Word Study for H1684 (דְּבַח)

dᵉbach /deb-akh'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to זָבַח

Meaningto sacrifice (an animal)

KJV usageoffer (sacrifice).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of dᵉbach — 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 Aramaic word dᵉbach, represented by H1684, is a verb that means to sacrifice (an animal); offer (sacrifice). It is a very specific term, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse in the entire Bible. Its usage corresponds to the Hebrew verb זָבַח and signifies the direct action of presenting a sacrificial offering.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The single biblical appearance of H1684 is found in the decree of King Cyrus regarding the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. In this official declaration, the temple is described as "the place where they offered sacrifices" Ezra 6:3. The word is used to define the primary function and purpose of the House of God, linking the physical reconstruction of the building directly to the restoration of Israel's sacrificial worship practices.

Related Words & Concepts

One closely related word is directly derived from this verb:

H1685 dᵉbach (a sacrifice; sacrifice): This Aramaic noun refers to the sacrifice itself. It appears alongside the verb in Ezra 6:3, where the distinction between the action and the object is made clear in the phrase "where they offered H1684 sacrifices H1685."

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H1684 is concentrated in its singular, powerful context:

Restoration of Worship: Its use in Cyrus's decree emphasizes that the goal of rebuilding the temple was to re-establish the central act of sacrifice, a cornerstone of covenant relationship with God Ezra 6:3.
Sanctioned Sacrifice: The word appears within a royal decree, highlighting that the offering of sacrifices was an officially recognized and authorized activity for the "house of God at Jerusalem" Ezra 6:3. It defines the temple as the designated place for this sacred duty.

Summary

In summary, while extremely rare, H1684 is a precise and important term. It pinpoints the essential action that defined the purpose of the second temple. Its appearance in Ezra 6:3 is not merely descriptive but foundational, capturing the very reason for the temple's reconstruction: to be the place where sacrifices were once again offered to God.

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 verb across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — 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.

דָבְחִין

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

1 verse, all in Ezra — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

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.