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תִּדְעָל

𐤕𐤃𐤏𐤋

Tideal

H8413 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Tidal; a personal name referring in the Hebrew Bible to a king allied with other rulers during the era of Abraham. The meaning of the name is uncertain, though some have suggested possible connections to terms for fear or awesomeness, or to foreign-language origins. In context, the word serves as a proper noun designating an individual.

Semantic Range

personal name; the king Tidal mentioned in Genesis 14; designation for a foreign monarch in the patriarchal narratives

Root / Etymology

The etymology is uncertain. The name is possibly unrelated to known Semitic roots. Strong suggested a connection with the root דחל (to fear), but this is unsupported and now generally rejected. Some scholars propose a non-Semitic, possibly Hurrian or Anatolian, origin, as similar-sounding names appear in ancient Near Eastern texts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Tidal appears in Genesis 14:1 and 14:9 as one of four allied kings, described as 'king of Goiim' (often translated 'king of nations' or interpreted as 'king of [various] peoples'). The text portrays Tidal as participating in military campaigns in the region during the patriarchal period. There is no evidence that the personal name Tidal was used among Israelites or Judahites; it reflects a foreign onomastic tradition, possibly Hurrian or Anatolian. English translations sometimes obscure the foreign character of the name. Later interpretive traditions sometimes associate the name with fear or might, based on speculative etymology, but this lacks lexical basis. The use of 'Canaanite' in older glosses is misleading; the biblical text provides no evidence for his ethnic or geographic identity beyond his royal alliance.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

perhaps from דְּחַל; fearfulness; Tidal, a Canaanite; Tidal.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain

Root uncertain uncertain; used as a personal name
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1002 בִּירָה the citadel
H105 אֲגַרְטָל bowls of
H1081 בַּלְאֲדָן Baladan
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8413-01 וְ/תִדְעָ֖ל vetideal HC/Np and Tidal and Tidal and Tideal 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8413-01 Genesis 14:1 וְ/תִדְעָ֖ל vetideal HC/Np and Tidal and Tidal and Tideal
H8413-01 Genesis 14:9 וְ/תִדְעָל֙ vetideal HC/Np and Tidal and Tidal and Tideal
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