12. abdan

Lexical Summary

abdan: Destruction, ruin

Original Word: אַבְדָן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: abdan
Pronunciation: av-dawn'
Phonetic Spelling: (ab-dawn')
KJV: destruction
NASB: destroying, destruction
Word Origin: [from H6 (אָבַד - perish)]

1. a perishing

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

destruction

From 'abad; a perishing -- destruction.

see HEBREW 'abad

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from abad
Definition
destruction
NASB Translation
destroying (1), destruction (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

אַבְדָ֑ן, & אָבְדַן (construct) noun [masculine] destruction (Syriac ) Esther 9:5 (׳מַכַּתחֶֿרֶב וְהֶרֶג וְא), Esther 8:6; (on form see BeRy; Ol^{§ 215 b. 1} Ba^{NB 49, 487}).

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Context

אַבְדָן portrays total ruin brought upon the enemies of God’s covenant people. The word is not mere loss; it is the utter wiping out of hostile power so that no further threat remains. In Esther 9:5 it is positioned between “killing” and “sword-stroke,” underscoring a comprehensive victory in which hostile strength is reduced to nothing.

Occurrence in Scripture

Single attestation: Esther 9:5. “Thus the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them”. The absence of additional occurrences heightens the force of the term: it is reserved for the climactic reversal in the Book of Esther, where the intended annihilation of the Jews is itself annihilated.

Historical Background in Esther

1. Setting. The edict engineered by Haman (Esther 3:13) authorized the extermination of every Jew in the Persian Empire.
2. Reversal. Following Esther’s intercession, a counter-edict (Esther 8:11–12) empowered the Jews “to destroy, kill, and annihilate any armed force that might attack them.”
3. Fulfillment. On the thirteenth day of Adar the Jews “did what they pleased to those who hated them” (Esther 9:5). אַבְדָן marks the decisive moment when divine providence turns a decree of death into a festival of deliverance (Purim).

Theological Significance

• Covenant Preservation. From Genesis 12:3 onward, those who curse Abraham’s seed meet destruction; Esther 9:5 is a concrete manifestation of that promise.
• Divine Justice. God’s judgment often arrives through historical events rather than overt miracles. The single use of אַבְדָן within a book notable for its omission of God’s name highlights His unseen but sovereign hand.
• Pattern of Reversal. Scripture repeatedly records God overturning genocidal threats (Exodus 1–14; 2 Kings 19). Esther’s use of אַבְדָן fits this redemptive pattern, prefiguring ultimate victory over evil (Revelation 19:11-21).

Literary and Canonical Themes

1. Irony. The term mirrors Haman’s earlier intent “to destroy, kill, and annihilate” the Jews (Esther 3:13). What he plotted for others returns upon his own party.
2. Completeness. Hebrew narrative often stacks synonyms for emphasis; אַבְדָן completes a triplet, conveying totality.
3. Memory and Celebration. Purim liturgy repeats the events yearly, keeping covenant memory alive for future generations (Esther 9:28).

Related Hebrew Concepts

Though distinct from אֲבַדּוֹן (“Abaddon,” Job 26:6; Revelation 9:11), אַבְדָן shares the underlying idea of irreversible demise. The root אבד appears widely—for example, Proverbs 10:28 (“the hope of the wicked will perish”)—linking Esther’s historical judgment with a moral principle spanning Scripture.

Typological and Prophetic Echoes

• Eschatological Preview. The downfall of persecutors in Esther foreshadows final judgment when the “beast was captured” and destroyed (Revelation 19:20).
• Messianic Deliverance. Isaiah 11:4 anticipates a Messiah who “will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,” eliminating wicked opposition just as God eliminated Haman’s followers.
• National Salvation. Romans 11:26 envisions a future rescue of Israel; Esther’s narrative supplies a prototype of nation-wide deliverance against extermination.

Practical Applications for Ministry

1. Encouragement in Persecution. Believers facing hostility may draw confidence from God’s proven ability to turn genocidal intent into nullity.
2. Vigilance Against Oppression. The severity of אַבְדָן warns against aligning with forces that oppose God’s people.
3. Worship and Celebration. As Purim celebrates covenant faithfulness, Christian worship rightly commemorates the greater deliverance accomplished at the cross, where Christ disarmed principalities (Colossians 2:15).

Connections with New Testament Revelation

• Matthew 10:28 contrasts those who can only kill the body with Him who can “destroy both soul and body in hell,” extending the principle of אַבְדָן from temporal to eternal stakes.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 speaks of “eternal destruction,” using similar finality to describe judgment upon those who reject the gospel.
• Hebrews 2:14 celebrates Jesus rendering powerless “him who held the power of death,” a cosmic counterpart to Esther’s earthly victory.

Conclusion

אַבְדָן in Esther 9:5 captures a singular but momentous act of God’s providence: the complete obliteration of forces bent on destroying His people. Though the word itself appears only once, its theological resonance threads through Scripture, reinforcing the certainty that every scheme against God’s redemptive plan will end in ruin, while His covenant community will stand secure.

Forms and Transliterations

וְאַבְדָ֑ן ואבדן veavDan wə’aḇḏān wə·’aḇ·ḏān

Englishman's Concordance

Esther 9:5
HEB: חֶ֥רֶב וְהֶ֖רֶג וְאַבְדָ֑ן וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ בְשֹׂנְאֵיהֶ֖ם
NAS: killing and destroying; and they did
KJV: and slaughter, and destruction, and did
INT: the sword killing and destroying did hated

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 12
1 Occurrence

wə·’aḇ·ḏān — 1 Occ.