◄ 1428. gidyah ►
Lexical Summary
gidyah: Kid, young goat

Original Word: גִּדְיָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gidyah
Pronunciation: gid-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ghid-yaw')
KJV: bank
Word Origin: [the same as H1415 (גָּדָה - banks)]

1. a river brink

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bank

Or gadyah {gad-yaw'}; the same as gadah; a river brink -- bank.

see HEBREW gadah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
the same as gadah, q.v.

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[גדיה] only plural suffix Isaiah 8:7 Kt, see foregoing.



Topical Lexicon
Etymology and Scope of Meaning

Gidyah (Strong’s Hebrew 1428) denotes the stump or trunk that remains after a tree has been cut down. While the term itself is not preserved in the Masoretic text, its sense is carried by related words such as gezaʿ (“stump,” Isaiah 11:1) and shoresh (“root,” Job 14:8). The imagery consistently blends two ideas: decisive judgment (the felling of the tree) and the possibility of renewed life (the stump left to sprout again).

Symbolic Motifs Across Scripture

1. Judgment Executed

• Daniel 4:14-15 pictures King Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall: “Cut down the tree and chop off its branches... But leave the stump with its roots in the ground.” The stump signals that God’s sentence is severe but not annihilating; restoration remains possible when humility is learned.
• Isaiah 6:13 likens the surviving remnant of Judah to “the stump of an oak”; even after devastating judgment, a holy seed endures.

2. Hope and Messianic Renewal

• Isaiah 11:1 “Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.” The cut-off dynastic line of David finds fresh life in Messiah.
• Job 14:7-9 affirms the agricultural observation that “there is hope for a tree: if it is cut down, it will sprout again.” This natural parable undergirds biblical assurance that apparent death can yield new beginnings under God’s sovereign care.

3. Covenantal Continuity

• The stump motif defends divine faithfulness. Though human unfaithfulness brings discipline, the covenant line is never utterly uprooted. Ezra-Nehemiah’s restored community, the return from exile, and ultimately the advent of Jesus Christ all spring from what looked like a hopeless stump.

Historical Background

Ancient Near-Eastern forestry practices left root systems in place because completely removing them was laborious. Agrarians knew many species regenerate from stumps; therefore, prophets could draw lessons familiar to every farmer. The image of the stump banded with iron and bronze (Daniel 4:15) reflects an actual horticultural technique to protect the roots while preventing immediate regrowth—apt symbolism for God’s restraint of the king.

Theological Significance

• Justice Tempered by Mercy – The stump demonstrates that God’s judgments are surgical, not wanton. He removes diseased branches but preserves a remnant.
• Resurrection Foreshadowed – A dead-looking stump that bursts with green life anticipates the resurrection theme fulfilled in Christ (Acts 2:24-32).
• Mission of the Church – Romans 11:17-24 uses grafting language to describe Gentile inclusion. The believing remnant of Israel is the stump into which others are grafted, underscoring humility and gratitude in gospel ministry.

Ministry Applications

1. Preaching should balance warnings of divine judgment with the promise of restoration, mirroring the stump’s dual lesson.
2. Discipleship can draw on the imagery to encourage believers who feel “cut down.” God often allows pruning to stimulate greater fruitfulness (John 15:2).
3. Missions strategy should remember that seemingly barren fields may conceal a covenant stump ready to sprout when watered with the Word and prayer.

Practical Reflection

In seasons of apparent desolation—whether personal setback, congregational decline, or cultural upheaval—the memory of the stump calls believers to expect God’s reviving power. “His compassions never fail; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Gidyah silently proclaims that endings in God’s economy are often preludes to vibrant beginnings.

Links
Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts
1427
Top of Page
Top of Page