law
dat denotes an authoritative ruling, whether a king’s decree or the regulations associated with God.
The occurrences show authoritative rulings in royal settings, including decrees signed or issued by a king; they also show regulations identified with the God of heaven and used as a standard for inquiry, instruction, judgment, and enforcement.
Senses in use
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Royal decree or binding interdict · common
In Daniel 2:9 the construct form occurs in the king’s warning that there is one decree for the wise men, while Daniel 2:13 and Daniel 2:15 concern the decree under which they were sought for execution. In Daniel 6:9 the king signs a writing and interdict, and Daniel 6:13 refers to the interdict he signed; Daniel 6:16 follows the king’s command to cast Daniel into the lions’ den.
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God’s regulations and legal requirements · common
In Ezra 7:12, Ezra is identified in relation to the law of the God of heaven, and Ezra 7:14 sends an inquiry concerning the law of Ezra’s God. Ezra 7:25 speaks of people who know the plural construct form, while Ezra 7:26 places the law of God beside the law of the king and attaches specified penalties to non-observance. Daniel 7:25 places the term with times as something the speaker will attempt to change.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term with “decree,” “interdict,” and “law” across these clauses. These English choices confirm the legal setting of each verse rather than establish separate meanings by themselves.