דִּבָּה (dib.bah)
dib.bah
slander
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun dibbah refers to malicious speech that damages a person’s reputation, encompassing slander, defamation, and harmful gossip. It describes words spoken behind someone’s back, often in whispers, intended to turn others against them. The term appears seven times in the Hebrew Bible, carrying a strong negative weight as it highlights the destructive power of careless or intentional lies.
Its usage spans different genres, from legal codes to wisdom literature. In Numbers 12:10, it describes the accusation brought against Miriam, showing how such speech could disrupt community leadership and trust. Proverbs frequently warns against it, linking the spread of dibbah to deceit and conflict, while Jeremiah uses it to condemn false prophets who mislead the people with damaging rumors.
The word’s root relates to speaking or talking, but the specific form implies a twisted or harmful kind of speech. Unlike open disagreement, dibbah thrives in secrecy and distortion. It is not merely criticism but a calculated effort to undermine another’s standing, making it a serious breach of social and moral order in ancient Israelite society.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word dibbah describes speech that operates in the shadows, twisting truth to damage a person’s reputation. It is more than simple criticism; it is malicious gossip intended to turn others against someone you know. When we hear such words, they can feel like a quiet poison, eroding trust within families and communities without any open confrontation.
Scripture takes this seriously, warning that hiding hatred leads to lying lips and foolish speech. The Bible invites us to examine our own mouths, asking if our conversations build up or tear down. Choosing transparency over secrecy protects relationships and reflects a heart aligned with integrity.
Living with clean speech means refusing to participate in the spread of unverified rumors. It requires courage to speak directly rather than behind backs. This practice fosters peace and allows communities to function on honesty rather than fear and suspicion.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- report/ their1×
- and/ evil report/ your1×
- an evil report1×
- a bad report1×
- [the] whispering of1×
- <the> bad report of1×
- <of> [the] unfavorable report of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ֝/דִבָּתְ/ךָ֗1×
- דִּבָּתָ֥/ם1×
- דִּבַּ֤ת1×
- דִּבַּ֣ת1×
- דִבָּ֖ה1×
- דִבַּת\־1×
- דִ֝בָּ֗ה1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 10:18
He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.
This verse explicitly links the act of uttering slander with foolishness, showing that such speech is a character flaw rather than a clever strategy.
-
Genesis 37:2
This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
Joseph’s report to Jacob illustrates how dibbah can disrupt family dynamics by planting negative impressions about siblings in a parent's mind.
-
Numbers 13:32
They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature.
The spies used this type of speech to spread fear among the Israelites, demonstrating how slander can undermine collective faith and leadership.