דְּבִיר
𐤃𐤁𐤉𐤓
Devir
H1688 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun designating multiple entities: (1) a Canaanite (Amorite) city in the southern hill country conquered by the Israelites during the settlement period; (2) a location in the territory of Gad; (3) an Amorite king of the former city. Most frequently used for the city southwest of Hebron, also known as Kiriath-sepher. The term is not used as a common noun, but consistently as a place name or as a personal name, always in historical or narrative contexts.
Semantic Range
proper name of a Canaanite city, Amorite king, location in Gad; always a place or personal name
Root / Etymology
Root: דבר (d-b-r) ‘to speak, declare’ or 'back, inner sanctuary' (see also related noun דְּבִיר meaning 'inner sanctuary' in the Temple). However, as a proper name, the derivation is uncertain and may relate to a city function (as a center of decree or learning, cf. Kiriath-sepher, 'city of the scroll/book'), or be independent of the root’s core meaning. The shortened spelling דְּבִר occurs as a variant.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name דְּבִיר most often refers to the southern city, associated with Amorite inhabitants prior to its conquest by the Israelites (Joshua 10–15), and subsequently settled by Judahite and Calebite clans. In Joshua 13:26, a distinct location in the territory of Gad bears the name. As a personal name, it refers to a king of the former Canaanite city. Later Jewish and Christian traditions transliterate the name as 'Debir,' but the term is originally toponymic and not associated with postbiblical identities. The related noun דְּבִיר (with the same consonants) means 'inner sanctuary' of the Temple, but evidence is lacking that the place name shares this meaning beyond possible etymological association. English translations render it ‘Debir,’ which preserves the onomastic function but does not reflect any wider semantic range. There are no indications that the meaning or usage of the name changed significantly across different biblical periods, and it occurs primarily in narrative, genealogical, and geographical lists.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or (shortened) דְּבִר; (Joshua 13:26 (but see לֹא דְבַר)), the same as דְּבִיר; Debir, the name of an Amoritish king and of two places in Palestine; Debir.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דבר (d-b-r) — to speak, declare; inner sanctuary, back chamber
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1682 | דְּבוֹרָה | bees |
| H1683 | דְּבּוֹרָה | Bee-woman |
| H1687 | דְּבִיר | in the innermost sanctuary |
| H1696 | דָבַר | I will speak |
| H1697 | דָּבָר | in the matter |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1688-01 |
דְּבִ֥יר | devir | HNp |
Debir | Devir | 10 |
H1688-02 |
דְּבִ֑רָ/ה | devirah | HNp/Sd |
Debir | Debir | 2 |
H1688-04 |
לִ/דְבִ֨רָ/ה֙ | lidevirah | HR/Np/Sd |
to Debir | toward Debir | 1 |
H1688-03 |
לִדְבִֽר | lidevir | HNp |
of Debir | to Debir | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
14 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1688-01 |
Joshua 10:3 | דְּבִ֥יר | devir | HNp |
Debir | Devir |
H1688-02 |
Joshua 10:38 | דְּבִ֑רָ/ה | devirah | HNp/Sd |
Debir | Debir |
H1688-04 |
Joshua 10:39 | לִ/דְבִ֨רָ/ה֙ | lidevirah | HR/Np/Sd |
to Debir | toward Debir |
H1688-01 |
Joshua 11:21 | דְּבִ֣ר | devir | HNp |
Debir | Devir |
H1688-01 |
Joshua 12:13 | דְּבִר֙ | devir | HNp |
Debir | Devir |
H1688-03 |
Joshua 13:26 | לִדְבִֽר | lidevir | HNp |
of Debir | to Debir |
H1688-02 |
Joshua 15:7 | דְּבִרָ/ה֮ | devirah | HNp/Sd |
Debir | Debir |
H1688-01 |
Joshua 15:15 | דְּבִ֑ר | devir | HNp |
Debir | Devir |
H1688-01 |
Joshua 15:15 | דְּבִ֥ר | devir-2 | HNp |
Debir | Devir |
H1688-01 |
Joshua 15:49 | דְבִֽר | devir | HNp |
Debir | Devir |