Hebrew word · H4783

מֻרְדָּף

murdaf

persecution

It occurs only here in the Bible. It is formed from radaf, 'to pursue, chase, hunt down' (used of armies chasing a fleeing enemy, avengers, hunters). As a noun it means 'pursuit, harassment'. Pointed as a passive form, it can mean 'pursued' (so KJV).

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

persecution

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 Isaiah 14:6

Range of meaning

It occurs only here in the Bible. It is formed from radaf, 'to pursue, chase, hunt down' (used of armies chasing a fleeing enemy, avengers, hunters). As a noun it means 'pursuit, harassment'. Pointed as a passive form, it can mean 'pursued' (so KJV). Many scholars emend it to mirdat, 'treading down/rule', from radah (see textual notes).

Against the English

BSB, ESV, NASB and WEB have 'persecution'. NIV uses a word of aggression, and YLT has 'pursuing'. KJV takes it as passive: the tyrant 'is persecuted'.

How it drifted

To a modern reader 'persecution' means mostly persecution of believers for their faith. The Hebrew root means military pursuit and hounding. It describes an empire that hunts down subject nations, not religious oppression.

Used elsewhere in the period

The verb radaf is common for military pursuit (Josh 10:19; Isa 30:16; 41:3, where Cyrus 'pursues them'). The noun occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible, so its exact form is uncertain. The reported Qumran reading mirdat suggests that even ancient copyists may have known the line differently.

Where it appears

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 14:6 מֻרְדָּ֖ף persecution

    It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution.

    Here: This word occurs only here in the Bible. It comes from radaf, 'to chase, pursue': a relentless hunting-down, as in war, not religious persecution in the modern sense. Its sound (rodeh … murdaf) echoes the first line's makkeh … makkat. Many scholars read mirdat ('trampling/rule') instead, following the Qumran scroll (see textual notes).

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