דֹּבְרָה
𐤃𐤁𐤓𐤄
dôbᵉrâh
H1702 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A raft or float; specifically, a structure composed of wood or other buoyant material used for transport or conveyance on water. Its usage denotes an object assembled for floating, particularly as a means for carrying goods or people across a body of water.
Semantic Range
raft, float, timber float, assemblage of wood for transport on water
Root / Etymology
Root: ד-ב-ר. The form דֹּבְרָה is a feminine active participle from the root דָּבַר (dabar), which at its core means 'to lead, drive, arrange.' In this nominal formation, it refers to an object that is driven or floated, i.e., a raft. The connection to 'speech' (the primary sense of דָּבַר elsewhere) is not relevant here; instead, the root meaning is tied to movement or driving.
Historical & Contextual Notes
דֹּבְרָה appears in the Hebrew Bible specifically in the context of transportation, notably in reference to rafts of timber sent from Lebanon to the Israelite kingdom (e.g., 1 Kings 5:9, where Hiram uses rafts to send cedar logs to Solomon). The term is rare, and its meaning is contextually determined by ancient practices of floating timber down rivers or along the coast. It stands in contrast to common vessels such as boats (אֳנִיָּה) or ships (סְפִינָה), as דֹּבְרָה refers not to a constructed ship but to a makeshift float or raft. In later periods and translations, the specific meaning of the word is often lost or rendered generically as 'raft' or 'float,' with some versions using 'conveyance.' The word is distinct from דֹּבֶר (dōber) and has little direct association with the speech-related senses of the root.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine active participle of דָבַר in the sense of driving (compare דֹּבֶר); a raft; float.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
דבר (d-b-r) — to lead, drive, arrange
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1682 | דְּבוֹרָה | bees |
| H1683 | דְּבּוֹרָה | Bee-woman |
| H1687 | דְּבִיר | in the innermost sanctuary |
| H1688 | דְּבִיר | Devir |
| H1696 | דָבַר | I will speak |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1702-01 |
דֹּבְר֤וֹת | doverot | HNcfpa |
rafts | driven rafts | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1702-01 |
1 Kings 5:23 | דֹּבְר֤וֹת | doverot | HNcfpa |
rafts | driven rafts |