1798. dekar

Lexical Summary

dekar: Ten

Original Word: דְּכַר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: dkar
Pronunciation: deh'-kar
Phonetic Spelling: (dek-ar')
KJV: ram
NASB: rams
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H2145 (זָכָר - male)]

1. (properly) a male, i.e. of sheep

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

ram

(Aramaic) corresponding to zakar; properly, a male, i.e. Of sheep -- ram.

see HEBREW zakar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to zakar
Definition
a ram
NASB Translation
rams (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[דְּכַר] noun masculine ram (ᵑ7 דִּכְרָא, Syriac id., also (and primarily) male, see Biblical Hebrew זָכָר); — plural דִּכְּ רִין for sacrifice Ezra 6:9,17; Ezra 7:17.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

The Aramaic term translated “male” is found exclusively in the imperial correspondence preserved in Ezra 6 and Ezra 7. Each occurrence concerns the provision of sacrificial animals for the Second Temple, underscoring both the continuity of Mosaic worship after the exile and God’s sovereign use of foreign rulers to sustain His people’s devotion.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Ezra 6:9 – Darius’s decree orders that “young bulls, rams, and lambs” be supplied daily “for burnt offerings to the God of heaven.”
• Ezra 6:17 – At the temple dedication the returned exiles present “100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs” as burnt offerings and “12 male goats as a sin offering for all Israel.”
• Ezra 7:17 – Artaxerxes authorizes Ezra to purchase “cows, rams, and lambs” with imperial funds for presentation “on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.”

In each text the underlying Aramaic word specifies that the animals are male, matching the consistent Pentateuchal requirement for burnt and sin offerings to be unblemished males (for example, Leviticus 1:3; Leviticus 4:23).

Historical Context

After seventy years of exile, Judah’s remnant returned under the auspices of Persian kings. Chapters 4 through 6 of Ezra reproduce official Aramaic memoranda, while Ezra 7 records Artaxerxes’ rescript commissioning Ezra. The appearance of an Aramaic term for “male” within these edicts reflects the administrative language of the empire and authenticates the historical setting. Simultaneously, it demonstrates that the worship regulations given at Sinai remained normative even under foreign oversight.

Sacrificial Significance

1. Burnt Offerings: Male animals wholly consumed on the altar expressed total consecration to the LORD (Leviticus 1). The mandate for males highlighted perfection, strength, and representative headship.
2. Sin Offerings: The “male goats” of Ezra 6:17 align with Leviticus 4:23–24, signifying substitutionary atonement for the twelve tribes.
3. Typology: The consistent presentation of male lambs foreshadows “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). By depicting unblemished males offered in the restored temple, Ezra’s narrative anticipates the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:10).

Intertextual Connections

• Exodus 12:5 – Passover required a “male without blemish,” providing the foundational pattern echoed in Ezra’s offerings.
• Isaiah 53:7 – The Servant is “led like a lamb to the slaughter,” uniting prophetic expectation with sacrificial imagery.
• 1 Peter 1:18-19 – Believers are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot,” affirming the ultimate fulfillment of the male-lamb motif.

Ministry Implications

1. Fidelity to God’s Word – The exiles obeyed the precise sacrificial prescriptions despite cultural displacement, modeling doctrinal and practical faithfulness for today’s church.
2. Provision for Worship – God can employ civil authorities to underwrite His work. Modern ministry should gratefully receive such providence while maintaining spiritual integrity.
3. Christ-Centered Reading – Recognizing the male offerings of Ezra as typological encourages Christ-exalting exposition of the Old Testament and deepens appreciation for the sufficiency of the cross.

Conclusion

Though appearing only three times, the Aramaic term for “male” in Ezra anchors the post-exilic community to the covenantal standards of earlier revelation and directs readers to the consummate male Lamb, Jesus Christ. The word thus serves both historical authenticity and redemptive-historical proclamation.

Forms and Transliterations

דִּכְרִ֣ין דִּכְרִין֙ דכרין וְדִכְרִ֣ין ודכרין dichRin diḵ·rîn diḵrîn vedichRin wə·ḏiḵ·rîn wəḏiḵrîn

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 6:9
HEB: וּבְנֵ֣י תוֹרִ֣ין וְדִכְרִ֣ין וְאִמְּרִ֣ין ׀ לַעֲלָוָ֣ן ׀
NAS: bulls, rams, and lambs
KJV: bullocks, and rams, and lambs,
INT: young bulls rams and lambs A burnt

Ezra 6:17
HEB: תּוֹרִ֣ין מְאָ֔ה דִּכְרִ֣ין מָאתַ֔יִן אִמְּרִ֖ין
NAS: bulls, 200rams, 400 lambs,
KJV: two hundred rams, four
INT: bullocks an hundred rams hundred lambs

Ezra 7:17
HEB: דְנָ֗ה תּוֹרִ֤ין ׀ דִּכְרִין֙ אִמְּרִ֔ין וּמִנְחָתְה֖וֹן
NAS: bulls, rams and lambs,
KJV: bullocks, rams, lambs,
INT: this bulls rams and lambs offerings

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1798
3 Occurrences

diḵ·rîn — 2 Occ.
wə·ḏiḵ·rîn — 1 Occ.