אַדְמוֹנִי

From the study of 1 Samuel 16:12

Range of meaning

'Reddish, ruddy.' It comes from the root 'dm, 'red', which is related to 'adamah (soil), dam (blood) and Edom. In people it describes colouring: the complexion, the hair, or both.

Against the English

'Ruddy' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) is accurate. NIV's 'glowing with health' reads it as a healthy complexion, which is fair but interpretive. NLT's 'dark' is a mistake, because the word means red, not dark.

How it drifted

Most versions do not drift. NLT's 'dark and handsome' seems to borrow the English set phrase ('tall, dark and handsome') rather than the Hebrew colour word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only three occurrences: Esau at birth (Gen 25:25, 'red, all over like a hairy cloak'), here, and 17:42, where Goliath despises David as 'a youth, ruddy, with a handsome appearance'. Related 'adom praises the lover in Song 5:10 ('radiant and ruddy') and the nobles in Lam 4:7 ('ruddier than coral'). The Greek Septuagint uses pyrrakēs, 'reddish / red-haired', the same word it uses for Esau. Josephus (Antiquities 6.164) describes the boy with a word for a golden or reddish colouring.

From the study of 1 Samuel 17:42

Range of meaning

Reddish or ruddy, from the root ʾdm 'red' (related to ʾādām 'man' and ʾădāmāh 'ground' by sound, though the connection to 'red' is debated). It is used only of Esau (Gen 25:25) and David (1 Sam 16:12; 17:42). Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) leave open whether it describes hair or complexion.

Against the English

'Ruddy' is the standard rendering and is fine. NIV's 'glowing with health' interprets it, keeping the sense of vigor but dropping the color. 'Red-haired' is a possible reading, not a certain one.

Used elsewhere in the period

Related color words describe youthful or noble beauty: Song 5:10 'my beloved is radiant and ruddy (ʾādôm)', and Lam 4:7, where Jerusalem's princes were 'more ruddy (ʾādmû) in body than coral'. Ruddiness was attractive, a mark of health and youth.