Hebrew word · H142

אָדַר

ne'dar

be glorious

The root ʾdr means to be great, mighty or majestic. The adjective ʾaddîr is used of kings and nobles ("the majestic ones", Judg 5:13; Jer 14:3), of mighty waters (Exod 15:10; Ps 93:4), of mighty trees, and of God (Ps 8:1, "how majestic is your name").

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be great, be majestic, wide, noble (poetic)

1a) (Niphal) majestic, glorious (participle)

1b) (Hiphil) make glorious

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Exodus 15:11

Range of meaning

The root ʾdr means to be great, mighty or majestic. The adjective ʾaddîr is used of kings and nobles ("the majestic ones", Judg 5:13; Jer 14:3), of mighty waters (Exod 15:10; Ps 93:4), of mighty trees, and of God (Ps 8:1, "how majestic is your name"). The niphal participle (a passive or reflexive form) neʾdār means "shown majestic, glorious in might".

Against the English

KJV/WEB "glorious" and BSB/NIV/ESV "majestic" are both fair. "Glorious" can sound to modern ears like mere beauty or splendour, while the Hebrew carries raw, kingly power.

Used elsewhere in the period

In this song it appears in v.6 ("your right hand, O Yahweh, neʾdārî in power") and in v.10 (mayim ʾaddîrîm, "mighty waters"). Psalm 93:4 makes the same contrast: "mightier (ʾaddîr) than the thunder of many waters … mighty (ʾaddîr) on high is Yahweh." In Phoenician inscriptions ʾdr is a title for lords and gods.

From the study of Isaiah 42:21

Range of meaning

To be wide, mighty, majestic, glorious. The adjective 'addîr' ('majestic, mighty, noble') is used of God (Ps 8:1; 93:4), of kings and nobles, and of great waters and trees. This causative form, 'to make majestic', occurs only here.

Against the English

KJV 'make it honourable' now sounds like making something ethically upright or respectable. The Hebrew is about splendour and majesty. BSB/WEB 'glorious/honorable' get closer.

How it drifted

In 1611 'honourable' meant 'worthy of honour, illustrious.' Today it mostly means 'morally decent', which is not the point.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 15:6, 11: YHWH 'majestic (neʾdār) in power... majestic in holiness'. Ps 8:1: 'how majestic (addîr) is your name'. Related words for 'mighty, noble' appear in other ancient Semitic languages, including Phoenician and Ugaritic.

From the study of Exodus 15:6

Range of meaning

The root means to be wide, great, mighty or majestic. Related words: 'addir, "mighty, majestic" (used of nobles, waters, kings and God), and 'adderet, a broad cloak or mantle. The form here is a passive participle: "shown majestic" or "made glorious", which in practice comes close to "majestic".

Against the English

KJV and WEB have "glorious", BSB and NASB "majestic", YLT "honourable". "Majestic" stays closest to the root's sense of imposing greatness and might. "Glorious" can make modern readers think of radiance or beauty. KJV's "is become" makes it sound like a change of state, which the participle does not require.

How it drifted

KJV's "is become glorious" probably follows the Latin Vulgate (magnificata est, "has been magnified") and the Greek (dedoxastai, "has been glorified"), which read the passive form as a completed event.

Used elsewhere in the period

The verb occurs only here and in v. 11 (ne'dar baqqodesh, "majestic in holiness"), plus one causative form in Isa 42:21. In the same song, v. 10 calls the sea "mighty waters" (mayim 'addirim), and Ps 93:4 makes the same contrast: the LORD on high is more 'addir than the mighty breakers of the sea. The cognate word is common in Phoenician inscriptions for "mighty" or "noble".

Where it appears

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 15:6 נֶאְדָּרִ֖י [was] glorious

    Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.

    Here: A passive-form participle, "showing itself majestic" or "towering in might", ending in an old poetic -i vowel. It describes a lasting quality, not a single moment, and it looks ahead to v. 10, where the waters are called mighty ('addirim, same root), and to v. 11, where YHWH is "majestic (ne'dar) in holiness".

  2. Exodus 15:11 נֶאְדָּ֣ר glorious

    Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?

    Here: "Majestic, overwhelmingly powerful". It comes from the same root as the "mighty (ʾaddîrîm) waters" of v.10 and Yahweh's "majestic (neʾdārî) right hand" of v.6. The waters were mighty, but Yahweh is mightier.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 42:21 וְיַאְדִּֽיר׃ so he may make [it] glorious

    The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.

    Here: 'And he would make [it] majestic.' This causative form occurs only here in the Bible. The root is the language of royal and divine splendour (compare 'addir', 'majestic', Psalm 8:1). With the 'and', it rounds off the thought: great and glorious.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.