אוּד
𐤀𐤅𐤃
ʼûwd
H181 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A stick or stave used for poking, turning, or gathering embers in a fire; by extension, a charred or partially burnt piece of wood remaining from a fire (firebrand), sometimes used metaphorically to refer to a person or entity narrowly escaped from destruction, as one taken from a fire.
Semantic Range
fire poker, stick for turning coals, partially burnt piece of wood, firebrand (literal); someone or something barely rescued from destruction (metaphorical)
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain; likely related to an otherwise unattested root or cognate with other Semitic terms suggesting 'to rake, poke, gather together (coals)' though evidence is sparse.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אוּד occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible. In Zechariah 3:2 and Amos 4:11, it is used metaphorically for someone or something rescued from impending destruction, as a 'firebrand snatched from the fire.' This figurative usage evokes the image of a charred or smoking piece of wood barely saved from total burning. The literal sense, attested in later Hebrew or Semitic parallels, refers to a poker, firebrand, or ember-tipped stick. English translations tend to use 'firebrand' or 'burning stick,' which may miss the nuance of partial burning and imminent consumption. The term appears with particular narrative force in post-exilic texts, expressing near-calamity and deliverance, but is not a general term for any poker or piece of wood; it specifically connotes something marked by fire and survival from it.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to rake together; a poker (for turning or gathering embers); (fire-) brand.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אוד (ʾ-w-d) — to rake together, to poke, to gather (embers)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H108 | אֵד | to his enveloping mist |
| H182 | אוֹדוֹת | matters concerning |
| H343 | אֵיד | in your disaster |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H181-01 |
הָ/אוּדִ֛ים | haudim | HTd/Ncmpa |
the-firebrands | the firebrands | 1 |
H181-02 |
כְּ/א֖וּד | keud | HR/Ncmsa |
like a brand | firebrand | 1 |
H181-03 |
א֖וּד | ud | HNcmsa |
a brand | ember-poker | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H181-01 |
Isaiah 7:4 | הָ/אוּדִ֛ים | haudim | HTd/Ncmpa |
the-firebrands | the firebrands |
H181-02 |
Amos 4:11 | כְּ/א֖וּד | keud | HR/Ncmsa |
like a brand | firebrand |
H181-03 |
Zechariah 3:2 | א֖וּד | ud | HNcmsa |
a brand | ember-poker |