From Old Iranian *patigāma. On meaning 1a.1 cf. J. C. Greenfield 1982b.
In what is probably a majority of instances this lexeme has the connotation of an official or divine pronouncement as opposed to the otherwise unmarked mlh n.f.
Given the distribution of meanings, it is clear that the usage "thing, matter" in Jewish texts reflects the double meaning of Biblical Hebrew דָּבָר.