Lexical Definition

‎דִּין‎ dîyn (deen) to judge ^H:V
or (Genesis 6:3) דּוּן dûwn (doon); a primitive root

(come) with a straight course.

• a straight course, i.e. sail direct

1) to judge, contend, plead
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to act as judge, minister judgment
1a2) to plead a cause
1a3) to execute judgment, requite, vindicate
1a4) to govern
1a5) to contend, strive
1b) (Niphal) to be at strife, quarrel

See Greek: καταμένω · τίθημι

Extended Information

• Aramaic equivalent: din (‎ד‎ִּ‎ין‎ "to judge" דִּין)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: דִּין
[‎דון‎] verb dubious; only in ‎יָדוֺן‎ Gen 6:3, see ‎דין‎.

‎דִּין‎ verb judge (compare Arabic intransitive to be obedient, submissive, transitive requite, compensate, rule, govern, obedience, abasement, recompense, requiter, governor, city; Assyrian dânu, Imperfect idin, judge Asrb^{Ann. x. 120} Dl^{HA 49}; Aramaic ‎דִּין‎, judge, exercise judgment, punish, ‎דַּיָּינָא‎, , judge, ‎דִּינָא‎, judgment, city; — on √ ‎עי֞‎ see Nö^{ZMG 1883, 533}), synonym ‎שָׁפַט‎ —

Qal Perfect ‎דָּן‎ Jer 22:16 etc.; Imperfect ‎יָדִין‎ Gen 49:16 + 9 t., ‎יָדוֺן‎ Gen 6:3 compare below, etc.; Imperative ‎דִּין‎ Prov 31:9; Job 35:14 ‎דִּינוּ‎ Jer 21:12 Infinitive ‎לָדִין‎ Ps 50:4 + 2 t.; Participle ‎דָּן‎ Gen 15:14; Jer 30:13 —

1. act as judge, minister judgment, of God ‎ידין עמוֺ‎ Deut 32:36 (poetry = Ps 135:14) Ps 50:4 ‎דין עמים‎ Ps 7:9*; Ps 96:10; Isa 3:13 ‎יָדִין‎ ‎לְאֻמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים‎ Ps 9:9* Messianic king Ps 72:2.

2. plead the cause,
a. of men, usually with accusative of congnate meaning with verb, ‎אֵיןדָּֿן דִּינֵךְ‎ there is none to plead thy cause Jer 30:13 ‎דִּין יָתוֺם‎ ‎׳‎‎ד‎ plead cause of orphan Jer 5:28 ‎דין עני ואביון‎ ‎׳‎‎ד‎ Jer 22:16 also, accusative of congnate meaning with verb omitted, Prov 31:9.
b. of God, ‎דָּנַנִּי אֱלֹהִים‎ God has pled my cause Gen 30:6 (E).

3. execute judgment, vindicate, in battle against enemies, ‎דָּן יָדִין עַמּוֺ‎ Dan will judge (vindicate as a warrior) his people (see Di) Gen 49:16 (poetry); the Messianic king ‎בגוים‎ Ps 110:6 God, ‎בִּגְבוּרָֽתְךָ תְדִינֵנִי‎ in thy might judge me (vindicate me) Ps 54:3*.

4. execute judgment, requite, of man, ‎דִּינוּ לַבֹּקֶר מִשְׁפָּט‎ execute judgment every morning Jer 21:12 of God, upon Egypt Gen 15:14 (E); ‎עמים‎ by means of powers of nature Job 36:31 ‎אפסי ארץ‎ 1Sam 2:10 (poetry)

5. govern, ‎אַתָּה תָּדִין אֶתבֵּֿיתִי‎ thou shalt govern my house Zech 3:7.

6. ‎לֹאיֿוּכַל לָדִין עִם‎ he cannot contend with one mightier than he Eccl 6:10. Niph`al Participle ‎וַיְהִי כָלהָֿעָם נָדוֺן בְּכָלשִֿׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ and all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel 2Sam 19:10* (reciprocal, compare Dr.)

Note. — ‎לֹאיָֿדוֺן רוּחִי בָֽאָדָם לְעֹלָם‎ Gen 6:3 compare perhaps continue, do something continually, in modern Egyptian Arabic (So^{SK lxvii {1894}, 211 f.}). (1) ᵐ5 ᵑ9 ᵑ6 Onk read ‎ידיר‎ or (Kue) ‎ילון‎ abide in, dwell, — My spirit will not abide in man for ever; this best suits the context, but ‎ידור‎, as Aramaism, is dubious (2) Kn De Schr RVm render rule in, supported by Zech 3:7 only. (3) Thes Ew Di render be humbled in, sustained by Arabic usage, but not by Hebrew (4) strive with of AV RV (compare 6 above) is hardly justified.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References