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שָׂדֶה

𐤔𐤃𐤄

sâdeh

H7704 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂדה to spread out, to extend, to be open

Definition

An open, uncultivated or cultivated expanse of land outside of inhabited areas, typically but not exclusively used for agriculture, grazing, or as the site for natural vegetation. In various contexts, שָׂדֶה can refer to land under cultivation, open rural territory, a plot of ground, or, more generally, the countryside beyond city boundaries.

Semantic Range

field (agricultural or pasture), open land, countryside, rural area, farmland, plot of ground, territory, land outside city boundaries; sometimes contrasted with city or wilderness; site of work, ownership, or encounter

Root / Etymology

From the root שׂדה (s-d-h), which is not directly attested as a verbal root in the Hebrew Bible but is related to the idea of expanding or spreading out. The noun form שָׂדֶה derives from this root, conveying 'place that is spread out, open area.' The root is not widely attested outside of this noun in Biblical Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שָׂדֶה is used throughout the Hebrew Bible to describe open land in contrast to an inhabited town or village, and is often distinguished from other landscape terms such as עִיר (city, town) and מִדְבָּר (wilderness). It occurs both in agricultural and pastoral contexts—designating cultivated farmland, vineyards, grazing space for livestock, or simply non-urban land. In legal and ritual texts (especially in Torah legislation) שָׂדֶה delineates property boundaries, inheritance, and rights of access or gleaning. In narrative, the 'field' often serves as the setting for encounters outside the social and juridical order of the city or home (e.g., Genesis 4:8, Ruth 2). Later biblical and post-biblical texts extend the term semantically to mean open country or rural territory as a whole, at times referring to territories collectively as opposed to city centers. Septuagint translation choices (ἀγρός, 'field') reinforce this sense. English translations tend to use 'field' or 'country,' but 'field' can obscure the variety of land types denoted. The use of 'field' as idiomatic for uncultivated or wild land is context-dependent and not restricted to farmland. In contrast, מִשּׂוֹר may mean 'plain,' and עֵמֶק 'valley,' each with more specific topographic meaning. The English gloss 'field' is generally accurate but may sometimes be too limiting.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or שָׂדַי; from an unused root meaning to spread out; a field (as flat); country, field, ground, land, soil, [idiom] wild.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂדה (ś-d-h) — to spread out, to extend, to be open

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7708 שִׂדִּים the Siddim Flats

Word Forms

41 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7704-07 הַ/שָּׂדֶ֗ה hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field 131
H7704-01 בַּ/שָּׂדֶ֔ה basadeh HRd/Ncmsa in the field in the open field 61
H7704-24 שְׂדֵ֖ה sedeh HNcmsc field open field of 24
H7704-17 שָׂדֶ֑ה sadeh HNcmsa of the field open field-land 21
H7704-04 בִּ/שְׂדֵ֣ה bisedeh HR/Ncmsc in the field in open-land of 15
H7704-16 שָׂדָ֑י saday HNcmsa of the field open field 13
H7704-18 שָׂדֵ֑/הוּ sadehu HNcmsc/Sp3ms his field his open field 6
H7704-13 מִ/שְּׂדֵ֣ה misedeh HR/Ncmsc from a field from an open field 5
H7704-19 שָׂדְ/ךָ֖ sadekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your field your open field 5
H7704-23 שָׂד֣וֹת sadot HNcmpa fields open fields 5

Occurrences in Scripture

334 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7704-07 Genesis 2:5 הַ/שָּׂדֶ֗ה hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-07 Genesis 2:5 הַ/שָּׂדֶ֖ה hasadeh-2 HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-07 Genesis 2:19 הַ/שָּׂדֶה֙ hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-07 Genesis 2:20 הַ/שָּׂדֶ֑ה hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-07 Genesis 3:1 הַ/שָּׂדֶ֔ה hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-07 Genesis 3:14 הַ/שָּׂדֶ֑ה hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-07 Genesis 3:18 הַ/שָּׂדֶֽה hasadeh HTd/Ncmsa of the field the open field
H7704-01 Genesis 4:8 בַּ/שָּׂדֶ֔ה basadeh HRd/Ncmsa in the field in the open field
H7704-24 Genesis 14:7 שְׂדֵ֖ה sedeh HNcmsc country open field of
H7704-18 Genesis 23:9 שָׂדֵ֑/הוּ sadehu HNcmsc/Sp3ms of his field his open field
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