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).
Every verse where H1696 appears in the Book of Psalms — 55 distinct verses. 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.
Psalms
- Psalms 2:5 יְדַבֵּ֣ר Piel impf 3ms Then he will speak to them in his anger, And terrify them in his wrath:
- Psalms 5:6 דֹּבְרֵ֪י Qal ptcp.act mp cs You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.
- Psalms 12:2 יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ יְדַבֵּֽרוּ Piel impf 3mp Piel impf 3mp Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.
- Psalms 12:3 מְדַבֶּ֥רֶת Piel ptcp.act fs May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that boasts,
- Psalms 15:2 וְ/דֹבֵ֥ר conj + Qal ptcp.act ms He who walks blamelessly does what is right, And speaks truth in his heart;
- Psalms 17:10 דִּבְּר֥וּ Piel pf 3cp They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly.
- Psalms 18:1 דִּבֶּ֨ר Piel pf 3ms I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
- Psalms 18:47 וַ/יַּדְבֵּ֖ר conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms Even the God who executes vengeance for me, And subdues peoples under me.
- Psalms 28:3 דֹּבְרֵ֣י Qal ptcp.act mp cs Don't draw me away with the wicked, With the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbors, But mischief is in their hearts.
- Psalms 31:18 הַ/דֹּבְר֖וֹת ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act fp Let the lying lips be mute, Which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.
- Psalms 34:13 מִ/דַּבֵּ֥ר prep + Piel inf.cs Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking lies.
- Psalms 35:20 יְדַ֫בֵּ֥רוּ Piel impf 3mp For they don't speak peace, But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
- Psalms 37:30 תְּדַבֵּ֥ר Piel impf 3fs The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice.
- Psalms 38:12 דִּבְּר֣וּ Piel pf 3cp They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, And meditate deceits all day long.
- Psalms 39:3 דִּ֝בַּ֗רְתִּי Piel pf 1cs My heart was hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned: I spoke with my tongue:
- Psalms 40:5 וַ/אֲדַבֵּ֑רָה conj + Piel coh 1cs Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you have done, And your thoughts which are toward us. They can't be set in order to you; If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
- Psalms 41:6 יְדַבֵּ֗ר יְדַבֵּֽר Piel impf 3ms Piel impf 3ms If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.
- Psalms 47:3 יַדְבֵּ֣ר Hiphil impf 3ms He subdues nations under us, And peoples under our feet.
- Psalms 49:3 יְדַבֵּ֣ר Piel impf 3ms My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.
- Psalms 50:1 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, speaks, And calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.
- Psalms 50:7 וַ/אֲדַבֵּ֗רָה conj + Piel coh 1cs "Hear, my people, and I will speak; Israel, and I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
- Psalms 50:20 תְדַבֵּ֑ר Piel impf 2ms You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son.
- Psalms 51:4 בְּ/דָבְרֶ֗/ךָ prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 2ms Against you, and you only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in your sight; That you may be proved right when you speak, And justified when you judge.
- Psalms 52:3 מִ/דַּבֵּ֖ר prep + Piel inf.cs You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking the truth. Selah.
- Psalms 58:1 תְּדַבֵּר֑וּ/ן Piel impf 2mp + sfx n Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
- Psalms 58:3 דֹּבְרֵ֥י Qal ptcp.act mp cs The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
- Psalms 60:6 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms God has spoken from his sanctuary: "I will triumph. I will divide Shechem, And measure out the valley of Succoth.
- Psalms 62:11 דִּבֶּ֬ר Piel pf 3ms God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this, That power belongs to God.
- Psalms 63:11 דֽוֹבְרֵי Qal ptcp.act mp cs But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, For the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.
- Psalms 66:14 וְ/דִבֶּר conj + Piel pf 3ms which my lips promised, And my mouth spoke, when I was in distress.
- Psalms 73:8 וִ/ידַבְּר֣וּ יְדַבֵּֽרוּ conj + Piel impf 3mp Piel impf 3mp They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.
- Psalms 75:5 תְּדַבְּר֖וּ Piel impf 2mp Don't lift up your horn on high. Don't speak with a stiff neck."
- Psalms 77:4 אֲדַבֵּֽר Piel impf 1cs You hold my eyelids open. I am so troubled that I can't speak.
- Psalms 78:19 וַֽ/יְדַבְּר֗וּ conj + Piel wimpf 3mp Yes, they spoke against God. They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
- Psalms 85:8 יְדַבֵּר֮ יְדַבֵּ֬ר Piel impf 3ms Piel impf 3ms I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, For he will speak peace to his people, his saints; But let them not turn again to folly.
- Psalms 87:3 מְדֻבָּ֣ר Pual ptcp.pass ms Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God. Selah.
- Psalms 89:19 דִּבַּ֥רְתָּֽ Piel pf 2ms Then you spoke in vision to your saints, And said, "I have bestowed strength on the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
- Psalms 94:4 יְדַבְּר֣וּ Piel impf 3mp They pour out arrogant words. All the evil-doers boast.
- Psalms 99:7 יְדַבֵּ֣ר Piel impf 3ms He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, The statute that he gave them.
- Psalms 101:7 דֹּבֵ֥ר Qal ptcp.act ms He who practices deceit won't dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won't be established before my eyes.
- Psalms 108:7 דִּבֶּ֥ר Piel pf 3ms God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph, I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth.
- Psalms 109:2 דִּבְּר֥וּ Piel pf 3cp For they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.
- Psalms 109:20 וְ/הַ/דֹּבְרִ֥ים conj + ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp This is the reward of my adversaries from Yahweh, Of those who speak evil against my soul.
- Psalms 115:5 יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ Piel impf 3mp They have mouths, but they don't speak; They have eyes, but they don't see;
- Psalms 116:10 אֲדַבֵּ֑ר Piel impf 1cs I believed, therefore I said, "I was greatly afflicted."
- Psalms 119:23 נִדְבָּ֑רוּ Niphal pf 3cp Though princes sit and slander me, Your servant will meditate on your statutes.
- Psalms 119:46 וַ/אֲדַבְּרָ֣ה conj + Piel coh 1cs I will also speak of your statutes before kings, And will not be disappointed.
- Psalms 120:7 אֲדַבֵּ֑ר Piel impf 1cs I am for peace, But when I speak, they are for war.
- Psalms 122:8 אֲדַבְּרָה Piel coh 1cs For my brothers' and companions' sakes, I will now say, "Peace be within you."
- Psalms 127:5 יְדַבְּר֖וּ Piel impf 3mp Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They won't be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
- Psalms 135:16 יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ Piel impf 3mp They have mouths, but they can't speak; They have eyes, but they can't see;
- Psalms 144:8 דִּבֶּר Piel pf 3ms Whose mouths speak deceit, Whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
- Psalms 144:11 דִּבֶּר Piel pf 3ms Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners, Whose mouths speak deceit, Whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
- Psalms 145:11 יְדַבֵּֽרוּ Piel impf 3mp They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, And talk about your power;
- Psalms 145:21 יְֽדַבֶּ֫ר Piel impf 3ms My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh. Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
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.
