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דָּא

𐤃𐤀

dâʼ

H1668 pronoun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain to indicate, to show, to designate proximity

Definition

Demonstrative pronoun used for proximal reference, indicating something or someone that is near in space, time, or context; used for 'this' or 'these' (sometimes in a substantival, adjectival, or pronominal sense) in Aramaic portions of the biblical text.

Semantic Range

this (demonstrative pronoun), this one, this thing, these (plural context), one...another (idiomatic), the indicated one/object near the speaker

Root / Etymology

Root is uncertain; formed as the standard Aramaic demonstrative pronoun דָּא, corresponding formally to Hebrew זֶה (zeh, 'this').

Historical & Contextual Notes

דָּא (dâʼ) appears in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably in Daniel and Ezra), functioning as the regular demonstrative pronoun for 'this.' It is used in a variety of syntactic contexts—both alone (substantival, 'this [one]') or before a noun (adjectival, 'this [king]'). Biblical Aramaic preserves this as the standard form, whereas later Aramaic dialects sometimes shift to דֵּין (dēn) or other regional forms. In Hebrew, the analogous term is זֶה, but the two are not etymologically identical; their forms reflect inherited Northwest Semitic demonstratives with dialectal divergence. English translations almost always use 'this,' but occasionally miss possible connotations of proximity or emphasis in rapid dialogue or direct discourse common to Aramaic narrative style. Usage is stable across all biblical Aramaic periods, without significant shift in meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to זֶה; this; one..another, this.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ידע (y-d-ʿ) — to know, perceive, recognize, experience

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1843 דֵּעַ Know!
H1844 דֵּעָה perceptive knowledge
H1845 דְּעוּאֵל God Knows
H1847 דַּעַת by his knowledge
H3028 יַד may he know

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1668-01 דָא da APdxfs this Know! 5
H1668-02 לְ/דָ֖א leda AR/Pdxfs against another to this 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1668-01 Daniel 4:27 דָא da APdxfs this Know!
H1668-01 Daniel 5:6 דָּ֥א da APdxfs one Know!
H1668-02 Daniel 5:6 לְ/דָ֖א leda AR/Pdxfs against another to this
H1668-01 Daniel 7:3 דָּ֥א da APdxfs this Know!
H1668-01 Daniel 7:3 דָּֽא da-2 APdxfs that Know!
H1668-01 Daniel 7:8 דָ֔א da APdxfs this Know!
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