Hebrew word · H5736

עָדַף

ha'odef

to remain

To be in surplus or exceed a fixed amount; as a participle, 'what is left over'. Used almost entirely where something has been counted: the manna that 'remained over' (Exod 16:18, 23), the extra firstborn beyond the Levites' number (Num 3:46, 48–49), the balance owed when redeeming land (Lev 25:27).

Appears 9 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to remain over, be in excess

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be in excess

1a1a) excess (subst)

1a1b) surplus (participle)

1b) (Hiphil) to have a surplus

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 26:12

Range of meaning

To be in surplus or exceed a fixed amount; as a participle, 'what is left over'. Used almost entirely where something has been counted: the manna that 'remained over' (Exod 16:18, 23), the extra firstborn beyond the Levites' number (Num 3:46, 48–49), the balance owed when redeeming land (Lev 25:27).

Against the English

KJV's 'remaineth' and YLT's 'superfluous' both work. 'Superfluous' can suggest unnecessary to a modern ear. The Hebrew only means 'beyond the count', not 'useless'.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Pentateuch it belongs to the language of measuring and counting (Exod 16; Num 3; Lev 25). It turns up again in v. 13 ('in the surplus of the length').

From the study of Exodus 16:18

Range of meaning

To be in excess, remain over, be surplus beyond a fixed number or measure (BDB, HALOT). The verb is rare: Exod 16:18, 23 ("what is left over" of the manna); Exod 26:12–13 (the surplus length of the tabernacle curtains); Lev 25:27 (the remaining balance in a land redemption); Num 3:46, 48, 49 (the firstborn "in excess" of the Levites' number).

Against the English

"Had nothing over" (KJV, WEB), "had no excess" (BSB), "had nothing left over" (ESV), "did not have too much" (NIV). All are fair. "Too much" adds a slight moral tone that the Hebrew does not carry, since the word is about arithmetic.

Used elsewhere in the period

Every other use measures against a set quota (a curtain length, a census number, a redemption price). This is accounting language.

Where it appears

Exodus · 5

  1. Exodus 16:18 הֶעְדִּיף֙ he had a surplus

    When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.

    Here: "He had a surplus," i.e. ended up with something left over. The same root names the "leftover" manna in v.23. This is a rare word used for what remains beyond a set quota.

  2. Exodus 16:23 הָ֣עֹדֵ֔ף the surplus

    He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’”

    Here: The same verb as v.18, where whoever gathered much “had nothing left over.” On ordinary days nothing was to be over; today the surplus is intended.

  3. Exodus 26:12 הָעֹדֵ֔ף הָעֹדֶ֔פֶת the surplus, which is surplus

    As for the overlap that remains of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over shall hang down over the back of the tabernacle.

    Here: A participle, 'that which is surplus': the length of cloth left over once everything else has been measured out. Together with the first word it means 'the extra overhang'.

  4. Exodus 26:13 בָּעֹדֵ֔ף in the surplus

    And the tent curtains will be a cubit longer on either side, and the excess will hang over the sides of the tabernacle to cover it.

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 25:27 הָ֣עֹדֵ֔ף the surplus

    he shall calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and return to his property.

Numbers · 3

  1. Numbers 3:46 הָעֹֽדְפִים֙ who are in excess

    To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites,

  2. Numbers 3:48 הָעֹדְפִ֖ים those [who] are in excess

    Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”

  3. Numbers 3:49 הָעֹ֣דְפִ֔ים those [who] were in excess

    So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.

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