### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **dîyshôn**, represented by `{{H1788}}`, identifies a specific animal, the **pygarg**. The word's root suggests the idea of "the leaper," and it is often identified as a type of antelope. It appears **1 time** across **1 unique verse** in the Bible, making its context highly specific.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole appearance of `{{H1788}}` is in [[Deuteronomy 14:5]], where it is listed among the clean animals that the Israelites were permitted to eat. It is included in a list that specifies various types of deer and antelope: "The hart{H354}, and the roebuck{H6643}, and the fallow deer{H3180}, and the wild goat{H689}, and the **pygarg**{H1788}, and the wild ox{H8377}, and the chamois{H2169}" [[Deuteronomy 14:5]]. This verse places the **pygarg** firmly within the context of God's dietary laws for Israel.
### Related Words & Concepts
The list in which **dîyshôn** appears contains several other named animals, providing a clear context of wild game permissible for food.
* `{{H354}}` **ʼayâl** (hart): Defined as a stag or male deer, this animal is often used symbolically to represent agility or longing, as when the psalmist writes, "As the **hart** panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God" [[Psalms 42:1]].
* `{{H6643}}` **tsᵉbîy** (roebuck): This word for a gazelle also carries the meaning of "splendor" or "glory." It is used in both contexts, describing the animal itself [[Deuteronomy 14:5]] and as a metaphor for beauty or glory, such as "a goodly heritage" [[Jeremiah 3:19]].
* `{{H8377}}` **tᵉʼôw** (wild ox): This term refers to a species of antelope. Beyond the dietary list, it is used in a simile to describe helplessness, where the sons of a desolate city "lie at the head of all the streets, as a **wild bull** in a net" [[Isaiah 51:20]].
### Theological Significance
While mentioned only once, the inclusion of `{{H1788}}` carries theological weight within its specific context.
* **Divine Command and Holiness:** The listing of the **pygarg** is part of the dietary laws that established a code of conduct for Israel, distinguishing them as a people set apart for God [[Deuteronomy 14:5]].
* **Specificity of God's Law:** By naming specific creatures like the **pygarg**, the law demonstrates a detailed divine order that extends to the natural world and everyday life.
* **God's Provision:** Including a variety of wild animals like the **pygarg** in the list of clean foods illustrates the breadth of God's provision for His people.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1788}}` **dîyshôn** is a precise term for the **pygarg**, a type of antelope. Its singular mention in scripture places it squarely within the framework of Israel's dietary laws in Deuteronomy. While a minor detail, its inclusion highlights the specificity of God's commands, the distinction of His people, and His provision for their needs, showing how even a rarely mentioned creature has a distinct place in the biblical narrative.
TRV