יָדַד (ya.dad)
ya.dad
to cast a lot
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb yādad means to cast lots, a practice used in the ancient world to discern divine will or make decisions when human judgment was insufficient. This single occurrence in Obadiah 1:11 describes how foreign nations joined against Judah, effectively "casting lots" over the city as if dividing spoils among themselves. The action implies a sense of calculated aggression and shared intent by those who opposed God’s people.
While most Hebrew lexicons identify this form strictly with the act of casting lots, some sources note a secondary noun meaning related to friendship or love. However, in its verbal usage within Scripture, the focus remains on the ritualistic distribution of fate or territory. The word highlights how enemies viewed the fall of Jerusalem not as a tragedy, but as an opportunity for division and gain.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The verb yādad describes casting lots to divide spoils or decide fate. In Obadiah, this act marks a moment of deep humiliation for Jerusalem. Enemies did not just defeat the city; they treated it as property to be shared out among themselves. This highlights the severity of the judgment described in the text.
For believers today, this word serves as a sobering reminder of God’s sovereignty over nations and history. It shows that even when enemies conspire with calculated intent, their actions are recorded within Scripture. We can trust that God sees these injustices and remains the ultimate judge. Our hope rests not in our own strength, but in His faithful governance of all things.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they cast1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יַדּ֣וּ1×
Key Verses
-
Obadiah 1:11
In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were like one of them.
This verse uses the word to depict foreigners treating Jerusalem as loot to be divided, emphasizing the calculated aggression and shared intent of the enemies against God's people.