The Greek noun diatagma (διάταγμα) refers to an authoritative decree, ordinance, or edict — a command issued by one in authority. It appears only once in the New Testament (Hebrews 11:23) but carries significant legal and theological weight. The word comes from the verb diatassō (to arrange, appoint, command).
In Hebrews 11:23, the parents of Moses defied the king's diatagma — Pharaoh's edict to kill Hebrew infant boys — because they were not afraid of the king's edict. This is the faith of Moses' parents: they recognized that God's higher authority superseded the royal decree. This act of defiant faith preserved the deliverer who would lead Israel out of Egypt. Theologically, the passage establishes the principle that when human authority conflicts with God's commands, believers may — and sometimes must — practice civil disobedience in allegiance to the higher King.