גְּדוּד (ge.dud)
ge.dud
furrow
H:NQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N
Word Overview
The noun gedud refers to a furrow or a cut made in the earth. Its root sense involves something that has been sliced or incised, describing the physical marks left by plowing or other cutting actions. In the Hebrew Bible, this word appears rarely, with its most notable usage found in the book of Jeremiah.
While it can simply denote an agricultural furrow, as seen in Psalm 65:11 where God waters the earth to create rich soil, it carries a heavier symbolic weight in other contexts. In Jeremiah 48:37, the word describes cuttings made on hands and bodies. This specific usage reflects ancient Near Eastern mourning practices, where people would slash their skin or clothing as an outward sign of deep grief and loss.
The term bridges the gap between mundane agricultural life and intense emotional expression. The same action that creates a furrow for crops can become a mark of sorrow on a person’s body. This duality highlights how physical actions in Scripture often carry layered meanings, connecting the land to human experience.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word gedud describes a furrow or an incision in the earth. It connects the physical act of plowing with the human expression of grief. In ancient times, people would cut their skin as a sign of deep sorrow, mirroring the marks left by a plow in the soil. This imagery shows how Scripture uses everyday experiences to explain profound emotions.
When you face loss or hardship, it is natural to feel broken. The Bible acknowledges this pain without asking you to hide it. God sees the depth of your suffering and does not dismiss it as insignificant. You are invited to bring your honest feelings to Him, knowing He understands both the quiet labor of daily life and the sharp sting of grief.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- cuts1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- גְּדֻדֹ֔ת1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 48:37
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped. There are cuttings on all the hands, and sackcloth on the waist.
This verse uses gedud to describe physical cuttings on hands, illustrating an ancient mourning practice that mirrors the agricultural furrow.