Word Study for H1844 (דֵּעָה)

dêʻâh /day-aw'/ Ask about this word

Rootfeminine of דֵּעַ

Meaningknowledge

KJV usageknowledge.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of dêʻâh — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word dêʻâh, represented by H1844, means knowledge. It appears only 6 times in 6 unique verses, making its occurrences theologically specific. The term consistently refers to a deep, divine-centric understanding, either as an attribute of God himself or as a gift He imparts to humanity.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H1844 establishes God as the ultimate source of awareness and judgment. It is declared that "the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed" 1 Samuel 2:3, linking His omniscience directly to His justice. This divine knowledge is sometimes questioned by the wicked, who ask, "is there knowledge in the most High?" Psalms 73:11. The term is also used prophetically to describe a future Messianic era when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD" Isaiah 11:9. God promises to give His people pastors who will feed them with knowledge and understanding Jeremiah 3:15.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the scope of biblical knowledge:

H3045 yâdaʻ (to know): This primitive root signifies knowing through seeing, observation, or experience. It is used both for God's awareness of human thoughts Jeremiah 29:11 and for the human duty to acknowledge Him Proverbs 3:6.
H3384 yârâh (to teach): This word, which figuratively means to point out or direct, is explicitly connected to H1844 in the question, "Whom shall he teach knowledge?" Isaiah 28:9. It highlights that knowledge is something that must be imparted.
H7919 sâkal (to be... intelligent, understand): This term for circumspect intelligence often appears alongside H1844. God promises leaders who will provide both "knowledge and understanding" Jeremiah 3:15, showing these concepts are intertwined.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H1844 is significant despite its rare use.

Divine Omniscience: The term establishes that God possesses a perfect and total understanding. He is a "God of knowledge" 1 Samuel 2:3, and this attribute is the foundation of His capacity to judge rightly.
Knowledge as Provision: True knowledge is portrayed as a gift from God for the good of His people. It is a form of spiritual nourishment provided by God-given leaders to guide the faithful Jeremiah 3:15.
Eschatological Hope: The concept culminates in the prophecy that knowledge of the LORD will one day saturate the entire earth Isaiah 11:9, suggesting that a universal, intimate awareness of God is a final goal of His redemptive plan.

Summary

In summary, H1844 is far more than simple information. It is a term that defines a core attribute of God, a vital gift He provides for the spiritual life of His people, and the ultimate hope for a creation fully reconciled to its Creator. Its usage demonstrates that in scripture, true knowledge is relational, divine in origin, and essential for justice and salvation.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 6 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

דֵּעָה
דֵּעוֹת

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 6 verses across 5 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah (2 verses); never once in the other 34.

1 Samuel

Job

Psalms

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.