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גָּדָה

𐤂𐤃𐤄

gâdâh

H1415 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גָּדַד to cut, cut into, incise, make an incision

Definition

An edge, limit, or barrier, especially of a body of water; specifically, a riverbank or embankment. Refers to the physical boundary or raised land that forms the margin of a river or stream, marking where the water meets or is contained by solid ground. In contextual use, typically denotes the terrain immediately adjacent to flowing water.

Semantic Range

riverbank, river's edge, embankment, border of a stream or river, margin of flowing water

Root / Etymology

Likely derived from the Hebrew root גָּדַד (gadad), meaning 'to cut, cut into, make incisions,' though the exact root is not attested in this form. The nominal formation conveys the sense of 'that which is cut into,' i.e., a bank shaped by the course of the stream. Etymology reflects the natural process by which a river's water 'cuts' into earth, forming a bank.

Historical & Contextual Notes

גָּדָה occurs infrequently in the Hebrew Bible, found primarily in poetic or descriptive landscapes (e.g., 2 Samuel 22:17, Psalm 18:16, in parallel contexts). It denotes the physical boundary or edge of a river, not merely a general 'border' but specifically the sloped ground containing or adjacent to the water's edge. Distinct from terms such as שָׂפָה (safah, 'lip, edge') and שָׁר (shar, 'shore'), גָּדָה designates a more robust or embanked river border, shaped over time by the flow of water. In later Hebrew, the word is rare or replaced by other terms. English translations often render it as 'bank' or 'shore,' but the original sense conveys the dynamic, cut-in landscape formed by the riverwater. Its usage does not carry symbolic or thematic weight but describes tangible geography in situational narrative or poetry.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root (meaning to cut off); a border of a river (as cut into by the stream); bank.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גדד (g-d-d) — to cut, cut into, incise, make an incision

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1412 גֻּדְגֹּדָה the Gash-Gorge
H1413 גָּדַד you will gash yourself
H1414 גְּדַד Hew down!
H1416 גְּדוּד in the raiding band
H1417 גְּדוּד cut furrows

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1415-01 גְּדוֹתָ֔י/ו gedotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms its banks his cut-formed riverbanks 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1415-01 Joshua 3:15 גְּדוֹתָ֔י/ו gedotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms its-banks his cut-formed riverbanks
H1415-01 Joshua 4:18 גְּדוֹתָֽי/ו gedotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms its banks his cut-formed riverbanks
H1415-01 Isaiah 8:7 גְּדוֹתָֽי/ו gedotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms its-banks his cut-formed riverbanks
H1415-01 1 Chronicles 12:16 גְּדוֹתָ֑י/ו gedotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms its banks his cut-formed riverbanks
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