StrongerBible

bad

בַּד

HebrewH0906“linen”

Appears 23 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Exo 28:42Exo 39:28Lev 6:10(3) (2×)Lev 16:4 (4×)Lev 16:23Lev 16:321Sa 2:181Sa 22:182Sa 6:141Ch 15:27Ezk 9:2Ezk 9:3Ezk 9:11Ezk 10:2Ezk 10:6Ezk 10:7Dan 10:5Dan 12:6Dan 12:7
Root family
Word studybahdnoun

What bad means

linen: the plain, undyed white cloth of sacred clothing, worn by priests and by heavenly figures

TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintyStrong

This is one of several Hebrew words that English Bibles all render "linen," and it is the one tied to holy clothing. It names plain, undyed white linen worn in sacred settings, never ordinary everyday cloth. The material is always the same, and so is the setting: someone drawing near to God, or standing in for him.

Every appearance falls into a small set of settings that share one theme:

  • the priest's undergarments and coat worn while serving at the altar
  • the special white garments Aaron puts on for the yearly Day of Atonement
  • the simple linen ephod worn by Samuel, by the priests at Nob, and by David as he danced before the ark
  • the clothing of a heavenly scribe and messenger in the visions of Ezekiel and Daniel

Because the same picture runs through them all, this is best read as one idea rather than several meanings. The plain white cloth marks purity and set-apart service. It is deliberately humble next to the gold-and-color robes of the high priest, which are made of a finer linen (שֵׁשׁ). Where that finer cloth signals splendor, this word signals nearness: the clothing of the one who steps into God's presence stripped of display.

Exo 28:42Exo 39:28Lev 6:10(3) (2×)Lev 16:4 (4×)Lev 16:23Lev 16:321Sa 2:181Sa 22:182Sa 6:141Ch 15:27Ezk 9:2Ezk 9:3

What scholars say about bad

BDB and HALOT list בַּד as "linen, linen garment," distinguishing it from the more frequent שֵׁשׁ ("fine [Egyptian] linen") and the later בּוּץ ("byssus, fine white linen"). The lexica connect the noun to the sense "separate part, single strand," understanding בד as cloth of separate linen threads, though HALOT leaves the derivation open. The word clusters in cultic contexts: the priest's undergarments and coat (Exodus 28:42; Leviticus 6:10 [Eng.]), the special white garments Aaron wears on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4, 23, 32), and the linen ephod worn by Samuel, the priests at Nob, and David (1 Samuel 2:18; 22:18; 2 Samuel 6:14; 1 Chronicles 15:27). In Ezekiel and Daniel it clothes a heavenly scribe or messenger (Ezekiel 9-10; Daniel 10:5; 12:6-7). Milgrom (Leviticus 1-16, AB) and Haran (Temples and Temple-Service in Ancient Israel) observe that the plain white בד garments of the Day of Atonement deliberately contrast with the gold-and-color high-priestly vestments of שֵׁשׁ, signaling humility and purity in the holiest rite; the same plain linen is later transferred to the angelic figure of Ezekiel and Daniel. The distinction among the Hebrew linen terms is one of quality, provenance, and register rather than of basic meaning.

Sources

  • Brown, Driver, and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 94, s.v. בַּדlexicon
  • Koehler, Baumgartner, and Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, s.v. בַּדlexicon
  • Clines, ed., The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, vol. 2, s.v. בדlexicon
  • Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, Anchor Bible 3commentary
  • Haran, Temples and Temple-Service in Ancient Israelmonograph

AI-generated word study · claude-opus-4-8

All attested forms of בַּד

m s absolute

בָּד, בַּד

Exo 28:42, Exo 39:28, Lev 16:23, Lev 16:32, 1Sa 2:18, 1Sa 22:18, 2Sa 6:14, 1Ch 15:27

m p absolute

בַּדִּים

Ezk 9:2, Ezk 9:3, Ezk 9:11, Ezk 10:2, Ezk 10:6, Ezk 10:7, Dan 10:5, Dan 12:6

m s construct

בַּד

Lev 16:4