Bible Lexicons

Girdlestone's Synonyms of the Old TestamentGirdlestone's OT Synonyms

Soil, Land

Three Hebrew words are rendered land. Sadeh (שׂדה ) signifies a field, a plot of land, or an estate; it is rendered 'land' in 1 Samuel 14:14; 2 Samuel 9:7; 2 Samuel 19:29; 2 Kings 8:3; 2 Kings 8:5 ; and Nehemiah 5:3, &c. Erets (ארץ ), which is very largely used, signifies a territory, or even the whole earth. It is systematically adopted by Moses and other writers in the expression, 'A l and flowing with milk and honey.' Adamah (אדמה ) properly means the soil, regarded as a productive agent. It is used of the l and or ground in the sense in which a farmer would speak of it. this word is used with remarkable consistency of the l and of Canaan, of the Jew's own land, and of the fruits of the land. It occurs in Genesis 28:15, 'I will bring thee again into this land,' where it is in contrast with 'all the families of the earth.' in Genesis 47:20 we read, 'Joseph bought all the l and (i.e. soil, adamah) of Egypt for Pharaoh . so the l and (i.e. the whole territory, erets) became Pharaoh's.' Other instances where the two words occur in juxtaposition are Leviticus 20:24; Deuteronomy 29:28; 2 Kings 25:21; Jeremiah 16:15; Jeremiah 23:7-8; Ezekiel 7:9; Ezekiel 12:19; Ezekiel 33:24 in these passages adamah is used in a peculiar sense, to mark Israel's 'own land,' whilst erets is used more generally of the territory of the Canaanites, or of some other people.

Adamah is used in Deuteronomy 21:1; Deuteronomy 21:23, with regard to the defilement of the l and caused by the presence of a slain body, or of a body that remained unburied. It was regarded as holy or sacred, and death was a defilement because it was the outward and visible sign of sin.

In the passages which relate to the restoration of Israel to their native soil adamah is consistently used. See Isaiah 14:1-2; Jeremiah 16:15; Ezekiel 11:17; Ezekiel 34:13; Ezekiel 34:27; Ezekiel 36:24; Ezekiel 37:12; Ezekiel 37:14; Ezekiel 37:21; Amos 9:15; Zechariah 2:12.

Adamah is rendered earth about fifty times, and always in the sense above designated, as ground or soil. Thus it is used of the beast of the earth (Genesis 1:25); of Cain being cursed from the earth, so that it should not yield its fruit to him (Genesis 4:11); of the face of the earth (Genesis 6:1; Genesis 6:7); of rain falling on the earth (Genesis 7:4); of the blessing to be given to all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 28:14); compare its usage in Exodus 10:6 in Exodus 20:24 it is used of the 'altar of earth,' a point interesting to be observed, as making the soil on which man lives and from which he takes his name a participat or with the rite of sacrifice. Perhaps it was for an altar that Naaman asked for two mules' burden of soil (2 Kings 5:7). Adamah is also used of the earth which was put on a man's head as a mark of sorrow (1 Samuel 4:12). It occurs with touching significance in Psalms 146:4, 'H is breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish.' in Isaiah 24:21, where we read, 'The Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth up on the earth,' we should have expected to find erets; but adamah is used, to enforce the contrast between those that dwell on this soil with the inhabitants of other regions; compare 45:9, 'Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth,' and Amos 3:2, You only have I known of all the families of the earth.'