הָדָה

𐤄𐤃𐤄

hâdâh

H1911 verb

SILEX Entry

Root הדה to stretch out, extend, reach out

Definition

To stretch out or extend the hand, typically as an action of offering or directing. The word conveys the physical gesture of reaching out the hand, implying placement, giving, or designation through gesture. In some contexts, it can denote the act of pointing or indicating something or someone by extending the hand.

Semantic Range

to stretch out (the hand), to extend (the hand), to offer by hand, to indicate by gesture, to put (by extending)

Root / Etymology

Root is הדה. The precise relationship to the root ידה (“to throw, cast, or praise with hands extended”) is debated, but evidence suggests a parallel in the meaning of extending or stretching the hand. הָדָה is a verbal root denoting the physical action of stretching out or extending a hand. The word developed semantically to focus upon this physical gesture, especially in the context of offering or directing attention.

Historical & Contextual Notes

הָדָה is extremely rare, occurring only in poetic texts (notably in Job 21:33 and Isaiah 23:13). Its meaning is closely related to the physical gesture of extending the hand, whether in placement, offering, or indicating, but it lacks the broader semantic field of יָדָה, which also developed meanings of praise and confession through ritual gesture. While English translations often render it simply as 'put' or 'stretch forth,' the nuance of a deliberate physical gesture is often not fully conveyed. In biblical usage, the term is descriptive rather than idiomatic, and does not carry the ritual or religious associations that its cognate יָדָה acquired. It is not associated with cultic activity or worship settings and appears strictly in literal, descriptive usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare יָדָה); to stretch forth the hand; put.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

הדה (h-d-h) — to stretch out, extend, reach out

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1939 הוֹדַיְוָהוּ Yahweh is praise

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1911-01 הָדָֽה hadah HVqp3ms shall put he stretched out his hand he stretched out his hand 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1911-01 Isaiah 11:8 הָדָֽה hadah HVqp3ms shall put he stretched out his hand he stretched out his hand