Bible Lexicons

דַּי const. state דֵּי, suffix דַּיִּי

(1) subst. sufficiency, a large enough quantity, hence adverb, enough. The form is as if from the verb דָּיַי=דָּיָה (like חַי, حَىُّ from حىَّ), which, according to Simonis, has the same meaning as أَدَى to be many. It may also be said that דַּי is put by aphæresis for אֲדַי, of the form זְמַן, זְמַנִּי; לְשַׁד, לְשַׁדִּי.- Esther 1:18, וּכְדַי בִּזָּיוֹן וָקֶצֶף “and there will be enough of contempt and anger.” Malachi 3:10, “I will pour you out a blessing עַד בְּלִי דַי until (there is) not sufficiency,” until all my abundance be exhausted, and as this never can be, it means, for ever; comp. Psalms 72:6. (Jo. Simonis renders it well as to the sense, ultra quam satis est, but how he draws this from the words I cannot at all see.) The genitive which follows this word, commonly signifies the thing or person for whom something suffices. Proverbs 25:16, דַּיֶּךָ “which is sufficient for thee.” Exodus 36:7, דַּיָּם “sufficient for them.” Obadiah 1:5; Jeremiah 49:9. Leviticus 5:7, דֵּי שֶׂה “enough for (i.e. to buy) a lamb” (not as given by Simonis ed. 1-4: so many persons as were enough to eat a lamb). Leviticus 12:8, 25:26, כְּדֵי גְאֻלָּתוֹ “enough to redeem him.” Nehemiah 5:8, כְּדֵי בָנוּ “so far as was in us,” according to our power. The genitive more rarely signifies that of which there is enough. Proverbs 27:27, דֵּי חֲלֵב עִזִּים “enough goat’s milk.”

(2) Prepositions are often prefixed to דֵּי the const. state, and thus new compound prepositions are formed; in all of which, however, the idea of sufficiency and plenty is more or less preserved.

(a) כְּדֵי according to the plenty of, according as. Jud: 6:5, innumerable, כְּרֵי אַרְבֶּה לָרֹב. Deuteronomy 25:2, כְּדֵי רִשְׁעָתוֹ “according to the amount of his wickedness.”

(b) מִדֵּי idem, according to the multitude, or abundance (comp. מִן 2, letter d); whence with an inf. following, as often as, whenever. 1 Samuel 18:30, וַיְהִי מִדֵּי צֵאתָם “as it came to pass as often as they went out;” comp. 1 Samuel 1:7. 1 Kings 14:28, וַיְהִי מִדֵּי בוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ “and it came to pass as often as the king came,” etc. Isaiah 28:19; Jeremiah 31:20; 2 Kings 4:8. Also followed by a finite verb, when אֲשֶׁר is understood. Jeremiah 20:8, מִדֵּי אֲדַבֵּר “as often as I speak;” also followed by a noun where there is an ellipsis, as, מִרֵּי חֹדֶשׁ בְּחָרְשׁוֹ Isaiah 66:23, i.e. “as often as month (comes) in its month,” i.e. in its own time; every month; and so מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה yearly, 1 Samuel 7:16; Zechariah 14:16.

(c) בְּדֵי

(a) according to abundance of, i.q. כְּרֵי and מִדֵּי (compare בְּ B, 7), hence as often as. Job 39:25, בְּדֵי שׁוֹפָר “as often as the trumpet is blown.”

(β) to what is sufficient for any one (comp. בְּ B, 4), i.e. until he have enough for some one, properly used when food is mentioned. Nahum 2:13, בְּדֵי גֹרוֹתָיו “enough for his whelps.” In the other hemistich, לְלִבְאֹתָיו. Habak. 2:13, “the people labour בְּדֵי אֵשׁ as food for fire, and the nations labour בְּדֵי רִיק for nought,” vainly. Jeremiah 51:58 (where there are the same words). German, für das Feuer, für Richts. Jo. Simonis absurdly renders בְּדֵי רִיק quantum requiritur, ut aliquid frustra sit, and בְּדֵי אֵשׁ quantum materiœ ignis requirit: which to my surprise has not been corrected even in the last edition [Winer’s].-בְּדֵי is never, as Vater formerly laid down, a mere poetic form for בְּ.

בְּגַנָּבִ֖ים בְּדֵ֣י בְּדֵ֤י בְּדֵי־ בגנבים בדי בדי־ דֵּ֖י דֵּ֚י דֵּ֣י דֵּי֮ דַּיֶּ֑ךָּ דַּיָּ֑ם דַיָּ֛ם דַיָּֽם׃ דָֽי׃ די די׃ דיך דים דים׃ וְדֵ֤י ׀ וּכְדַ֖י וּמִדֵּ֥י ודי וכדי ומדי כְּדֵ֣י כְּדֵ֥י כְדֵֽי־ כדי כדי־ לְמַדַּ֔י למדי מִֽדֵּי־ מִדֵּ֣י מִדֵּ֤י מִדֵּ֧י מִדֵּי־ מדי מדי־ bə·ḏê bə·ḏê- bə·ḡan·nā·ḇîm bəḏê bəḏê- beDei bəḡannāḇîm begannaVim chedei Dai daiYam daiYeka ḏāy day·yām ḏay·yām day·ye·kā dayyām ḏayyām dayyekā dê dei kə·ḏê ḵə·ḏê- kəḏê ḵəḏê- keDei lə·mad·day lemadDai ləmadday mid·dê mid·dê- middê middê- midDei ū·ḵə·ḏay ū·mid·dê ucheDai ūḵəḏay ūmiddê umidDei veDei wə·ḏê wəḏê