Original Word: דָּלִיָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: daliyah
Pronunciation: dah-LEETH
Phonetic Spelling: (daw-lee-yaw')
KJV: branch
NASB: branches
Word Origin: [from H1802 (דָּלָה - To draw)]

1. something dangling, i.e. a bough

branch

From dalah; something dangling, i.e. A bough -- branch.

see HEBREW dalah

Word Origin
from dalah
Definition
a branch, bough
NASB Translation
branches (8).

[דָּלִיּוֺת] plural of [דָּלִית] noun feminine branch, bough, metaphor of Israel under figure of olive tree דָּֽלִיּוֺתָיו Jeremiah 11:16; Ezekiel 17:6,7 (figure of vine); Ezekiel 17:23. (under figure of cedar); Ezekiel 31:7,9,12 of Asshur as a cedar, דָּלִיֹּתָיו Ezekiel 19:11 Israel as a vine (compare Löw⁶⁵).

Overview

The Hebrew noun דָּלִיָּה (Strong’s 1808) designates the leafy boughs or pendent branches of a tree or vine. Across its eight Old-Testament occurrences the word evokes vigor, expansion, and, paradoxically, vulnerability. The term always appears in poetic or prophetic passages, serving as a visual aid for lessons on covenant faithfulness, national destiny, and messianic hope.

Canonical Occurrences

Jeremiah 11:16

Ezekiel 17:6; 17:7; 17:23

Ezekiel 19:11

Ezekiel 31:7; 31:9; 31:12

Jeremiah: Broken Branches of a Once-Thriving Olive

Jeremiah 11:16 compares Judah to “a thriving olive tree with beautiful fruit,” but warns that the LORD “will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.” The imagery underscores covenant privilege squandered through idolatry. The snapped דָּלִיּוֹת announce coming judgment: the nation that should have sheltered the nations will itself be stripped.

Ezekiel: Parable, Lament, and Oracle

1. Parable of the Two Eagles (Ezekiel 17:6-7, 23)
• The transplanted vine grows “low” yet “spreading,” sending its דָּלִיּוֹת first toward Babylon, then Egypt. The shifting orientation of the branches exposes political faithlessness.
• In verse 23 the Lord Himself plants a new shoot that will “bear branches, produce fruit, and become a majestic cedar.” The secure דָּלִיּוֹת anticipate a restored kingdom whose stability is God-given, not self-contrived.

2. Lament for the Princes of Israel (Ezekiel 19:11)
• Israel’s royal house once possessed “strong branches fit for a ruler’s scepter.” The breaking and withering of those boughs signals the collapse of Davidic authority during exile, yet simultaneously recalls the promise that a future Branch will arise (compare Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5).

3. Oracle against Assyria (Ezekiel 31:7-12)
• Assyria, likened to an enormous cedar, owes its “spreading branches” to the abundant waters God provided (31:7-9). When cut down, its “branches fell on the mountains” (31:12). The fall of so dominant a tree warns every empire that greatness without reverence ends in ruin.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Responsibility

Dāliyyāh imagery stresses that privilege entails accountability. Whether olive (Judah) or cedar (Assyria), branches only flourish while connected to roots nourished by God’s covenant grace.

• Sovereign Restoration

The same Lord who breaks branches (Jeremiah 11:16) also promises to plant new ones (Ezekiel 17:23). Judgment is never His last word; He preserves a remnant and prepares a future of fruitful expansion.

• Messianic Foreshadowing

Ezekiel’s “majestic cedar” anticipates the Messiah, under whose expansive boughs “birds of every kind will nest” (Ezekiel 17:23). The picture harmonizes with New-Testament revelations of Christ gathering Jew and Gentile into one kingdom (Matthew 13:32; Ephesians 2:14-16).

Practical Ministry Insights

1. Abiding and Fruitfulness

Jesus’ assertion, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5), resonates with the older דָּלִיָּה motif. Ministry thrives only as believers abide in Christ; detached, they wither like Judah’s broken branches.

2. Leadership Accountability

Branches “fit for a ruler’s scepter” (Ezekiel 19:11) remind pastors and civic leaders alike that authority is a trust. Robust influence without humility invites pruning.

3. Hope for the Discouraged

Congregations in decline can take courage from Ezekiel 17:23. God specializes in replanting what seems lost, causing new branches to flourish where none were expected.

Conclusion

דָּלִיָּה paints a vivid, multi-layered portrait of expansion dependent on divine sustenance. Whether illustrating Israel’s failure, Assyria’s downfall, or the Messiah’s coming reign, the term invites God’s people to root themselves deeply in His faithfulness, confident that He alone grants lasting growth and shelter.

דָּֽלִיּוֹתָ֑יו דָּלִיֹּתָֽיו׃ דָּלִיּוֹתָ֖יו דָּלִיּוֹתָֽיו׃ דָּלִיּוֹתָיו֙ דָלִיּוֹתָ֗יו דליותיו דליותיו׃ דליתיו׃ וְדָֽלִיּוֹתָיו֙ ודליותיו dā·lî·yō·ṯāw dā·lî·yō·w·ṯāw ḏā·lî·yō·w·ṯāw daliyoTav dālîyōṯāw dālîyōwṯāw ḏālîyōwṯāw vedaliyoTav wə·ḏā·lî·yō·w·ṯāw wəḏālîyōwṯāwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts