אַשְׁדּוֹדִית (ash.do.dit)
ash.do.dit
Ashdod
N:N--LGQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--LG
Word Overview
The Hebrew term ashdoḏîṯ refers specifically to the language spoken in Ashdod, one of the major Philistine cities. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Nehemiah 13:24, where it describes the mixed speech of children born to Jewish men and foreign wives from Ashdod.
This word is a derivative of the city name Ashdod (H0795), which itself likely means "place of plunder" or "ruin." By adding the feminine singular ending -îṯ, the text creates an adjective meaning "Ashdodite" or "in the manner of Ashdod." In this context, it functions as a shorthand for the Philistine dialect, distinct from Hebrew and Aramaic.
Nehemiah uses this term to highlight a crisis of identity and separation. The children could not speak the language of Judah, meaning they were cut off from the covenant community's primary medium of worship and law. The word underscores the tangible reality of cultural assimilation: when a people lose their language, they risk losing their distinct religious heritage.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ashdoḏîṯ points to a specific moment in Nehemiah’s time when children born to Jewish fathers and foreign mothers from Ashdod spoke only the local Philistine dialect. They could not speak the language of Judah, which was the primary way the community heard God’s law and shared their faith. This detail shows how deeply culture and language shape our spiritual identity.
For us today, this story reminds us that faith is often passed down through shared stories, prayers, and a common way of speaking about God. When we lose touch with the language of Scripture or the community that explains it, we risk drifting from the core of our beliefs. It invites us to value the words we use in church and home, ensuring they carry the weight of truth.
Language is more than just communication; it is a vessel for heritage. By keeping our focus on the shared vocabulary of faith, we help protect the spiritual legacy for those who come after us, ensuring the message remains clear and accessible.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Ashdodite1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אַשְׁדּוֹדִ֔ית1×
Key Verses
-
Nehemiah 13:24
and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.
This verse highlights the crisis where children could not speak Hebrew, showing how language loss threatens connection to the covenant community.