Lexical Summary gedud or gedudah: gashes, ridges Original Word: גְּדוּד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance furrow Or (feminine) gdudah {ghed-oo-daw'}; from gadad; a furrow (as cut) -- furrow. see HEBREW gadad NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom gadad Definition a furrow, cutting NASB Translation gashes (1), ridges (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. [גְּדוּד, or גְּדוּדָה] noun [masculine or feminine] furrow, cutting — 1 furrow, plural defective גְּדוּדֶ֑הָ Psalm 65:11 ("" תְּלָמֶיהָ). 2 plural גְּדֻדֹת, cuttings upon hands, compare גדד Hithpo`el 2 sign of mourning Jeremiah 48:37 ("" שׂק). Topical Lexicon Etymology and Semantic Range Strong’s Hebrew 1417 (gĕdud) describes something “cut” or “incised.” In the landscape it denotes the raised ridge left after plowing; in human flesh it is the slit made in mourning rituals. In both senses the term conveys the mark left when something is divided or cleft. Agricultural Imagery in Psalm 65:10 “You drench its furrows and level its ridges; You soften the soil with showers and bless its growth” (Psalm 65:10). Here gĕdud depicts the narrow earthen banks between furrows that retain moisture and seed. The psalm praises the Lord’s providence: He not only sends rain but also “levels” the ridges, ensuring that water penetrates every corner of the field. The picture is of meticulous care—God’s faithful attention to the smallest details that make harvest possible (Psalm 65:9–13). The term therefore becomes a token of covenant blessing: even the ridges that human hands have cut in the earth are touched by divine generosity. Ritual Lamentation in Jeremiah 48:37 “For every head is shaved and every beard clipped; on every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist” (Jeremiah 48:37). In this oracle against Moab the same noun shifts from agriculture to the human body. Gĕdud is the mourners’ self-inflicted cut, a pagan sign of grief that the Law forbade Israel to imitate (Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:1). By using the word that elsewhere described a plow-ridge, the prophet underscores the violence Moab has done to itself: bodies become scarred ground testifying to judgment. What the Lord graciously “levels” for His people (Psalm 65) becomes a self-destructive emblem in a nation under wrath. Theological Themes 1. Divine Sovereignty over Blessing and Judgment. The same Hebrew term stands in scenes of fertile abundance and devastating lament, illustrating that the Lord governs both rain and ruin (Job 1:21; Isaiah 45:7). Practical Ministry Implications • Agriculture and Praise: Rural congregations can connect Psalm 65 to harvest festivals, reminding worshipers that every carefully tended field is evidence of God’s nurture. Christological and Eschatological Reflections The ridges of Psalm 65 anticipate the eschatological renewal when “the desert will rejoice and bloom like a rose” (Isaiah 35:1), while the gashes of Jeremiah 48 foreshadow the judgment awaiting unrepentant nations (Revelation 14:9–11). In the crucifixion, Jesus bears wounds not of pagan despair but of redemptive purpose (John 20:27). His resurrected body pledges a future where fields flourish without curse and no hand bears a self-inflicted scar (Revelation 21:4). Forms and Transliterations גְּדֻדֹ֔ת גְּדוּדֶ֑יהָ גדדת גדודיה gə·ḏū·ḏe·hā gə·ḏu·ḏōṯ gəḏūḏehā geduDeiha geduDot gəḏuḏōṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 65:10 HEB: רַ֭וֵּה נַחֵ֣ת גְּדוּדֶ֑יהָ בִּרְבִיבִ֥ים תְּ֝מֹגְגֶ֗נָּה NAS: You settle its ridges, You soften KJV: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft INT: water settle ridges showers soften Jeremiah 48:37 2 Occurrences |
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