Lexical Summary millah: matter, command, words Original Word: מִלָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance commandment, matter, thing (Aramaic) corresponding to millah; a word, command, discourse, or subject -- commandment, matter, thing. Word. see HEBREW millah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to millah Definition a word, thing NASB Translation anything (1), command (4), matter (5), message (2), revelation (1), statement (2), thing (1), things (1), word (2), words (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs מִלָּה noun feminine word, thing; — absolute ׳מ Daniel 2:9 +, construct מִלַּת Daniel 2:10 +; emphatic Daniel 2:5 +, ָ א, Daniel 2:8 +; plural absolute מִלּין Daniel 7:1,25, construct מִלֵּי Daniel 5:10, emphatic מִלַּיָּא Daniel 7:11,16; — 1 word, utterance Daniel 4:28; Daniel 6:15, plural Daniel 5:10; Daniel 7:11,25; in bad sense, כִדְבָח וּשְׁחִיתָה ׳מ Daniel 2:9, מִלַּיָּא רַבְרְבָתָא Daniel 7:11 (compare רַבְרְבָן alone Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:20); word of God's judgment Daniel 4:30; = command Daniel 2:5,8; Daniel 3:22,28; Daniel 6:13. 2 thing, affair, matter: Daniel 2:10 (twice in verse); Daniel 2:11,15,17,23; Daniel 5:15,26; Daniel 7:28 (twice in verse), plural Daniel 7:1; Daniel 7:16. Topical Lexicon Semantic Scope מִלָּה (millāh) is the Aramaic counterpart to the Hebrew דָּבָר, denoting “word,” “matter,” “command,” or “decree.” In Daniel it ranges from the most casual utterance to irrevocable royal legislation and even to direct speech from heaven, underscoring that every spoken “word” has weight before the God who ultimately rules speech and history. Canonical Distribution All twenty-four occurrences appear in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (Daniel 2–7). Concentration in a single book allows the student to trace a deliberate literary strategy: by repeatedly using the same term, Daniel contrasts fallible human words with the infallible word of God. Royal Authority Versus Divine Authority 1. Human sovereignty: Nebuchadnezzar’s “firm word” (Daniel 2:5), the “harsh decree” that threatened the wise men, and Darius’s unalterable edict (Daniel 6:12, Daniel 6:14) illustrate the absolute claims of Near-Eastern monarchs. Vehicle of Revelation Daniel receives and relays divine mysteries through מִלָּה. After prayer he blesses God: “You have made known to us the matter of the king” (Daniel 2:23). In apocalyptic vision he later records, “I wrote down the dream and this is the summary of the matters” (Daniel 7:1). The term therefore binds narrative history to prophetic revelation, affirming the unity of God’s self-disclosure. Confronting Human Pride The repeated references to the “word” expose arrogance: Each episode demonstrates Proverbs 16:18 in narrative form: prideful speech invites swift downfall. Eschatological Context In Daniel 7 the term shifts toward last-days significance. Human kingdoms fall before the Ancient of Days, and the Antichrist figure “will speak words against the Most High” (Daniel 7:25). Millāh ties the immediate historical setting to final judgment, reminding readers that God keeps account of every utterance (Matthew 12:36). Pastoral and Homiletical Applications • Integrity of speech: Daniel 2:15 shows Daniel seeking clarity before acting, modeling measured, wise conversation. Conclusion מִלָּה in Daniel weaves a theological tapestry: human words may appear dominant, but God’s word is decisive, revelatory, and eschatologically triumphant. The believer is therefore called to submit to, proclaim, and trust the Lord’s unfailing word in every generation. Forms and Transliterations וּמִלְּתָ֖א וּמִלְּתָ֨א וּמִלִּ֗ין וּמִלַּ֤ת וּמִלָּ֨ה ומלה ומלין ומלת ומלתא מִלְּתָ֑א מִלְּתָ֔א מִלְּתָ֖א מִלְּתָ֛א מִלְּתָ֣א מִלְּתָ֥א מִלְּתָֽא׃ מִלְּתָא֙ מִלְּתָא֮ מִלִּ֖ין מִלֵּ֤י מִלַּ֣ת מִלַּ֤ת מִלַּ֥ת מִלַּיָּ֖א מִלַּיָּ֣א מִלָּ֤ה מלה מלי מליא מלין מלת מלתא מלתא׃ mil·lāh mil·laṯ mil·lay·yā mil·lê mil·lə·ṯā mil·lîn milLah millāh millaiYa milLat millaṯ millayyā millê milLei milleTa milləṯā milLin millîn ū·mil·lāh ū·mil·laṯ ū·mil·lə·ṯā ū·mil·lîn umilLah ūmillāh umilLat ūmillaṯ umilleTa ūmilləṯā umilLin ūmillînLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 2:5 HEB: (לְכַשְׂדָּאֵ֔י ק) מִלְּתָ֖א מִנִּ֣י אַזְדָּ֑א NAS: to the Chaldeans, The command from me is firm: KJV: to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone INT: and said Chaldean the command me is firm Daniel 2:8 Daniel 2:9 Daniel 2:10 Daniel 2:10 Daniel 2:11 Daniel 2:15 Daniel 2:17 Daniel 2:23 Daniel 3:22 Daniel 3:28 Daniel 4:31 Daniel 4:33 Daniel 5:10 Daniel 5:15 Daniel 5:26 Daniel 6:12 Daniel 6:14 Daniel 7:1 Daniel 7:11 Daniel 7:16 Daniel 7:25 Daniel 7:28 Daniel 7:28 24 Occurrences |
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