4486. manda
Lexical Summary
manda: Knowledge, understanding

Original Word: מַנְדַּע
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: manda`
Pronunciation: man-dah'
Phonetic Spelling: (man-dah')
KJV: knowledge, reason, understanding
NASB: knowledge, reason
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H4093 (מַדָּע מַדַּע - knowledge)]

1. wisdom or intelligence

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
knowledge, reason, understanding

(Aramaic) corresponding to madda'; wisdom or intelligence -- knowledge, reason, understanding.

see HEBREW madda'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to madda
Definition
knowledge, the power of knowing
NASB Translation
knowledge (2), reason (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַנְדַּע noun [masculine] knowledge, power of knowing (ᵑ7J id.; Syriac , ; Biblical Hebrew מַדָּע (late); compare 'Mandâ' = γνῶσις, NöM xx); — absolute Daniel 5:12; emphatic דְּעָא- Daniel 2:21; suffix דְּעִי- Daniel 4:31; Daniel 4:33.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and scope

The word denotes the capacity to perceive, discern, and understand—knowledge that is both intellectual and spiritual. In Daniel, it functions as a key term for grasping revelatory truth, whether bestowed by God upon His servant or acclaimed by Gentile rulers who recognize divine wisdom.

Canonical context in Daniel

1. Daniel 2:21 presents God as the One who “gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning,” underscoring that true understanding originates with Him and is sovereignly distributed.
2. Daniel 4:34 records Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony after his humbling: “my reason returned to me,” signaling a restoration of right knowledge that leads to praise.
3. Daniel 4:36 again links the return of the king’s “reason” (knowledge) with the restoration of his throne, portraying right knowledge as essential to exercising righteous rule.
4. Daniel 5:12 lists Daniel’s “knowledge, insight, and ability to interpret dreams” among qualities that set him apart in Belshazzar’s court.

Across these scenes, knowledge serves as the hinge between revelation and response: receiving God-given understanding produces humility, worship, and faithful service; rejecting or misusing it invites judgment.

Theological themes

• Divine omniscience: The term highlights God’s exhaustive understanding of times, seasons, and human kingdoms (Daniel 2:21).
• Human finitude: Nebuchadnezzar’s loss and recovery of knowledge illustrate that even kings stand dependent on God for sanity and perception (Daniel 4:34-36).
• Revelation and stewardship: Daniel models how received knowledge must be stewarded for the good of others and the glory of God (Daniel 5:12; compare 1 Peter 4:10).
• Judgment and grace: God’s willingness to restore knowledge after repentance (Daniel 4) emphasizes both His justice and mercy.

Historical background

The term appears in the Aramaic chapters (Daniel 2–7), a court narrative set amid Babylonian and Medo-Persian dominance. In that pluralistic milieu, God reveals superior knowledge through Daniel, demonstrating His supremacy over pagan diviners and affirming to exiled Judah that their covenant Lord remains in control of world affairs.

Ministry implications

• Teaching and discipleship: Sound doctrine begins with God’s self-disclosure; teachers should echo Daniel’s humility, crediting God as the ultimate source of insight (James 1:5).
• Leadership: Nebuchadnezzar’s account warns leaders that competence and authority rest on God-given understanding; pride corrodes perception, while repentance restores it.
• Pastoral care: Restoring minds captive to falsehood echoes God’s act of returning “reason” to the king; prayer and Scripture are instruments for such renewal (Romans 12:2).
• Apologetics: Daniel’s calm confidence before powerful skeptics encourages believers to present truth persuasively yet dependently, trusting the Lord to impart knowledge to hearers (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

Related biblical concepts

Knowledge intertwines with wisdom (hokmah) and understanding (biynah). Proverbs 1:7 begins with the fear of the Lord as its foundation, while Hosea 4:6 laments the destruction that comes from lack of knowledge. In the New Testament, Paul prays that believers may be “filled with the knowledge of His will” (Colossians 1:9), echoing Daniel’s experience of Spirit-given discernment within a hostile culture.

Christological perspective

Jesus Christ embodies perfect knowledge (John 2:24-25) and, like Daniel, reveals mysteries of the kingdom (Matthew 13:11). His supremacy over earthly powers mirrors Daniel’s God-given insight before Babylonian kings, assuring the church that ultimate authority belongs to the Son who “knows all things” (John 21:17).

Application for believers today

Seekers of knowledge must root their pursuit in reverence for God, submit intellect to Scripture, and rely on the Holy Spirit for illumination. As Daniel’s faithful witness transformed empires, so contemporary Christians, armed with divinely granted understanding, can engage cultures, shape policies, and serve communities in ways that exalt the God who “gives knowledge to the discerning.”

Forms and Transliterations
וּמַנְדְּעִי֙ וּמַנְדְּעָ֖א וּמַנְדַּ֡ע ומנדע ומנדעא ומנדעי מַנְדְּעִ֣י ׀ מנדעי man·də·‘î mandə‘î mandeI ū·man·da‘ ū·man·də·‘ā ū·man·də·‘î umanDa ūmanda‘ ūmandə‘ā ūmandə‘î umandeA umandeI
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Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 2:21
HEB: חָכְמְתָא֙ לְחַכִּימִ֔ין וּמַנְדְּעָ֖א לְיָדְעֵ֥י בִינָֽה׃
NAS: to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.
KJV: unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know
INT: wisdom to wise and knowledge know of understanding

Daniel 4:34
HEB: לִשְׁמַיָּ֣א נִטְלֵ֗ת וּמַנְדְּעִי֙ עֲלַ֣י יְת֔וּב
NAS: toward heaven and my reason returned
KJV: unto heaven, and mine understanding returned
INT: heaven raised and my reason me returned

Daniel 4:36
HEB: בֵּהּ־ זִמְנָ֞א מַנְדְּעִ֣י ׀ יְת֣וּב עֲלַ֗י
NAS: At that time my reason returned
KJV: At the same time my reason returned
INT: time my reason returned me

Daniel 5:12
HEB: ר֣וּחַ ׀ יַתִּירָ֡ה וּמַנְדַּ֡ע וְשָׂכְלְתָנ֡וּ מְפַשַּׁ֣ר
NAS: spirit, knowledge and insight,
KJV: spirit, and knowledge, and understanding,
INT: spirit an extraordinary knowledge and insight interpretation

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4486
4 Occurrences


man·də·‘î — 1 Occ.
ū·man·da‘ — 1 Occ.
ū·man·də·‘ā — 1 Occ.
ū·man·də·‘î — 1 Occ.

4485
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