judgments with, usually = give judgment against, (not Je 12:1), Je 1:16; 4:12; 12:1; 39:5; 52:9 (= 2 K 25:6); דבר טבות את speak kindly with 2 K 25:28 = Je 52:32. e.g. Genesis 17:3
- e. c. †עִם speak with, (not P), Gn 29:9; 31:24, 29 Ex 19:9; 20:19(×2), 22; 33:9 Nu 11:17; 22:19 Jos 24:27 (all JE) Dt 5:4; 9:10 Ju 6:17 1 S 9:25 (𝔊 Th We Dr וַיִּרְבְּדוּ לְ spread a couch for) 17:23 2 S 13:22 1 K 1:14, 22 2 K 6:33; 18:26 2 Ch 9:1 (= אֶל 1 K 10:2) Ne 9:13 Est 6:14 Je 32:4 Dn 8:18; 9:22; 10:11, 15, 17, 19 Ho 12:5; דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲנִי עִם לִבִּי I Spake, communed with my heart Ec 1:16. e.g. Genesis 29:9
- f. †לִפְנֵי before, in the presence of Ex 6:12 Nu 36:1 (P) Ju 11:11 1 K 3:22 Est 8:3. e.g. Exodus 6:12
- 4. with בְּ:
- a. instrumental, דבר בְּ speak with, by, or by means of a person (vid. supr. Qal ad fin.) Nu 12:2(×2), 6, 8 (E) 2 S 23:2 (cf. Dr), 1 K 22:28 = 2 Ch 18:27, Hb 2:1; †דִּבֶּר בְּשֵׁם speak in the name of Ex 5:23 (J) Dt 18:19, 20(×2), 22 1 Ch 21:19 Je 20:9; 26:16; 29:23; 44:16 Dn 9:6 Zc 13:3; †ביד by the hand of Nu 17:5; 27:23 Jos 20:2 (P) 1 S 28:17 1 K 8:53 + 13 times K, 2 Ch 10:15 (= 1 K 12:15) Is 20:2 Je 37:2; 50:1 Ez 38:17. e.g. Numbers 12:2
- b. local (fig.), בְּאָזְנֵי in the ears of Gn 20:8 (E) Ex 11:2 Dt 32:44 (J) Gn 23:16 Nu 14:28 Jos 20:4 (P) Dt 31:28, 30 Ju 9:2, 3 1 S 8:21; 11:4; 25:24 2 S 3:19(×2) Je 26:15 Pr 23:9; †דבר בלב speak in the heart Ec 2:15. e.g. Genesis 20:8
- c. of the object, speak of, about (prep. בְּ IV. e Ew§ 217 f. (2)) Dt 6:7; 11:19 1 S 19:3, 4 ψ 119:46; 122:8; propose for (a wife) 1 S 25:39 cf. Ct 8:8). e.g. Deuteronomy 6:7
- d. of hostility, against (Ew§ 217 f. (1)) Nu 12:1, 8; 21:5, 7 (E) Jb 19:18 ψ 50:20; 78:19. e.g. Numbers 12:1
- e. of price, בְּנַפְשׁוֹ at the cost of his life 1 K 2:23 (vid. בְּ III. 3). e.g. 1 Kings 2:23
- 5. with †עַל, of the object concerning or about which one speaks Gn 18:19 Nu 10:29 (J) Jos 23:14 (D) Ju 9:3 1 S 25:30 1 K 2:4, 27; 5:13(×2); 14:2, 22:23 (= 2 Ch 18:22), 2 K 10:10, 19:21 = Is 37:22, 1 Ch 22:11 2 Ch 23:3 Je 1:16; 18:7, 8, 9; 42:19. It may have this sense in most if not all of the following, where RV renders 1 K 2:18, 19 Est 7:9 Je 18:20 for; 2 Ch 32:16 Ne 6:12 Je 11:17; 16:10; 25:13; 26:13, 19; 35:17 Ez 36:5 Dn 9:12; 11:36 Ho 7:13 Am 3:1 against; and 1 K 9:5 2 K 22:19 Je 10:1; 19:15 unto (על is used for אל unto 2 Ch 32:19 Je 6:10; 25:2; 26:2 Ho 12:11); cf. the phrase †דבר על לב speak upon the heart, speak kindly, comfort Gn 34:3; 50:21 (E) Ju 19:3 Ru 2:13, 1 S 1:13 (seemingly from context על for אל, to her heart, to herself, vid. Dr), 2 S 19:8 2 Ch 30:22; 32:6 Is 40:2 Ho 2:16. e.g. Genesis 18:19
- 6. with infin. †דבר לעשׂות promise to do Ex 32:14 (J) Dt 1:14 Ez 6:10 Jon 3:10; †דבר לתת promise to give Dt 19:8; †דבר למחות threaten to blot out 2 K 14:27; cf. †דבר להזהיר i.e. so as to warn Ez 3:18; 33:8. e.g. Exodus 32:14
- —וַתָּקָם וַתְּדַבֵּר אֶת־כָּל־זֶרַע הַמַּמְלָכָה 2 Ch 22:10 𝔊 ἀπώλεσε, 𝔙 interfecit, scribal error for וַתְּאַבֵּד 2 K 11:1. Other explanations: plot against, waylay (Arabic دَبَّرَ) Thes MV; pronounce sentence, ellipt. וַתְּדַבֵּר מִשְׁפָּטִים GesHdw Rob; but cf. VB— e.g. 2 Chronicles 22:10
Pual
- Impf. בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיְּדֻבַּר־בָּהּ in the day when she may be spoken for Ct 8:8 (vid. Pi. 4 c); Pt. נִכְבָּדוֹת מְדֻבָּר בָּךְ glorious things are being spoken in thee (RV Pe MV of thee) ψ 87:3. e.g. Song of Solomon 8:8
Hithpael
- Pt. מִדַּבֵּר = מִתְדַּבֵּר with acc. מִדַּבֵּר הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה speaking this word 2 S 14:13; שָׁמַע (אֵת הַקּוֹל) מִדַּבֵּר אֶל׳ heard (the voice, or) one speaking unto Nu 7:89 (P) Ez 2:2; 43:6 (Di Nu 7:89 would read מְדַבֵּר after 𝔊; the meaning not appreciably different from Piel; the Hithp. difficult to reconcile with אֶל). e.g. 2 Samuel 14:13
Hiphil
- Impf. וַיַּדְבֵּר עַמִּים תַּחְתָּי ψ 18:48 (2 S 22:48 has וּמֹרִיד for rare וַיַּדְבֵּר), יַדְבֵּר עַמִּים תַּחְתֵּינוּ 47:4; either (cf. Aramaic דַּבַּר) leads subject (so Ges coegit, De Now), or (cf. Arabic أَدْبَرَ turn the back, retreat) puts to flight, fig. for subdues (so Hi). e.g. Psalms 18:48
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. speak (original meaning dub.; range in order Thes is conjectural and not comprehensive enough; treiben MV does not explain Arabic or Heb. usage, but only Aramaic A meaning go away, sustained by Arabic دَبَرَ بِهِ go away with it, would best explain the four branches of usage:—(1) Arabic دَبَرَ depart, perish, iv. retreat, fig. retrograde, decline; دَبْرٌ passing away, death; Assyrian dabâru, Pi. drive away, Bez Orient. Diplom. Vocab., Dibbara, pest-god, Hpt in KAT 2500, דֶּבֶר pestilence. (2) Arabic دَبَرَ follow behind, in time, place, or station; دَبْرٌ part behind, دُبُرٌ back, דְּבִיר hindmost chamber of temple. (3) Syriac ܕܒܰܪ lead, guide, cattle, sheep, government, take a wife, = Aramaic דְּבר; Syriac ܕܳܒܽܘܪܳܐ, Aramaic דַּבָּר leader; Syriac ܕܽܘܒܳܪܳܐ, Aramaic דַּבָּרָא guidance; Syriac ܕܰܒܪܳܐ Aramaic דַּבְרָא, Heb. דֹּבֶר; Syriac ܡܰܕܒܰܪ, Aramaic מַדְבְּרָא, Heb. מִדְבָּר pasture, wilderness; Arabic دِبْرٌ, Syriac ܕܶܒܘܽܪܻܝܬܳܐ, Aramaic דַּבַּרְתָּא, Heb. דְּבוֹרָה swarm of bees, may be in this line, as led by their queen, so Thes. (4) Arabic دَبَّرَ consider the end or issue (of an affair), relate (a story or tradition); دَبَّرَ فِى consider, دَبَّرَ عَلَى plan against; Ph. דבר speak; Heb. דִּבֶּר etc. Syn. of אָמַר say, as Aramaic מַלֵּל with אֲמַר; Gk. λαλεῖν, λέγειν; Lat. loqui, dicere; Germ. reden, sagen)—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
דָּבַר
- (b. h.) to join, arrange, lead (the flock); v. next w.
- (b. h.) to converse, speak. Ber. 31ᵇ, a. fr. דִּבְּרָה תורה כלשון ב"א the Torah speaks according to the language of men, i.e. uses metaphors and phrases adapted to human understanding. Sot. 12ᵇ שעתיד לְדַבֵּר וכ׳ destined to speak to Divinity. Ter. I, 2 חרש שדִּבְּרוּ … מְדַבֵּר wherever the scholars use the word ḥērēsh, they mean one who neither hears nor talks. Mekh. Bo 7, end, a. fr. או אינו מְדַבֵּר אלא ב־ or does perhaps the text speak only of—? [מְדַבֵּר as a noun, v. s. v.].
- to hold communion, converse. Mekh. Bo, introd. לא נ׳ עמו וכ׳ the Lord did not hold communion with him outside the capital of Egypt. Ib. fr.
- , same, esp. part. f. מִדַּבֶּרֶת being on terms of intimacy with a man. Keth. I, 8 ראוה מד׳ עם אחד (omit בשוק); expl. ib. 13ᵃ. Ib. VII, 6 מד׳ עם כל אדם she is intimate with everybody. Ib. לכשהיא מד׳ בתוך ביתה וכ׳ when her neighbors can hear her voice in moments of intimacy with her husband.
- to make submissive, persuade, v. דִּיבּוּר. Macc. 11ᵃ דִבֵּר לחוד יַדְבֵּר לחוד the Piel dibber has one meaning (speaking harshly), and the Hif. yadber another.
דְּבַר
- 1. to seize, take, lead, drive. Targ. Gen. XIX, 15; a. fr. (h. לקח).—Ib. XXXI, 18; a. fr. (h. נהג).
- 2. to conduct one’s self (cmp. נָהַג). Erub. 14ᵇ, a. e. פוק חזי מאי עמא ד׳ go out and see how the people conduct themselves (what the religious usage is). Koh. R. to IX, 10, v. כְּלוּם.
- 1. to lead, drive. Targ. O. Ex. III, 1 ed. Berl. (ed. דְּבַר). Ib. XIV, 21 (ed. דְּבַר, h. text ויולך). Targ. Ez. XVI, 12; a. e.—Keth. 62ᵇ sq. עד כמה קא מְדַבְּרַת אלמנות חיים how long yet wilt thou lead a life of living widowhood (separation from a living husband)?
- 2. to carry off. Targ. Ezek. XXXIII, 6; a. e.
- to take, lead. Targ. Is. XIV, 2; a. fr.—Bets. 21ᵇ אַדְבְּרֵיה וכ׳ took him out on a walk; ib. 29ᵃ. Y. Yeb. XIII, 13ᶜ bot. מַדְבְּרוּן לה גבר they introduce to her a suitor.
- 1. to be seized, taken away. Targ. Prov. XXIV, 11. Targ. Ez. XXXIII, 6. Targ. II Kings II, 9 sq.; a. e.
- 2. to conduct one’s self. Targ. Gen. XXXIII, 14 אֵידַבַּר ed. Berl. (h. text אתנהלה).
דָּבָר
- preced.)
- 1. word, utterance, command (cmp. דִּיבּוּר). B. Bath. 56ᵇ (ref. to Deut. XIX, 15) ד׳ ולא חצי ד׳ a statement (testimony) but not a partial statement. Mekh. Bo, introd. היה הד׳ לאהרן (Tanḥ. ib. 5 דבור) the word of the Lord came to &c.; a. fr.—דְּבַר תורה according to the Biblical law. Erub. 81; a. fr.—Pl. דְּבָרִים, constr. דִּבְרֵי. ד׳ תורה Biblical laws; ד׳ סופרים Rabbinical laws. Ib. Yeb. IX, 3; a. fr.—ד׳ קבלה prophetic exhortations or incidental utterances in other Biblical books than the Pentateuch. Ḥag. 10ᵇ; Nidd. 23ᵃ; a. e.—B. Mets. 49ᵃ; Bekh. 13ᵇ ד׳ יש בהם משום מחוסרי אמנה to word of mouth the rules concerning the faithless are applied, i.e. a verbal agreement is morally binding. B. Mets. 48ᵃ הנושא ונותן בד׳ וכ׳ he who contracts verbally has no legal claim. Ib. ד׳ ואיכא … קאי באבל he who retracts a verbal transaction with which a payment of money was connected, comes under the category of those against whom the words ‘but the scholars declared’ (ib. IV, 2) has been pronounced.—דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים the Book of Chronicles. Lev. R. s. 1. B. Bath. 14ᵇ.—דָּבָר אַחֵר (abbrev. ד"א) another interpretation (is this). Gen. R. s. 1, beg.; a. fr.—2) thing, affair, object, occurrence &c. Sot. 28ᵇ ד׳ שיש בו דעת לישאל an object which has sense to ask, i.e. a rational being, opp. ד׳ שאין וכ׳ dumb creatures &c.—Num. R. s. 11 ד׳ שבינך לבינו that which concerns only thy relation to God; v. בֵּין.—ד׳ שבממון a monetary affair. B. Mets. 94ᵃ; a. fr.—ד׳ הלמד מענינו a thing (law) derived from the context on the very subject. Sifra, introd.; a. fr.—ד׳ אחר (abbr. ד"א) something not to be named, a) idolatry. Men. XIII, 10 ואין צריך לומר לד"א much less priests who have been offering to idols; a. fr.—b) swine. Ber. 43ᵇ (prov.) תלה ליה קורא לד"א וכ׳ hang a palm shoot around the swine and it will follow its habits (of wallowing in the mud). Sabb. 129ᵃ sq.; a. e.—c) leprosy Ib. אי פגע בד"א קשה לד"א if he meets a swine (after blood letting), he is in danger of becoming a leper.—d) unchaste conduct, sexual intercourse, sodomy &c. Ib. 17ᵇ על בנותיהן משום ד"א ועל ד"א משום ד"א they forbade connection with their daughters on account of idolatry, and decreed something else (that a gentile child should be unclean as though afflicted with gonorrhœa) on account of sodomy. Ber. 8ᵇ צנועין בד"א chaste in marital life; a. fr.—Pl. as above.—בעל ד׳ the person to deal with, opponent, party. B. Mets. 14ᵃ לאו ב"ד דידי את I have nothing to do with thee; a. fr.—לא היו ד׳ מעולם there were no such things, I deny it outright. Shebu. 41ᵇ; a. fr.—ד׳ בגב, ד׳ בגו, v. גַּב, גֵּו. e.g. Deuteronomy 19:15
דֶּבֶר
- , esp. Targ. Ez. XXXIII, 6) death, pestilence. Ab. V, 8. Sabb. 33ᵃ; a. fr.—Esp. the plague of pestilence in Egypt. Ex. R. s. 12. Tanḥ. Vaëra 14; a. fr.
דַּבָּר
- (דבר) leader.—Pl. דַּבָּרִין. Snh. 8ᵃ ד׳ אחד וכ׳ a generation must have one leader, but not two.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 370 distinct written forms H1696 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 310 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1696, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- דבורה dᵉbôwrâh H1682 bee
- דביר dᵉbîyr H1687 holy of holies
- דבר dâbâr H1697 word
- דבר deber H1698 pestilence
- דבר dôber H1699 pasture
- דברה dôbᵉrâh H1702 raft
- דברה dabbârâh H1703 word
- מדבר midbâr H4057 wilderness
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 9 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 1,001 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1,049 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 8:15
- Exodus 1:17
- Leviticus 1:1
- Numbers 1:1
- Deuteronomy 1:1
- Joshua 1:3
- Judges 1:20
- Ruth 1:18
- 1 Samuel 1:13
- 2 Samuel 2:27
- 1 Kings 1:14
- 2 Kings 1:3
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
