Lexical Summary achad: One, first, single, alone Original Word: אָחַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance go one way or other Perhaps a primitive root; to unify, i.e. (figuratively) collect (one's thoughts) -- go one way or other. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originthe same as chadad, q.v. Brown-Driver-Briggs [אָחַד] verb see יחד or חדד (Co Ezekiel 21:21). Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence אָחַד appears once, in Ezekiel 21:16, within the oracle of the sword against Jerusalem. The imperative is addressed to the personified sword: “Slash to the right; set your blade to the left; wherever your edge is directed!”. The command carries the idea of singling-out or uniting movement toward a target—“make one choice,” “converge on the mark.” Prophetic Backdrop Ezekiel 21 portrays Babylon as the LORD’s drawn sword. Judah imagined multiple escape routes, yet the prophetic poem insists there will be only one, God-directed outcome—captivity. By telling the sword to “achad,” Yahweh announces He has unified its course. No diplomatic overture, alliance, or fortification can divide or divert the judgment. The term thus heightens the certainty, precision, and singularity of divine action. Sense of Union and Singularity Though used only once, אָחַד evokes the broader Hebrew idea of oneness. Where אֶחָד (Strong’s 259) speaks of “one” as a numeral, אָחַד stresses the act of making things one—joining, converging, focusing. In Ezekiel 21:16 the sword is not merely moving; it is being compelled into a single, undivided advance. Canonical Connections 1. Divine unity: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Israel’s faith rests on the oneness of God; His purposes therefore move with unified resolve. Historical Reception Second-Temple Jewish interpreters linked the sword song to Nebuchadnezzar’s campaign but also saw it as a paradigm for any gentile power God might later harness. Early Christian writers (e.g., Hippolytus, Jerome) read Ezekiel 21 typologically, viewing the “unified” sword as a foreshadowing of Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and ultimately of the final judgment executed by Christ. Ministry Implications • God’s purposes are cohesive; what He decrees cannot be fragmented by human schemes. Key Points for Teaching 1. The rarity of אָחַד underscores its force; when Scripture introduces an unusual verb, attention is demanded. Summary אָחַד crystallizes the biblical theme of unified divine purpose. In Ezekiel 21 it commands the sword to converge; in the larger canon it reminds readers that both judgment and mercy flow from the single, unwavering will of the LORD, culminating in the oneness of His kingdom and His people. Forms and Transliterations הִתְאַחֲדִ֥י התאחדי hiṯ’aḥăḏî hiṯ·’a·ḥă·ḏî hitachaDiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 21:16 HEB: הִתְאַחֲדִ֥י הֵימִ֖נִי הָשִׂ֣ימִי KJV: Go thee one way or other, [either] on INT: other go set 1 Occurrence |
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