2303. chaddud
Lexical Summary
chaddud: Sharpness, pointedness

Original Word: חַדּוּד
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: chadduwd
Pronunciation: khad-dood'
Phonetic Spelling: (khad-dood')
KJV: sharp
NASB: sharp
Word Origin: [from H2300 (חָדַד - sharpened)]

1. a point

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sharp

From chadad; a point -- sharp.

see HEBREW chadad

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from chadad
Definition
sharpened, sharp, pointed
NASB Translation
sharp (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[חַדּוּד] adjective sharpened, sharp, pointed, only construct, with superlative sense = substantive: תַּחְתָּיו חַדּוּדֵי חָ֑רֶשׁ Job 41:22 beneath him the sharpest of potsherds, of scales of crocodile, compare Di VB.

Topical Lexicon
Context of Job 41

The single biblical occurrence of the term appears in the divine speech that exalts God’s supremacy over Leviathan. Job 41 depicts a creature beyond human mastery; every verse magnifies its invincibility to humble Job and elevate the Creator. Verse 30 reads, “His undersides are jagged shards of pottery, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge” (Job 41:30). The word stresses the creature’s weapon-like anatomy, reinforcing the argument that only God can subdue such power.

Imagery of Sharpness and Defense

The phrase paints Leviathan’s belly as a bed of lethal fragments; even the soft part of the body is armed. The threshing-sledge simile recalls ancient agricultural boards studded with flint that shredded harvested grain (Isaiah 41:15). By evoking that image, the verse brands Leviathan’s movement as a destructive act, carving furrows in riverbeds as effortlessly as a farmer’s sled scores the threshing floor. The sharpness motif underlines complete protection—no vulnerable point exists for human weapons to exploit.

Symbolism of Leviathan in Scripture

Other passages present Leviathan as a representative of chaos and opposition to divine order (Job 3:8; Psalm 74:14; Psalm 104:26; Isaiah 27:1). Job 41 accents not merely frightful strength but meticulous design. The jagged shards teach that every detail of creation, even what appears terrifying, remains under sovereign craftsmanship. God’s interrogation—“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook?” (Job 41:1)—culminates in the recognition that only the Maker commands the monstrous.

Theological Significance

1. God’s sovereignty: The impenetrable armor formed by razor-like scales and undersides validates the Lord’s claim, “Who then is able to stand against Me?” (Job 41:10).
2. Human limitation: Job never answers; silence is the appropriate worship when confronted with such revelation.
3. Redemption hope: By portraying chaos as contained by God, the text anticipates final victory over evil (compare Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2).

Historical and Cultural Background

Threshing sledges were weighted wooden platforms embedded with stone or iron teeth, dragged over grain to separate kernel from chaff. Readers in Job’s era instantly pictured a relentless, tearing device. Likewise, potsherds littered everyday life—broken vessels turned tools (Job 2:8). Both images were ordinary yet efficient cutting instruments; transferring those visuals to Leviathan turns common implements into metaphors of extraordinary might.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Awe-filled worship: Meditating on the shard-covered underside fosters reverence for God’s creative wisdom.
• Encouragement amid trials: If God restrains a creature so formidable, He can secure His people in life’s storms (Psalm 46:1-3).
• Humility in leadership: Ministry that remembers human frailty before divine grandeur serves with dependence rather than presumption.

Related Biblical Imagery

• Iron and bronze armor (Job 41:27) – parallel invulnerability.
• “You shall thresh the mountains” (Isaiah 41:15) – God equips His servants with instruments sharper than obstacles.
• “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—an earthen potsherd among the potsherds on the ground!” (Isaiah 45:9) – shards exposing human fragility over against divine authority.

Key Points for Teaching and Preaching

1. The word emphasizes design, not accident; Leviathan’s terrifying features are purposeful.
2. God uses vivid, familiar objects (potsherds, threshing sledges) to reveal profound truths.
3. The passage aims at transformation: Job moves from protest to repentance, shifting the believer from self-reliance to surrendered trust.

Forms and Transliterations
חַדּ֣וּדֵי חדודי chadDudei ḥad·dū·ḏê ḥaddūḏê
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Job 41:30
HEB: תַּ֭חְתָּיו חַדּ֣וּדֵי חָ֑רֶשׂ יִרְפַּ֖ד
NAS: His underparts are [like] sharp potsherds;
KJV: Sharp stones
INT: his underparts are sharp potsherds spreads

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2303
1 Occurrence


ḥad·dū·ḏê — 1 Occ.

2302b
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