אַכַּד (ak.kad)
ak.kad
Accad
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The noun Akkad refers to a city and its surrounding district located in northern Babylonia. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Genesis 10:10, as part of the genealogical record listing the territories founded by Nimrod.
Lexical sources indicate that the name likely derives from a root meaning "subtle" or "cunning." This etymology aligns with the biblical portrayal of Nimrod as a powerful and skillful figure who established his kingdom in that region. The term serves primarily as a geographical marker, identifying one of the key centers of early Mesopotamian civilization alongside Erech and Uruk.
While the text does not elaborate on the city’s internal history or architecture, its inclusion highlights the ancient Israelite awareness of major Near Eastern urban centers. Akkad stands as a testament to the complex political landscape of the ancient world, where empires rose and fell long before the rise of Israel.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Genesis 10:10 lists Akkad as one of the first cities founded by Nimrod in the land of Shinar. This brief mention places ancient Mesopotamian civilization within the broader scope of biblical history, showing that God’s plan unfolds across nations and empires, not just Israel.
While the text does not detail the city’s architecture or politics, its inclusion reminds us that human achievement and urban development are part of the ancient world’s reality. For readers today, this verse invites reflection on how cultures rise and fall, and how God remains sovereign over all history.
Even in genealogies that seem distant from daily life, we find connections to the wider world. Akkad stands as a marker of early civilization, pointing to the complex political landscape that existed long before Israel emerged as a nation.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ Akkad1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ/אַכַּ֣ד1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 10:10
The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
This verse identifies Akkad as one of the initial cities in Nimrod’s kingdom, establishing it as a key center of early Mesopotamian power alongside Babel and Erech.