שָׂדַד (sa.dad)
sa.dad
to harrow
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb sa.dad, appearing in its intensive Piel stem, carries the specific meaning of "to harrow." This agricultural image describes the act of dragging a rough tool over the earth to break up clods and prepare the soil for planting. It is a word rooted in physical labor and preparation, suggesting a deliberate effort to loosen what is hard or compacted.
With only three occurrences in the Hebrew Bible, primarily found in Job, Isaiah, and Hosea, the word often appears in contexts of judgment or divine action that disrupts the natural order. In these passages, the imagery of harrowing can symbolize a forceful breaking apart of stability or security. The sources highlight its use to describe actions that tear down or devastate, extending the physical act of tilling into a metaphor for destruction or severe intervention.
Translators typically render this term as "harrow" or "devastate," depending on the context. While less common than other verbs for destruction, it offers a vivid picture of intentional disruption. The word reminds readers that divine actions, whether for preparation or judgment, can involve a powerful breaking up of existing structures.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sa.dad paints a vivid picture of breaking up hard, compacted earth to prepare it for new life. In ancient agriculture, this was not a gentle act but a necessary disruption. The rough tool dragged through the ground tore apart stubborn clods that would otherwise choke seeds. This image helps us understand that sometimes God allows our foundations to be shaken so that fresh growth can take root.
When we face seasons where our stability feels torn away, this word reminds us that such breaking is often purposeful. It is not merely destruction for its own sake, but a preparation for something better. Just as the farmer harrows the field to make it fertile, God may loosen what is hard in our hearts or circumstances to allow His grace to penetrate deeply.
This divine action invites trust even when the process feels disruptive. We do not need to fear the breaking up of old patterns if we believe the One who initiates it has a harvest in mind. The goal is always life, and the disruption is simply the path toward it.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- will it harrow1×
- it will harrow1×
- and/ he may harrow?1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יְשַׂדֶּד\־1×
- יְשַׂדֵּ֖ד1×
- וִֽ/ישַׂדֵּ֖ד1×
Key Verses
-
Job 39:10
Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?
This verse uses the word to describe the wild ox's refusal to be harnessed for plowing, highlighting a resistance to the preparation and submission required for productive labor.
-
Isaiah 28:24
Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?
Here the term illustrates the deliberate, rhythmic process of breaking clods, showing that divine instruction follows a specific order rather than chaotic destruction.
-
Hosea 10:11
Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh, so I will put a yoke on her beautiful neck. I will set a rider on Ephraim. Judah will plow. Jacob will break his clods.
The prophet applies this agricultural image to Ephraim, suggesting that God will impose a yoke to break the heifer's pride and prepare her for a different kind of work.