Hebrew word · H1924

הֲדַר

hadar

Hadar

Hadad is the name of the West Semitic storm god, and as a personal name it is well attested among Edomites and Arameans (compare 'Hadad the Edomite' in 1 Kings 11:14). Hadar is either a scribal variant or an independent name, perhaps related to hādār, 'splendour'.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.36.39; married to Mehetabel (H4105); also called Hadar at Gen.36.39;

Another name of ha.dad (הֲדַד "Hadad" H1908H)

§ Hadar = "honour"

an Edomite king

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 Jubilees 38:23

Range of meaning

Hadad is the name of the West Semitic storm god, and as a personal name it is well attested among Edomites and Arameans (compare 'Hadad the Edomite' in 1 Kings 11:14). Hadar is either a scribal variant or an independent name, perhaps related to hādār, 'splendour'.

Against the English

Charles prints 'Adath', following the Ethiopic. English Bibles have 'Hadar' (Genesis) or 'Hadad' (Chronicles). Readers may not recognise that all three are the same king.

How it drifted

The name was copied from Hebrew into Greek and then into Ethiopic. The Ethiopic has no exact letter for the Hebrew h-sound, and the d/r confusion in Hebrew script adds to the uncertainty.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 36:39 (MT: Hadar); 1 Chronicles 1:50 (Hadad). Many Hebrew manuscripts and the Samaritan Pentateuch support Hadad in Genesis. Hadad is also a royal name in Genesis 36:35 (Hadad son of Bedad).

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 36:39 הֲדַ֔ר Hadar

    When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.

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