בָּדָל (ba.dal)
ba.dal
piece
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun badal denotes a detached fragment or severed piece, appearing only once in the Hebrew Bible at Amos 3:12. In this context, it describes the small portion of a sheep’s leg that remains after a lion has torn into the animal and carried off the rest of the prey.
Its meaning is defined by separation; it refers specifically to what is left behind or cut away rather than the whole. This sharp distinction highlights the violence of the scene, emphasizing how little remains of the original creature after such an attack.
The word carries significant rhetorical weight in Amos’s prophecy. By using this term for a remnant that escapes danger, the prophet illustrates God’s judgment on Israel. Just as the lion spares only a broken fragment, so too will God spare only a tiny remnant of His people from coming destruction.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word badal describes a tiny, severed fragment left behind after something has been torn apart. In Amos 3:12, it refers to just a piece of an animal’s leg or ear that remains after a lion has taken its prey. This image is stark and unsettling, showing how little is left when destruction occurs.
Yet in this prophecy, the fragment becomes a symbol of grace. God promises that even when judgment falls, He will rescue a remnant. For you, this means that no matter how broken or scattered life may feel, God preserves what matters most to Him. He does not discard the small and insignificant.
When you feel like you have been worn down by hardship, remember that your value does not depend on your wholeness or strength. God sees the fragments of your life and calls them His own. You are held by a Shepherd who rescues even the smallest piece.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a piece of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בְדַל\־1×
Key Verses
-
Amos 3:12
Yahweh says: “As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed.”
This verse uses the word to illustrate how God will preserve only a tiny remnant of Israel after judgment, emphasizing both severity and mercy.