◄ 111. Adad ►
Lexical Summary
Adad: Adad

Original Word: אֲדַד
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Adad
Pronunciation: ah-DAD
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-ad')
KJV: Hadad
Word Origin: [probably an orthographical variation for H2301 (חֲדַד - Hadad)]

1. Adad (or Hadad), an Edomite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Hadad

Probably an orthographical variation for Chadad; Adad (or Hadad), an Edomite -- Hadad.

see HEBREW Chadad

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
probably an orth. var. for Hadad, q.v.

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֲדַד proper name, masculine see הדד.

Topical Lexicon
Historical Background

Adad (also written Hadad) was the Northwest Semitic storm-god revered throughout Mesopotamia, Syria, and Canaan. His sphere—thunder, lightning, and life-giving rain—made him a symbol of royal power and agricultural prosperity. Although the exact spelling אֲדַד never appears as a stand-alone word in the Hebrew Bible, the name saturates the ANE landscape and echoes in several biblical figures and place-names.

Occurrences in Scripture (Indirect and Compound Forms)

• Hadad the Edomite, raised by the LORD as an adversary against Solomon (1 Kings 11:14-22).

“Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary: Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.” (1 Kings 11:14)

• Edomite chiefs named Hadad (Genesis 36:35-39; 1 Chronicles 1:46-50).

• Aramean throne names beginning with “Ben-Hadad” (1 Kings 15:18-20; 1 Kings 20; 2 Kings 6-8; 2 Kings 13).

• Hadadezer (“Hadad is help”) king of Zobah, defeated by David (2 Samuel 8:3-12).

• Hadad-rimmon, either a town or a compound theophoric title remembered in future mourning (Zechariah 12:11).

These passages illustrate how Adad’s name migrated into Edomite and Aramean royalty, marking political aspiration and divine patronage outside Israel’s covenant community.

Cultural and Religious Significance

1. Royal Legitimacy. Ancient kings often took theophoric names to assert their gods’ backing. Ben-Hadad literally banners himself “son of Hadad,” claiming direct filiational favor from the storm-god.

2. Fertility and Warfare. Texts from Ugarit and Mari portray Adad as both giver of rains and victor over chaotic waters. Hence Aramean and Edomite kings who bore his name embodied hopes for bumper crops and battlefield success.

3. Syncretistic Temptation. Israel dwelt among peoples who begged Adad for rain, yet Scripture insists that only the LORD “gives rain on the earth and sends water upon the fields” (Job 5:10). The recurring conflicts with Hadad-named rulers underscore a theological collision between the Creator and false regional deities.

Theological Trajectory

• Divine Sovereignty. Each biblical episode featuring a Hadad-bearer ends with the LORD’s supremacy: David subdues Hadadezer (2 Samuel 8:6); Elisha foretells Ben-Hadad’s defeat (2 Kings 7:1-7); Solomon’s discipline through Hadad the Edomite still fulfills the word of the LORD to David (1 Kings 11:34-36).

• Instrument of Discipline. Hadad the Edomite is explicitly “raised up” by the LORD against Solomon, showing that God can wield even idol-named foes to correct His people.

• Revelation of the True Storm-Lord. Jesus of Nazareth stills wind and waves with a word (Mark 4:39), revealing Himself as the authentic Master of storm whom Adad only counterfeited.

Ministry Principles

1. God governs pagan powers for His purposes (Daniel 2:21; Romans 13:1).
2. Spiritual victory rests in trusting the LORD rather than political alliances with idol-saturated nations (Isaiah 31:1).
3. Modern believers meet the same temptation to credit naturalistic or cultural “storm-gods” for provision; Scripture redirects praise to the Father who “sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).
4. The clash with Hadad-named kings showcases that the struggle is ultimately spiritual (Ephesians 6:12), yet the outcome is assured in Christ (Colossians 2:15).

Chronological Outline

• Second millennium B.C. – Adad worship widespread in the Fertile Crescent.
• Fourteenth–tenth centuries B.C. – Edomite chieftains adopt the name.
• Tenth century B.C. – Hadad the Edomite opposes Solomon.
• Ninth–eighth centuries B.C. – Ben-Hadad I-III dominate Aramean politics, sparring with Israel.
• Late OT period – Memory of Hadad-rimmon persists (Zechariah 12:11), foreshadowing a national mourning yet to come.

Key Passages for Study

Genesis 36:35-39; 2 Samuel 8:3-12; 1 Kings 11:14-25; 1 Kings 15:18-20; 1 Kings 20:1-34; 2 Kings 6:24-33; 2 Kings 13:3-25; Zechariah 12:11.

Conclusion

While the Hebrew text never spells אֲדַד in isolation, the shadow of Adad passes through redemptive history by way of kings, conflicts, and place-names. Each appearance magnifies the incomparable Lord who commands the very storms idolaters vainly worship and who directs the course of nations toward His steadfast purposes.

Links
Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts
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