Bible Lexicons

† δια -ταγή , -ῆς , ἡ

(< διατάσσω ),

[in LXX: Ezra 4:11 (H6572)*;]

in late writers (Deiss., LAE, 86 ff.) for cl. διάταξις (WH., however, is found in LXX, Psalms 119:91, al.);

(a) disposition (cf. διάταξις for H6635; Sm., 2 Kings 23:4, Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 19:13); εἰς διαταγὰς ἀγγέλων , AV, by the disposition of angels (Alf., in l, Field, Notes, 116; but v. infr.): Acts 7:53;

(b) ordinance (C. I. 3465): Romans 13:2, Acts 7:53, R, txt. (and v. mg.; Page and EGT, in l; but also v. supr.).†

Deissmann (LAE, p. 86 ff.) has shown how completely the new evidence sets aside the statement by Grimm (but cf. Thayer, p. 694) that this is ";purely"; a biblical and ecclesiastical word used for the Greek διάταξις. Thus P Oxy I. 92.3 (an order for a payment of wine—? A.D. 335) Ἀμεσύστῳ ἱπποιάτρῳ ἐκ διαταγ (ῆς) οἴνου κεράμιον ἓν ν ̣ε ̣ο ̣ν ̣, ib. 93.2 (A.D. 362), and P Fay 133.4 (iv/A.D.) ἀπέστειλα τὸν οἰκ [ον ]όμον. . . ἵνα τὴν διαταγὴν τῆς τρύγης ποιήσηται, ";I have sent to you the steward to make arrangements about the vintage"; (Edd.). From inscrr. we may quote Cagnat IV. 661.17 (A.D. 85), where the διαταγή of T. Praxias of Acmonia appears in his will; ib. 734.12, providing that no one shall be buried in the tomb παρὰ γνώμην τοῦ Ῥούφου ἢ διαταγήν, and similarly ib. 840.3 εἴ τις παρὰ τὴν διαταγὴν τὴν ἐμὴν ποιήσι, which the editor glosses as ";excerptum testamenti, relati in tabularium civitatis."; For this specialized meaning of ";testamentary disposition,"; Deissmann, LAE, p. 87, cites this last inscr. (from Hierapolis), and refers to the Pauline use of ἐπιδιατάσσεσθαι in Galatians 3:15.

For the difficult εἰς διαταγὰς ἀγγέλων in Acts 7:53 Nestle (Exp T xx. p. 93) cites the Heb. בְּיַד or בִּידֵי, ";through the hand"; or ";hands"; (i.e. the mediation) of angels, and compares the LXX διὰ χειρὸς Δαυείδ = Heb. עַל־יְדֵי דָויד in 2 Chronicles 23:18 (Vg. ";juxta dispositionem David";)—a view confirmed, he adds, by the Syriac version which has בְּיַד with the addition of פוקדנא, ";the command.";