Lexical Summary din: cause, judgment, rights Original Word: דִּין Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cause, judgment, plea, strife From diyn; judgement (the suit, justice, sentence or tribunal); by impl. Also strife -- cause, judgement, plea, strife. see HEBREW diyn NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom din Definition judgment NASB Translation case (1), cause (6), judgment (4), justice (3), lawsuit or another (1), rights (4), strife (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [דּוּן] noun [masculine] dubious; Qr Job 9:29 שַׁדּיּ֯ן; see דִּין n. דִּין noun [masculine] judgment — Deuteronomy 17:8 16t.; suffix דִּינִי Psalm 9:5, דִּינֵךְ Jeremiah 30:13; — 1 כסא דין throne of judgment Proverbs 20:8; משׁמים השׁמעת דין from heaven thou didst cause judgment to be heard Psalm 76:9. 2 cause, plea, בין דין לדין between plea and plea Deuteronomy 17:8; דין דין plead a cause Jeremiah 5:28; Jeremiah 22:16; Jeremiah 30:13; עשׂה דין maintain, the cause Psalm 9:5; Psalm 140:13; ידע דין consider the cause Proverbs 29:7; דין לפניו the cause is before him Job 35:14; שׁנה דין change the cause Proverbs 31:5; לְהַטּוֺת מִדִּין דַּלִּים Isaiah 10:2; דין יתום Jeremiah 5:28; דין כל בני חֲלוֺף Proverbs 31:8. 3 judgment, condemnation, דין רשׁע judgment of the wicked Job 36:17; דין ומשׁפט judgment and justice Job 36:17. 4 strife, דין וקלון Proverbs 22:10 (legal strife, law-suit Str). 5 government, דת ודין law and government Esther 1:13. Note. — לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּן שַׁדּיּ֯ן Job 19:29 is variously explained. (1) AV RV that ye may know there is a judgment follow Aq Symm Theod, so De Da, in interpreting שׁ relative + דִּין judgment, but שׁ is unknown to the dialect of Job and דִּין is used only in Elihu section. (2) ᵐ5 reads ὕλη, or ἴσχυς (i.e. שַׁדַּי (compare Job 29:5 ᵐ5) ? or שֹׁד?), & Qr שַׁדּוּן, indicating ancient uncertainty and a corrupt text. (3) Ew Di read שַׁדַּי the Almighty, which accords with usage of Job. (4) Siegf כִּי שֻׁדָּ֑דוּ (doubtfully). Topical Lexicon Entry: דִּין (Strong’s 1779)Root Concept and Theological Frame דִּין expresses judicial procedure, legal rights, and verdicts. Scripture employs the noun to affirm that every human dispute ultimately falls under the righteous scrutiny of Yahweh, the Judge of all the earth. Distribution across Scripture Twenty occurrences span Torah (Deuteronomy 17:8), the Persian period (Esther 1:13), Wisdom and Poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs), and the Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah). The breadth testifies that just judgment is not peripheral but embedded in Israel’s worship, governance, and prophetic hope. Covenantal Justice in the Torah (Deuteronomy 17:8) Moses mandates that “if a matter is too difficult for you to judge… visit the Levitical priests” so that “they will declare the verdict”. The verse roots justice in covenant obedience: corrupt judgment threatens covenant blessing; faithful judgment preserves communal holiness. Wisdom Literature: Integrity and Social Ethics Job’s laments hinge on דִּין. He warns, “Be afraid of the sword… that you may know there is a judgment” (Job 19:29). Job 36:17 exposes hearts that “are filled with the judgment due the wicked,” revealing that appetite for injustice invites the penalty of injustice. Proverbs applies דִּין to daily leadership: Wisdom thus binds personal morality to public policy and protects the defenseless. Psalms: Worship and Vindication Psalm 9:4—“You have upheld my just cause; You sit on Your throne judging righteously.” The singer’s confidence in God’s courtroom fuels praise. Psalm 76:8 links heavenly verdict to cosmic awe: “From heaven You pronounced judgment, and the earth feared and was still.” Psalm 140:12 anchors petition in certainty: “I know that the LORD will maintain justice for the poor and uphold the rights of the needy.” Worship expects the Judge to act. Prophetic Rebuke and Restoration Isaiah 10:2 condemns rulers “who deprive the needy of justice.” Jeremiah laments leaders who “do not plead the cause of the fatherless” (Jeremiah 5:28) yet praises Josiah, who “defended the cause of the poor and needy” (Jeremiah 22:16). When no earthly advocate remains—“There is no one to plead your cause” (Jeremiah 30:13)—the Lord Himself steps in, heralding messianic hope. Historical Glimpse (Esther 1:13) Persian advisers were “wise men who understood the times… versed in law and judgment.” Even pagan courts modeled the necessity of discernment, highlighting by contrast the perfection of divine דִּין. Systematic Significance God’s judgments are: Christological Fulfillment All longing for perfect דִּין converges in Jesus Christ. He is the promised King whose throne is “established with justice and righteousness” (Isaiah 9:7). At Calvary, God “demonstrates His righteousness” while justifying the sinner. The resurrection seals the verdict; final judgment will manifest the same unblemished standard. Practical Ministry Applications 1. Church elders must decide disputes without partiality, mirroring God’s courtroom. Summary דִּין threads through legislation, royal duty, psalmic praise, prophetic indictment, and messianic fulfillment, revealing a God who cannot ignore injustice and a people called to reflect His righteous verdicts until the day He judges the world in equity. Forms and Transliterations דִ֑ין דִּ֑ין דִּ֖ין דִּ֝֗ין דִּ֣ין דִּ֥ין דִּין־ דִּינֵ֖ךְ דין דין־ דינך וְדִין־ וְדִינִ֑י וָדִֽין׃ ודין־ ודין׃ ודיני לְדִ֗ין לדין מִדִּין֙ מדין שַׁדּֽוּן׃ שדון׃ dî·nêḵ din dîn ḏîn dîn- diNech dînêḵ lə·ḏîn leDin ləḏîn mid·dîn midDin middîn šad·dūn šaddūn shadDun vaDin vedin vediNi wā·ḏîn wāḏîn wə·ḏî·nî wə·ḏîn- wəḏîn- wəḏînîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 17:8 HEB: לְדָ֜ם בֵּֽין־ דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין וּבֵ֥ין NAS: between one kind of lawsuit or another, KJV: and blood, between plea and plea, INT: another between of lawsuit another and between Deuteronomy 17:8 Esther 1:13 Job 19:29 Job 35:14 Job 36:17 Job 36:17 Psalm 9:4 Psalm 76:8 Psalm 140:12 Proverbs 20:8 Proverbs 22:10 Proverbs 29:7 Proverbs 31:5 Proverbs 31:8 Isaiah 10:2 Jeremiah 5:28 Jeremiah 5:28 Jeremiah 22:16 Jeremiah 30:13 20 Occurrences |