אֲדָר (a.dar)
a.dar
Adar
N:N--TQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--T
Word Overview
The Hebrew word Adar names the twelfth month of the biblical calendar, typically falling in March or April. Its primary meaning is "glorious," a fitting title for the final month of the Jewish year. In the ancient Near Eastern context, this period often marked the end of the agricultural cycle and the approach of spring rains.
Adar appears eight times in the Hebrew Bible, with the vast majority of occurrences found in the Book of Esther. It serves as the chronological anchor for the festival of Purim, which commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from Haman’s plot (Esther 9:1, 26). The month’s placement at the year’s end underscores its role in concluding the liturgical and civil cycles.
While the name itself carries a sense of splendor or brightness, its biblical significance is tied to narrative timing rather than meteorological description. By anchoring the Purim story in this specific month, the text links the concept of glory with divine providence working through historical events. The association remains central to Jewish tradition, where Adar is a time of increased joy and celebration.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Adar marks the final month in the biblical calendar, a time when the year’s work draws to a close and spring begins to break through the winter chill. The name itself suggests brightness or glory, offering a gentle reminder that endings often carry their own kind of light. In the ancient world, this period signaled the end of the agricultural cycle, preparing the land for new growth.
For readers today, Adar stands out because it anchors the story of Esther. It is the month where fear turns to relief and where a planned tragedy becomes a celebration of deliverance. This shift shows how history can hold moments of unexpected hope, even when circumstances seem dire. The month invites us to look for signs of grace in our own closing chapters.
Understanding Adar helps us see time not just as a sequence of days, but as a canvas for providence. It encourages a posture of watchfulness and gratitude, recognizing that the end of one season can be the beginning of another filled with joy and renewed purpose.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Adar8×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אֲדָ֔ר3×
- אֲדָ֑ר2×
- אֲדָֽר\׃\ \ס1×
- אֲדָֽר\׃1×
- אֲדָ֗ר1×
Key Verses
-
Esther 9:1
Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the month, when the king’s commandment and his decree came near to be put in execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to conquer them, (but it turned out that the opposite happened, that the Jews conquered those who hated them),
This verse highlights the dramatic reversal where the Jews conquered their enemies on the very day they were meant to be destroyed, establishing Adar as a month of deliverance.
-
Esther 9:19
Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, a holiday, and a day of sending presents of food to one another.
This occurrence specifies the practice for Jews in unwalled towns, showing how the historical event in Adar translated into a lasting tradition of feasting and gift-giving.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What happens during the month of Adar?
Every Occurrence (8 verses across 1 books)
Esther 8 verses
In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot,…
Esther 3:13Letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews,…
Esther 8:12on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
Esther 9:1Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the month, when the king’s commandment and…
Esther 9:15The Jews who were in Susa gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and killed three…
Esther 9:17This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of that month they rested and made it…
Esther 9:19Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of…
Esther 9:21to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar yearly,