Hebrew word · H906

בַּד

bad

linen

Linen, and garments made of it. The word is used almost entirely for sacred clothing: priests' undergarments and tunics, the high priest's Day of Atonement garments, the linen ephod worn in worship (an ephod was a sleeveless priestly vest or apron), and the clothing of heavenly agents in visions.

Appears 23 times in 19 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

linen, white linen

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 Daniel 10:5

Range of meaning

Linen, and garments made of it. The word is used almost entirely for sacred clothing: priests' undergarments and tunics, the high priest's Day of Atonement garments, the linen ephod worn in worship (an ephod was a sleeveless priestly vest or apron), and the clothing of heavenly agents in visions. It is a different word from shesh (fine Egyptian linen, used for tabernacle fabrics) and from butz (the later word for fine linen).

Against the English

Every major English version says 'linen', which is accurate. But to a modern reader linen is just a fabric, perhaps an expensive or summery one. For an ancient Israelite, bad was what a priest wore when he approached God.

How it drifted

In modern life linen has lost its cultic associations. Hebrew bad, by contrast, almost never refers to ordinary clothing.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 28:42; 39:28 (priests' linen garments); Lev 6:10; 16:4, 23, 32 (the high priest strips to plain linen garments to enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement); 1 Sam 2:18 and 2 Sam 6:14 (the linen ephod worn by Samuel and by David in worship); Ezek 9:2–3, 11; 10:2, 6–7 (the linen-clad heavenly scribe who marks the faithful and scatters fire on Jerusalem); Dan 12:6–7 (the same figure as here). Ezek 44:17–18 requires priests serving in the inner court to wear linen, not wool. Later Jewish and Christian visions continue the image: angels in linen in Rev 15:6, and white-robed heavenly beings throughout 1 Enoch.

From the study of Ezekiel 10:2

Range of meaning

Linen, a fine plant-fibre cloth. In the Bible it is mostly the fabric of sacred clothing: priests' undergarments and breeches (Exodus 28:42; Leviticus 6:10), the high priest's plain linen outfit on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4, 23, 32), and the linen ephod (a priestly vest) worn by Samuel and David (1 Samuel 2:18; 2 Samuel 6:14). Heavenly beings also wear it (Daniel 10:5; 12:6–7).

Against the English

'Clothed in linen' is accurate, but to a modern reader linen is just a fabric. To Ezekiel's audience it marked a person as priestly, pure and fit to enter holy space.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same figure appears in Ezekiel 9:2–3, 11 with a scribe's writing case at his waist. Some scholars (Gunkel, and Zimmerli more cautiously) compare the seven figures of chapter 9 (six executioners plus the scribe) with Babylonian traditions of the scribe-god Nabu among seven deities. Others see simply a priestly-scribal angel. Daniel 10–12 later uses the same 'man clothed in linen' for a heavenly messenger.

From the study of 1 Samuel 2:18

Range of meaning

Linen, cloth woven from flax. It is used almost entirely for sacred clothing: the priests' linen tunic and undergarments (Lev 6:10 [6:3 Heb.]), the high priest's plain linen clothes on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:4, 23, 32), and the 'man clothed in linen' of Ezekiel 9–10 and Daniel 10:5; 12:6–7. It is distinct from shesh, the 'fine linen' of the tabernacle hangings and the high priest's ornate garments.

Against the English

'Linen' is accurate. What English readers may miss is how strongly linen was tied to priesthood and holiness.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel 44:17–18 requires priests serving in the inner court to wear linen only, not wool. Egyptian priests were likewise known for wearing linen, a point noted by Herodotus (Histories 2.37). In the ancient Near East linen stood for ritual cleanness.

Where it appears

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 28:42 בָ֔ד linen

    Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh.

  2. Exodus 39:28 הַבָּ֖ד <the> linen

    as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen,

Leviticus · 8

  1. Leviticus 6:10 בַ֗ד בַד֮ linen

    And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it.

  2. Leviticus 16:4 בַּ֨ד בַד֮ בַּד֙ בַּ֖ד linen of, linen

    He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them.

    Here: Plain linen cloth woven from flax. This is the first of four times the word appears in the verse; every single piece is linen and nothing else, with no gold, gems or coloured wool.

  3. Leviticus 16:23 הַבָּ֔ד <the> linen

    Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there.

  4. Leviticus 16:32 הַבָּ֖ד <the> linen

    The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments

1 Samuel · 2

  1. 1 Samuel 2:18 בָּֽד׃ linen

    Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.

    Here: Linen, the material of priestly clothing. A 'linen ephod' is the plain everyday ephod of sanctuary servants, not the high priest's ornate ephod of gold and coloured yarn.

  2. 1 Samuel 22:18 בָּֽד׃ linen

    So the king ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests himself. On that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 6:14 בָּֽד׃ linen

    And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD,

    Here: White linen, the fabric of priests and of holy service (Lev 16:4; 1 Sam 2:18). 'Ephod of linen' means the plain priestly kind, not the high priest's ornate gold-and-coloured ephod.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 15:27 בָּֽד׃ linen

    Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.

Ezekiel · 6

  1. Ezekiel 9:2 בַּדִּ֔ים linen<s>

    And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

  2. Ezekiel 9:3 הַבַּדִּ֔ים the linen<s>

    Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side.

  3. Ezekiel 9:11 הַבַּדִּ֗ים the linen<s>

    Then the man clothed in linen with the writing kit at his side reported back, “I have done as You commanded.”

  4. Ezekiel 10:2 הַבַּדִּ֗ים the linen<s>

    And the LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.

    Here: Plural, 'the linen garments'. This is the fabric of priestly clothing, and above all of the high priest's Day of Atonement clothes (Leviticus 16:4). It marks the figure as priestly and holy.

  5. Ezekiel 10:6 הַבַּדִּים֙ the linen<s>

    When the LORD commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel.

  6. Ezekiel 10:7 הַבַּדִּ֑ים the linen<s>

    Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand and took some of the fire that was among them. And he put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who received it and went out.

Daniel · 3

  1. Daniel 10:5 בַּדִּ֑ים linen<s>

    I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.

    Here: The plural means linen garments. This is the fabric of priestly clothing, above all the high priest's Day of Atonement clothes (Lev 16:4). It is also what the heavenly 'man clothed in linen' wears in Ezekiel 9–10. Holiness and priestly purity are what it signals here, not wealth.

  2. Daniel 12:6 הַבַּדִּ֔ים <the> linen<s>

    One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”

  3. Daniel 12:7 הַבַּדִּ֗ים <the> linen<s>

    And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.”

    Here: Plain white linen, the material of priestly garments, especially the high priest's on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:4). It is also what the angelic scribe wears in Ezekiel 9. It marks the figure as a holy attendant of God's presence.

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