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גָּדַד

𐤂𐤃𐤃

gâdad

H1413 verb

SILEX Entry

Root גדד to cut, to incise, to form a troop, to press together

Definition

To cut or gash, especially with sharp implements; by extension, to band together or form a troop in military or ritual context. The root conveys both literal acts of making incisions and the figurative idea of assembling closely, likely reflecting the practice of gathering together either for combat or ritualistic purposes.

Semantic Range

to cut or gash (especially as part of mourning or ritual), to gather or band together (especially troops or warriors), to group in close association (literal or figurative); to assemble in military or cultic context

Root / Etymology

Root: גָּדַד. Derived from the root ג-ד-ד which at its core means 'to cut, incise.' The verb גָּדַד originally relates to the action of making cuts or incisions, and from this physical act, derived usages involving assembly or troop formation, possibly suggesting the close pressing together of warriors or cult functionaries.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In earlier Israelite texts (e.g., Deuteronomy 14:1, 1 Kings 18:28), גָּדַד is specifically associated with cutting or making incisions in the flesh, particularly as an act of mourning or in ritual practices, often as part of ceremonies prohibited to the Israelites. The term also appears in military contexts (e.g., Jeremiah 5:7), where it may convey gathering in troops or forming bands, possibly because warriors grouped tightly as if compressed or packed together. Over time, the primary sense of 'to cut oneself' was preserved in legal and polemical passages which warn against pagan mourning or worship practices. The apparent dual use—cutting and gathering—reflects semantic development based on visual or conceptual similarity (physical cutting versus close grouping). Standard translations such as 'gash' or 'make incisions' capture the primary action, while 'gather together' reflects extended or figurative application, sometimes obscure in English. The verb is related to גוּד (H1464), with which it shares the sense of attack or incising, but גָּדַד distinctly emphasizes the bodily or ritual cutting and the metaphorical idea of close association. The English term 'troop' as used in older translations maps the figurative sense, but modern scholarship prefers to clarify the ritualistic and martial associations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare גּוּד); to crowd; also to gash (as if by pressing into); assemble (selves by troops), gather (selves together, self in troops), cut selves.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גדד (g-d-d) — to cut, to incise, to form a troop, to press together

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1412 גֻּדְגֹּדָה the Gash-Gorge
H1414 גְּדַד Hew down!
H1415 גָּדָה his cut-formed riverbanks
H1416 גְּדוּד in the raiding band
H1417 גְּדוּד cut furrows

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1413-04 וּ/מִתְגֹּֽדְדִ֑ים umitegodedim HC/Vzrmpa and gashing themselves and self-gashing ones 1
H1413-02 תִּתְגֹּדְדִ֣י titegodedi HVri2fs gather thyself in troops you band yourself together 1
H1413-05 וַ/יִּתְגֹּֽדְדוּ֙ vayitegodedu HC/Vrw3mp and they cut themselves they gashed themselves 1
H1413-07 יִתְגֹּדַ֔ד yitegodad HVri3ms one will gash himself he will gash himself 1
H1413-06 יָ֭גוֹדּוּ yagodu HVqi3mp They band together they cut 1
H1413-01 תִּתְגּוֹדָֽדִי titegodadi HVri2fs will you gash yourself you will gash yourself 1
H1413-03 תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ titegodedu HVri2mp cut-yourselves you (pl m) cut yourselves 1
H1413-08 יִתְגֹּדָֽדוּ yitegodadu HVri3mp they assembled they will gash themselves 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1413-03 Deuteronomy 14:1 תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ titegodedu HVri2mp cut-yourselves you (pl m) cut yourselves
H1413-05 1 Kings 18:28 וַ/יִּתְגֹּֽדְדוּ֙ vayitegodedu HC/Vrw3mp and they cut themselves they gashed themselves
H1413-08 Jeremiah 5:7 יִתְגֹּדָֽדוּ yitegodadu HVri3mp they assembled they will gash themselves
H1413-07 Jeremiah 16:6 יִתְגֹּדַ֔ד yitegodad HVri3ms one will gash himself he will gash himself
H1413-04 Jeremiah 41:5 וּ/מִתְגֹּֽדְדִ֑ים umitegodedim HC/Vzrmpa and gashing themselves and self-gashing ones
H1413-01 Jeremiah 47:5 תִּתְגּוֹדָֽדִי titegodadi HVri2fs will you gash yourself you will gash yourself
H1413-02 Micah 4:14 תִּתְגֹּדְדִ֣י titegodedi HVri2fs gather thyself in troops you band yourself together
H1413-06 Psalms 94:21 יָ֭גוֹדּוּ yagodu HVqi3mp They band together they cut
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