Original Word: דּוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: duwr
Pronunciation: door
Phonetic Spelling: (dure)
KJV: dwell
NASB: dwelt, inhabitants, dwell, live, living
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H1752 (דּוּר - dwell)]

1. to reside

dwell

(Aramaic) corresponding to duwr; to reside -- dwell.

see HEBREW duwr

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to dur
Definition
to dwell
NASB Translation
dwell (1), dwelt (2), inhabitants (2), live (1), living (1).

Overview

דּוּר (dur) appears seven times in the Aramaic portions of Daniel as a noun for those who “dwell,” “inhabit,” or “live” in a place. The word serves as a literary thread that unites royal proclamations, prophetic visions, and narrative description, highlighting who is under the rule of earthly kings and, ultimately, under the unchallengeable sovereignty of the Most High.

Biblical occurrences

• Daniel 2:38 – Nebuchadnezzar is said to rule over “wherever men dwell,” showing the breadth of authority granted by God.
• Daniel 4:1 – The king addresses “every people, nation, and tongue that dwells in all the earth.”
• Daniel 4:12 – The birds of the heavens “lived in its branches,” picturing universal shelter under the great tree of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.
• Daniel 4:21 – Repeats the imagery of verse 12 in the recounting of the dream.
• Daniel 4:35 (twice, narrative and praise) – “All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing; He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth.”
• Daniel 6:25 – Darius writes to “every people, nation, and tongue who dwell in all the earth,” declaring the greatness of Daniel’s God.

Historical setting in Daniel

1. Imperial Edicts: Both Babylonian (Nebuchadnezzar) and Medo-Persian (Darius) monarchs use dur when issuing global proclamations. The term underscores the political reach of Near-Eastern empires while reminding readers that such reach exists only by divine allowance (Daniel 2:37–38; 4:17, 25).
2. Prophetic Dream of the Tree: The “dwelling” creatures in Daniel 4:12, 21 personify the nations benefiting from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign before his humbling. Dur thus ties the fate of earth-dwellers to the moral state of their ruler and to God’s corrective discipline.
3. Praise after Humbling: In Daniel 4:35 Nebuchadnezzar’s confession shifts the focus from those who dwell on earth to the God who resides in heaven and rules them all, reversing the pride exposed earlier in the chapter.

Theological themes

• Divine Sovereignty: Dur repeatedly appears in contexts that proclaim God’s supremacy over every “inhabitant of the earth,” whether human or animal.
• Universality of God’s Kingdom: Earth-dwellers form a single category under the dominion of the everlasting kingdom (Daniel 4:3, 34).
• Transience of Human Power: The recurring mention of inhabitants contrasts the shifting rule of empires with the unchanging authority of God (Daniel 4:17, 32).
• Humility and Accountability: Nebuchadnezzar’s and Darius’s public decrees remind leaders and peoples alike that occupying the earth entails responsibility before the Creator (Daniel 2:37; 4:27; 6:26).

Relation to wider biblical teaching

• Hebrew Parallel: The Hebrew דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) shares the triliteral root, reinforcing continuity between the Hebrew and Aramaic halves of the Old Testament in testifying that God rules “from generation to generation” (compare Daniel 4:3 with Psalm 90:1).
• Prophetic Echo: Revelation adopts similar language for “those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10; 11:10), picking up Daniel’s dur theme to describe global human society under God’s ultimate judgment.
• Christological Fulfillment: The New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the One to whom “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given (Matthew 28:18), fulfilling the prophetic trajectory that began with Daniel’s portrayal of the Most High’s control over all who dwell on earth.

Ministry and devotional insights

1. Call to Humility: Meditating on Daniel 4:35 guards hearts against pride by reminding believers that their very habitation is granted and governed by God.
2. Missionary Impetus: Darius’s universal decree (Daniel 6:25–27) models proclamation of God’s greatness to “every people, nation, and tongue,” prefiguring the Great Commission.
3. Assurance amid Political Change: Because God rules over all inhabitants, His people can trust Him through shifting governments and cultures, echoing Daniel’s confidence in exile.
4. Stewardship of Place: Recognizing oneself as an inhabitant (dur) entrusted with a divinely allotted dwelling encourages faithful engagement in community and creation care.

Summary

דּוּר threads through Daniel to describe earth-dwellers—kings, nations, and even wildlife—who are all subject to the Most High. Each occurrence magnifies divine sovereignty, exposes human pride, and anticipates the global reach of God’s redemptive plan. Believers today draw humility, courage, and missionary zeal from the truth that the Lord “does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth” (Daniel 4:35).

דָֽיְרִ֣ין דָיְרִ֥ין דָּיְרֵ֤י דירי דירין וְדָיְרֵ֖י ודירי יְדוּרָן֙ ידורן תְּדוּר֙ תדור dā·yə·rê ḏā·yə·rîn dāyərê dayeRei dayeRin ḏāyərîn tə·ḏūr teDur təḏūr vedayeRei wə·ḏā·yə·rê wəḏāyərê yə·ḏū·rān yeduRan yəḏūrānInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts