אַבְדָ֑ן (av.dan)
av.dan
destruction
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun avdan signifies destruction or ruin. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both within the Book of Esther, where it describes the violent chaos threatening the Jewish people. In these contexts, the word stands alongside terms for sword and slaughter, painting a picture of total devastation.
Its rarity makes its usage in Esther particularly striking. The text uses avdan to summarize the physical peril faced by the community, emphasizing the severity of the threat before the narrative’s turn toward deliverance. This limited occurrence highlights how specific vocabulary can carry significant weight in key biblical moments.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word avdan appears only twice in the Old Testament, both within the Book of Esther. It describes a state of total ruin, standing alongside terms for sword and slaughter to paint a picture of violent chaos. This rarity makes its usage particularly striking, as it summarizes the physical peril faced by the Jewish community before their deliverance.
When you encounter this term, it reminds us that God’s people have often faced threats that seemed overwhelming. The narrative in Esther shows how these moments of danger are part of a larger story where protection and justice ultimately prevail. It invites reflection on how faithfulness persists even when the stakes feel incredibly high.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ destruction1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ/אַבְדָ֑ן1×
Key Verses
-
Esther 9:5
The Jews struck all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they wanted to those who hated them.
This verse uses avdan to describe the violent chaos that the Jews overcame, highlighting the severity of the threat before their deliverance.