What does דַּל (dal) mean in the Bible?
דַּל (dal): Weak or impoverished person; captures both physical thinness and social vulnerability in covenant-protective language
Hebrew · H1800
דַּל
Properly, dangling , i.e. (by implication) weak or thin
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דַּל H1800
Pronunciation dal
What does דַּל (dal) mean in the Bible?
דַּל (dal): Weak or impoverished person; captures both physical thinness and social vulnerability in covenant-protective language
Full entry for דַּל (H1800) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1800?
The BSB source-word alignment has 47 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the poor (17), of the poor (9), to the poor (3), but a poor man (2), is poor (2).
Where does דַּל (dal) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 23:3. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (15), Job (6), Isaiah (5), Psalms (5).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It the poor 17× Exodus 30:15, 1 Samuel 2:8, Job 20:19, Psalms 41:1
of the poor 9× Job 20:10, Job 31:16, Job 34:28, Proverbs 10:15
to the poor 3× Leviticus 19:15, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 28:8
but a poor man 2× Proverbs 19:4, Proverbs 28:11
is poor 2× Leviticus 14:21, Proverbs 22:22
poor 2× Ruth 3:10, Job 34:19
a helpless 1× Proverbs 28:15
a poor 1× Proverbs 22:22
and humble 1× Zephaniah 3:12
and weaker 1× 2 Samuel 3:1
depressed 1× 2 Samuel 13:4
for the poor 1× Isaiah 25:4
is the weakest 1× Judges 6:15
of the weak 1× Psalms 82:3
So the poor 1× Job 5:16
the weak 1× Psalms 82:4
to a poor man 1× Exodus 23:3
with the poor 1× Proverbs 22:9
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 23:3 וְדָ֕ל to to a poor man Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular construct Exodus 30:15 וְהַדַּל֙ to the poor Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 14:21 דַּ֣ל to is poor Adjective - masculine singular construct Leviticus 19:15 דָ֔ל to to the poor Adjective - masculine singular construct Judges 6:15 הַדַּ֣ל to is the weakest Article | Adjective - masculine singular Ruth 3:10 דַּ֖ל to poor Adjective - masculine singular construct 1 Samuel 2:8 דָּ֗ל to the poor Adjective - masculine singular construct 2 Samuel 3:1 וְדַלִּֽים׃ס to and weaker Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine plural 2 Samuel 13:4 דַּ֤ל to depressed Adjective - masculine singular Job 5:16 לַדַּ֣ל to So the poor Preposition-l, Article | Adjective - masculine singular construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 23:3
Aligned rows 47
Books represented 13
Exodus 2 Leviticus 2 Judges 1 Ruth 1 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 2 Job 6 Psalms 5 Proverbs 15 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 2 Amos 4 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
דָּ֑ל 5x dāl Job 34:28, Psalms 41:1, Psalms 113:7, Proverbs 19:17
דַּלִּ֑ים 5x dal·lîm Job 20:19, Job 31:16, Proverbs 28:3, Proverbs 29:7
דַּלִּ֔ים 5x dal·lîm Isaiah 10:2, Isaiah 11:4, Amos 2:7, Amos 4:1
דָּ֭ל 3x dāl Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 22:16, Proverbs 22:22
דַ֥ל 2x ḏal Psalms 82:3, Psalms 82:4
דַּ֣ל 2x dal Leviticus 14:21, Psalms 72:13
דָּ֗ל 2x dāl 1 Samuel 2:8, Amos 5:11
דַּלִּ֣ים 2x dal·lîm Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 28:8
Parsing patterns
Adjective - masculine singular construct 14x Leviticus 14:21, Leviticus 19:15, Ruth 3:10, 1 Samuel 2:8
Adjective - masculine plural construct 13x Job 20:19, Job 31:16, Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 28:3
Adjective - masculine singular 6x 2 Samuel 13:4, Psalms 41:1, Psalms 82:3, Psalms 82:4
Adjective - masculine plural 3x Job 20:10, Isaiah 14:30, Isaiah 26:6
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular construct 3x Exodus 23:3, Proverbs 19:4, Zephaniah 3:12
Preposition-l, Article | Adjective - masculine singular construct 3x Job 5:16, Proverbs 22:9, Isaiah 25:4
Article | Adjective - masculine plural construct 1x Jeremiah 39:10
Article | Adjective - masculine singular 1x Judges 6:15
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Weak or impoverished person; captures both physical thinness and social vulnerability in covenant-protective language
Source Gloss
properly, dangling , i.e. (by implication) weak or thin
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Weak or impoverished person; captures both physical thinness and social vulnerability in covenant-protective language
properly, dangling, i.e. (by implication) weak or thin BDB: low Usage: lean, needy, poor (man), weaker.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Weak; poor; helpless; thin; refers to those who lack social or physical power
Showing 1 selected witness from 47 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
דַּל is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain