← H126 H128 →

אֲדָמָה

𐤀𐤃𐤌𐤄

ʼădâmâh

H127 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אדם to be red, to produce, to be like the earth

Definition

Soil, ground, cultivated land, or earth, particularly as the surface layer suitable for agriculture or habitation. In broader usage, refers to land as a geographical, agricultural, or territorial domain. At times it may denote a specific country's land or territory distinguished from wilderness, mountains, or water, though the primary sense focuses on the arable ground or cultivated surface of the earth.

Semantic Range

soil, cultivated ground, arable land, earth (as opposed to water or sky), land (in a local or regional sense), the surface layer of the earth, territory or country (especially agriculturally productive or inhabited land)

Root / Etymology

From the root אדם (ʼ-d-m), primarily meaning 'to be red' or 'reddish', possibly reflecting the color of fertile soil in some Near Eastern regions. אֲדָמָה is derived as a feminine noun form referring to earth or ground, notably as the surface layer for cultivation. The derivation denotes the physical material and its association with life and human origins.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אֲדָמָה most often refers to soil or arable land as the locus of agricultural activity and the source of human sustenance. Its use is distinct from אֶרֶץ (ʼereṣ), which typically designates land in the broader sense—ranging from territory to the whole earth or inhabited world. אֲדָמָה appears in the creation narrative as the source material from which the first human (אָדָם, ʼādām) is formed, reflecting a conceptual link between humans and the productive earth. In legal and ritual contexts, אֲדָמָה serves as the ground that receives blood or other offerings, underscoring its role in the cycle of life, death, and fertility. Over time, while the word's agricultural and territorial sense remains, it occasionally takes on a metonymic meaning for territory or domain, particularly in poetic or prophetic texts. English translations routinely render אֲדָמָה as 'ground' or 'soil', but sometimes as 'land' or 'earth', which can obscure its agricultural nuance. KJV and some other translations use 'husbandman' or 'husbandry' in connection with this term, but these are interpretive renderings and not direct translations of the word itself. In contrast to אֶרֶץ, אֲדָמָה is less likely to indicate nation or peoplehood, focusing instead on the material or cultivated ground.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָדַם; soil (from its general redness); country, earth, ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

אדם (ʾ-d-m) — to be red, to be like the earth, to produce from soil

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1157 בְּעַד in the human being
H119 אָדַם they became red
H120 אָדָם human being
H121 אָדָם Adam
H122 אָדֹם reddish

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H127-12 הָֽ/אֲדָמָ֖ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground 113
H127-03 אַדְמַ֤ת ademat HNcfsc the land soil of 26
H127-05 אַדְמָתָֽ/ם adematam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their land their cultivated ground 17
H127-06 אַדְמָ֣תְ/ךָ֔ adematekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms of your land your cultivated ground 12
H127-10 אַדְמָת֖/וֹ ademato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his land his cultivated land 12
H127-01 אֲדָמָֽה adamah HNcfsa of earth arable ground 11
H127-17 וַ/אֲדָמָ֖ה vaadamah HC/Ncfsa and dirt and cultivated ground 6
H127-07 אַדְמַתְ/כֶ֖ם adematekhem HNcfsc/Sp2mp your land your cultivated soil 6
H127-08 אַדְמָתֵ֔/נוּ adematenu HNcfsc/Sp1cp our land our cultivated land 4
H127-20 וְ/הָ/אֲדָמָ֖ה vehaadamah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the land and the cultivated ground 3

Occurrences in Scripture

225 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H127-12 Genesis 1:25 הָֽ/אֲדָמָ֖ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa of the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 2:5 הָֽ/אֲדָמָֽה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 2:6 הָֽ/אֲדָמָֽה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground/fertile soil the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 2:7 הָ֣/אֲדָמָ֔ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 2:9 הָ֣/אֲדָמָ֔ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 2:19 הָֽ/אֲדָמָ֗ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 3:17 הָֽ/אֲדָמָה֙ haadamah HTd/Ncfsa is the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 3:19 הָ֣/אֲדָמָ֔ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground
H127-12 Genesis 3:23 הָ֣/אֲדָמָ֔ה haadamah HTd/Ncfsa the ground the cultivated ground
H127-01 Genesis 4:2 אֲדָמָֽה adamah HNcfsa of the ground arable ground
← H126 Hebrew Lexicon H128 →