יְגַר שַׂהֲדוּתָא (H3026) — Hebrew Lexicon

יְגַר שַׂהֲדוּתָא

𐤉𐤂𐤓 𐤔𐤄𐤃𐤅𐤕𐤀

Yegar Sahaduta

H3026 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂהד / (יְגַר uncertain) to pile up, heap (uncertain root); to witness, bear testimony

Definition

Jegar-Sahadutha is an Aramaic proper noun designating 'heap of testimony'—a memorial mound serving as witness to an agreement or covenant. The term is a compound of two Aramaic words: 'jegar' (heap, pile, cairn) and 'sahadutha' (testimony, witness). It functions specifically as a place-name in Genesis 31:47, designating the cairn erected as a tangible witness to the pact between Laban and Jacob.

Semantic Range

heap of testimony, cairn of witness, commemorative mound, memorial cairn (especially as a place-name or covenant marker)

Root / Etymology

The word is Aramaic, constructed from יְגַר (jegar; meaning 'heap' or 'cairn') and שַׂהֲדוּתָא (sahadutha; meaning 'testimony' or 'witness'), the latter of which is related to the root שָׂהֵד (sahad; Aramaic: to witness, testify; cf. Hebrew עֵד, `ed, 'witness'). The root of יְגַר is uncertain and not attested elsewhere in Aramaic or Hebrew, but it likely refers to gathering or piling up stones. The term is thus a compound place-name meaning 'heap/cairn of testimony.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Jegar-Sahadutha appears only in Genesis 31:47, where Laban, an Aramean, uses the Aramaic name for the stone mound that he and Jacob construct as a witness to their agreement. Jacob, in contrast, uses the equivalent Hebrew name, גַּלְעֵד (Galeed; 'heap of witness'). While later English translations sometimes substitute 'Jegar-Sahadutha' with descriptive titles such as 'heap of witness,' the original text preserves both the Aramaic and Hebrew forms, highlighting the linguistic and cultural distinction between the parties. The usage is limited to this covenantal context and does not recur as a standard term for cairns or monuments elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. There is no association with later religious or ethnic designations; this is a toponym tied to a specific episode in patriarchal Israelite history. The term is illustrative of bilingual boundary-making and the significance of memorial heaps in treaty-making during the patriarchal period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) from a word derived from an unused root (meaning to gather) and a derivation of a root corresponding to שָׂהֵד; heap of the testimony; Jegar-Sahadutha, a cairn East of the Jordan; Jegar-Sahadutha.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂהד (ś-h-d) — witness, testify, testimony

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H7717	שָׂהֵד	and my witness

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H3026-01`	שָׂהֲדוּתָ֑א	sahaduta	`ANp`	Sahadutha	Cairn-of-Testimony	1
`H3026-02`	יְגַ֖ר	yegar	`ANp`	Yegar	Heap-of-Testimony	1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H3026-02`	Genesis 31:47	יְגַ֖ר	yegar	`ANp`	Yegar	Heap-of-Testimony
`H3026-01`	Genesis 31:47	שָׂהֲדוּתָ֑א	sahaduta	`ANp`	Sahadutha	Cairn-of-Testimony

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