Lexical Summary
din: cause, judgment, rights
Original Word:דִּין
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:diyn
Pronunciation:deen
Phonetic Spelling:(doon)
KJV: cause, judgement, plea, strife
NASB:cause, judgment, rights, justice, case, lawsuit or another, strife
Word Origin:[fromH1777 (דִּין דּוּן - judge)]
1. judgement (the suit, justice, sentence or tribunal)
2. (by implication) also strife
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cause, judgment, plea, strife
Fromdiyn; judgement (the suit, justice, sentence or tribunal); by impl. Also strife -- cause, judgement, plea, strife.
see HEBREWdiyn
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
dinDefinitionjudgment
NASB Translationcase (1), cause (6), judgment (4), justice (3), lawsuit or another (1), rights (4), strife (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] dubious; Qr
Job 9:29 ; see
—Deuteronomy 17:8 16t.; suffixPsalm 9:5,Jeremiah 30:13; —
throne of judgmentProverbs 20:8;from heaven thou didst cause judgment to be heardPsalm 76:9.
cause, plea,between plea and pleaDeuteronomy 17:8;plead a causeJeremiah 5:28;Jeremiah 22:16;Jeremiah 30:13;maintain, the causePsalm 9:5;Psalm 140:13;consider the causeProverbs 29:7;the cause is before himJob 35:14;change the causeProverbs 31:5;Isaiah 10:2;Jeremiah 5:28;Proverbs 31:8.
judgment, condemnation,judgment of the wickedJob 36:17;judgment and justiceJob 36:17.
strife,Proverbs 22:10 (legal strife, law-suit Str).
government,law and governmentEsther 1:13.
—Job 19:29 is variously explained. (1) AV RVthat ye may know there is a judgment follow Aq Symm Theod, so De Da, in interpreting relative +judgment, but is unknown to the dialect of Job and is used only in Elihu section. (2) reads , or (i.e. (compareJob 29:5 ) ? or ?), & Qr , indicating ancient uncertainty and a corrupt text. (3) Ew Di readthe Almighty, which accords with usage of Job. (4) Siegf (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:
• “A king who sits on a throne of justice scatters all evil with his eyes” (Proverbs 20:8).
• “The righteous man cares about the rights of the poor” (Proverbs 29:7).
• Kings must not drink “lest they forget what is decreed and deprive all the oppressed of justice” (Proverbs 31:5).
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:
• True—never arbitrary or erroneous.
• Impartial—“He shows no favoritism.”
• Redemptive—justice and mercy meet at the cross, where the penalty for sin is paid without compromising righteousness.
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.
2. Believers advocate for the unborn, the widow, and the stranger, embodyingProverbs 31:8—“Open your mouth for those with no voice.”
3. Preaching must proclaim both the certainty of judgment and the assurance of justification by faith.
4. Counseling directs the repentant to the settled verdict: “There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”
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- wəḏînî
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