דִּבְלַיִם
𐤃𐤁𐤋𐤉𐤌
Divelayim
H1691 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name meaning 'two cakes' or 'fig cakes'; functions as a proper noun, likely in a symbolic or literary sense to evoke imagery related to fig cakes (pressed figs). The term is best understood as a name rather than as a common noun, with the semantic field relating to foodstuffs or objects made of pressed figs, but in its actual usage applied to a person (specifically, the father or mother of Gomer in Hosea 1:3).
Semantic Range
pressed fig cakes, cakes of figs (dual); used as a proper noun (personal name), possibly symbolic or literary
Root / Etymology
Formed from the dual of the masculine noun דְּבֵלָה (develah, 'cake of figs' or 'pressed fig cake'), itself ultimately from the root דבל, 'to press together, squeeze'; the dual form דִּבְלַיִם (Diblayim) indicates 'two fig cakes,' but here serves as a name.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name דִּבְלַיִם occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible (Hosea 1:3), as the parent of Gomer, the wife of Hosea. The form is dual, possibly suggesting abundance or a literary play on words, though in context it is not used literally but as a proper name. Some interpreters have speculated about symbolic meanings related to the lifestyle of Gomer and her parentage, but lexically, the term refers simply to 'two fig cakes' or 'pressed fig cakes' in the dual. In later interpretation and translation, this name has been rendered in English Bibles as 'Diblaim.' The term is distinct from the singular דְּבֵלָה and does not occur as a common noun outside this context. The English translation 'Diblaim' or 'Diblajim' follows the transliterated Hebrew, but the original audience would have recognized the allusion to fig cakes, common as a foodstuff in the ancient Levant. There is no evidence that the name refers to a geographic location or group identity, nor should the term be understood in connection with later designations such as 'Jew' or 'Judean.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
dual from the masculine of דְּבֵלָה; two cakes; Diblajim, a symbolic name; Diblaim.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דבל (d-b-l) — press together, squeeze, make into a cake
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1690 | דְּבֵלָה | pressed-fig cake |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1691-01 |
דִּבְלָ֑יִם | divelayim | HNp |
of Diblaim | Two Fig-Cakes | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1691-01 |
Hosea 1:3 | דִּבְלָ֑יִם | divelayim | HNp |
of Diblaim | Two Fig-Cakes |