Dabar (verb) means to speak, say, declare, or command. It appears over 1,100 times. While amar introduces direct speech, dabar emphasizes the act and authority of speaking itself. The related noun davar shows that in Hebrew thought, words and reality are deeply connected.
God's speaking is creative, authoritative, and effective. When God speaks, reality shifts. The prophetic formula 'the word of the LORD came' uses this root for divine revelation. The inseparability of word and deed means God's dabar always accomplishes its purpose (Isaiah 55:11).