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גַּד

𐤂𐤃

gad

H1407 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גדד to cut, furrow, incise

Definition

Coriander, an aromatic annual plant (Coriandrum sativum) in the parsley family, cultivated for its edible seeds and leaves. In biblical contexts, the word refers specifically to the small, round seeds used as a spice. The comparison to coriander is used as a descriptive visual analogy for color or appearance, not as a reference to the plant's flavor or aroma. Used figuratively for items resembling the size, shape, or color of coriander seeds.

Semantic Range

coriander seed, coriander (Coriandrum sativum), visual analogy to coriander seed, plant as a spice

Root / Etymology

From the root גָּדַד (gadad), meaning 'to cut, furrow, or make an incision.' The connection of גַּד to the root may relate to the grooved or furrowed appearance of the coriander seed, but the precise etymology is somewhat speculative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

גַּד appears only in Exodus 16:31 and Numbers 11:7 to describe the manna provided to the Israelites in the wilderness, likening it to coriander seed in appearance. In both passages, the comparison is visual, referring either to the size, shape, or color. Coriander was well known in the ancient Near East as a culinary and medicinal plant. The word is distinct from the tribal name גָּד (Gad). Later rabbinic sources confirm this plant identification, and modern translations universally render the term as 'coriander.' Occurrences of 'coriander seed' in ancient texts refer to both the plant's visual characteristics and use as a spice, but in the biblical instances the comparison is visual only. Greek translators rendered it κορίαννον (koriannon), confirming the ancient botanical understanding. There is no evidence the term ever signified a broader class of spices or plants beyond coriander.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from גָּדַד (in the sense of cutting); coriander seed (from its furrows); coriander.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גד (g-d) — to cut, to divide, fortune

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1171 בַּעַל גָּד Fortune (Gad)
H1408 גַּד to Fortune
H1409 גָּד Gad
H1410 גָּד Gad (Fortune)
H1424 גָּדִי Gadi

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1407-01 גַּד֙ gad HNcmsa coriander Gad (Fortune) 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1407-01 Exodus 16:31 גַּד֙ gad HNcmsa coriander Gad (Fortune)
H1407-01 Numbers 11:7 גַּ֖ד gad HNcmsa coriander Gad (Fortune)
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