דָּבָר

“Word” in Hebrew is Davar (דָּבָר), pronounced “da-VAR.” Davar comes from the root ד-ב-ר (dalet-bet-resh), meaning 'to speak, to arrange, to lead.' The connection between speaking and leading reveals that in Hebrew, speech is an act of authority and creation, not mere communication.

Davar (דָּבָר) means “Word, thing, matter, event” in Biblical Hebrew. Davar appears over 1,400 times in the Hebrew Bible — one of the most common words in Scripture. It means 'word' (divine speech), 'thing/matter' (any object or affair), 'event' (historical occurrence), and is the basis for 'The Ten Commandments' (Aseret HaDibrot — 'The Ten Words').

Davar is pronounced “da-VAR.” The word comes from the Hebrew root ד-ב-ר.

In the Hebrew worldview, words are not separate from reality — they create and shape it. When God speaks, things come into being. A davar is simultaneously a word (the speech act) and a thing (the reality it produces). This is why the Ten Commandments are called 'Aseret HaDibrot' — the 'Ten Words,' not merely laws but creative, reality-shaping declarations.

When John writes 'In the beginning was the Word (Logos),' he is drawing on the Hebrew concept of davar — God's creative speech that brought the universe into being. By identifying Jesus as the Logos/Davar, John declares that Jesus is God's ultimate creative, reality-shaping Word made flesh — the spoken God who became visible.

Isaiah 55:11 declares that God's davar always accomplishes its purpose. Unlike human words, which can be empty or powerless, God's Word is inherently effective. It is like rain that waters the earth and produces growth — it always achieves what it was sent to do. This gives believers confidence that Scripture is not inert text but active power.