Lexical Summary deror: release, liberty, flowing Original Word: דְּרוֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance liberty, pure From an unused root (meaning to move rapidly); freedom; hence, spontaneity of outflow, and so clear -- liberty, pure. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a flowing, free run, liberty NASB Translation flowing (1), liberty (2), release (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. דְּרוֺר noun [masculine] a flowing; free run, liberty; — 1 מָרדְּֿרוֺר Exodus 30:23 (P) i.e. myrrh of flowing, fine-flowing myrrh compare מֹר & Di. 2 with קרא proclaim liberty, וּקְרָאתֶם דְּרוֺר בָּאָרֶץ לְכָליֿשְׁבֶ֑יהָ Leviticus 25:10 (H) in Jubilee year, compare Isaiah 61:1 ("" מְּקַחקֿוֺחַ); Jeremiah 34:8,15,17 all reference to liberty of Sabbatical year; Jeremiah 34:17 (iron.) lo ! I proclaim to you liberty unto the sword, unto pestilence & unto famine, i.e. liberty to be destroyed by sword, pestilence and famine, (a judgment of Yahweh); ׳שְׁנַתהַֿדּ Ezekiel 46:17 i.e. year of Jubilee (cf Leviticus 25:10). Topical Lexicon Core Concept and Range of Meaning דְּרוֹר combines the notions of unrestrained flow and unrestricted release. The term can describe a free-running liquid (Exodus 30:23) or the proclamation of liberty for persons and land (Leviticus 25:10). In every setting it points to something that is no longer confined—whether perfume, property, or people. Deror in the Worship of Israel (Exodus 30:23) The first appearance belongs to the recipe for the sacred anointing oil: “Take the finest spices: five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh …” (Exodus 30:23). The “liquid” (deror) myrrh is not a thick resin but a freely flowing sap, fitting for an oil that symbolized the unhindered presence of the Lord among His people. The fluidity of the myrrh anticipates the later, fuller sense of the word—God’s desire that His blessing, like the oil, move without obstruction. Jubilee: National Reset and Social Mercy (Leviticus 25:10) The heart of the Old Testament doctrine of liberty is the Jubilee: “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” (Leviticus 25:10). By divine decree slaves were released, debts cancelled, and hereditary lands restored. Deror here: • Restored covenant equality—no Israelite remained permanently enslaved. Messianic Fulfilment (Isaiah 61:1) Isaiah’s Servant announces, “He has sent Me … to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus read this passage in the synagogue at Nazareth and declared, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled” (Luke 4:21). The Jubilee principle thus expands from land and labor to the deepest captivity—bondage to sin and death. Christ, anointed by the Spirit, embodies the flowing myrrh of Exodus and the liberty of Leviticus, bringing both healing fragrance and emancipation. Covenant Failure and Divine Judgment (Jeremiah 34:8-17) During the Babylonian siege King Zedekiah covenanted with the people “to proclaim freedom (deror) for them” (Jeremiah 34:8). Initially the slaves were released, but the rulers “changed their minds and took back the men and women they had freed” (34:11). The Lord responds, “You have not obeyed Me by proclaiming liberty, each one to his brother … therefore I now proclaim liberty to you—liberty to the sword, to plague, and to famine” (34:17). The repeated deror in verse 17 underscores irony: despising God-given liberty turns liberty into a sentence of judgment. The episode proves that Jubilee was meant to be practiced, not merely admired. Ezekiel’s Year of Liberty (Ezekiel 46:17) Under the future prince, property given to servants is theirs “until the year of liberty, then it shall revert to the prince” (Ezekiel 46:17). The prophetic vision preserves Jubilee structures for the restored worship of the millennial age, confirming that God’s principles of ownership and release remain integral to His kingdom order. Theological Trajectory 1. Redemption: Deror ties physical emancipation to the greater exodus accomplished by Christ (John 8:36). Ministry Applications • Proclaim freedom from sin’s debt through the gospel, reflecting Isaiah 61. Summary Deror threads through Scripture as a liturgical fragrance, a social safeguard, a prophetic promise, a warning for covenant breakers, and finally a Christ-fulfilled reality. Wherever it appears, it calls God’s people to experience and extend true freedom—liberty that flows from the holy presence of the Lord and culminates in the eternal Jubilee of the redeemed. Forms and Transliterations דְּר֔וֹר דְּר֛וֹר דְּר֜וֹר דְּרֽוֹר׃ דְּרוֹר֙ דְר֔וֹר דְר֖וֹר דרור דרור׃ הַדְּר֔וֹר הדרור də·rō·wr ḏə·rō·wr derOr dərōwr ḏərōwr had·də·rō·wr haddeRor haddərōwrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 30:23 HEB: רֹאשׁ֒ מָר־ דְּרוֹר֙ חֲמֵ֣שׁ מֵא֔וֹת NAS: of spices: of flowing myrrh KJV: spices, of pure myrrh INT: the finest myrrh of flowing five hundred Leviticus 25:10 Isaiah 61:1 Jeremiah 34:8 Jeremiah 34:15 Jeremiah 34:17 Jeremiah 34:17 Ezekiel 46:17 8 Occurrences |
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