Lexical Summary yadad: To love, to be loved Original Word: יָדַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cast A primitive root; properly, to handle (compare yadah), i.e. To throw, e.g. Lots -- cast. see HEBREW yadah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to cast a lot NASB Translation cast (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. [יָדַד] verb cast a lot (compare Ethiopic  immittere, etc, Di935) — only Qal Perfect3masculine plural יַדוּ גוֺרָל עַל Nahum 3:10; Obadiah 11; יַדוּ גוֺרָל אֶלֿ Joshua 4:3. (Possibly wrongly pointed perfects of ידה Pi`el q. v.) II. ידד (√ of following; love, compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Meaning and Literary Function The verb יָדַד portrays the deliberate act of “casting lots” or “apportioning” persons and property as spoil. While many Hebrew texts use the noun גּוֹרָל (goral) for lot-casting, יָדַד belongs to a small cluster of verbs that underline the physicality and finality of the act—hurling something beyond recall. Its three appearances are all prophetic oracles exposing the cruelty of pagan conquerors who treat human life as merchandise. Occurrences and Contexts 1. Joel 3:3 sets the scene on the “Day of the LORD,” where Philistia and Tyre have trafficked Judean sons and daughters. “They cast lots for My people” becomes the opening charge that justifies divine retaliation (Joel 3:7–8). Historical Background Ancient Near-Eastern armies divided captives and valuables by lot to avoid quarrels and to signal that the gods (or fate) sanctioned the distribution. Tablets from Ugarit and reliefs from Assyria picture slaves and goods lined up for allocation. Prophetic Israel perceives the same ritual as an affront to Yahweh, because Israel was redeemed from slavery to be His covenant people (Exodus 19:4–6). Thus יָדַד becomes a legal indictment. Theological Significance 1. The cheapening of life: Each passage pairs lot-casting with violence against the defenseless (children in Nahum, minors sold for vice in Joel). It anticipates later scriptural scenes where garments and even the Messiah Himself are subjected to lots (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35; John 19:24), exposing a recurrent human impulse to gamble with what God holds sacred. Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions Joel 3 projects forward to the valley of Jehoshaphat, a climactic tribunal where Yahweh will “enter into judgment with all the nations” (Joel 3:2). The misuse of lots operates as a litmus test for that future reckoning. Revelation 18 echoes the same motif when Babylon the Great is condemned for trading “bodies and souls of men” (Revelation 18:13), showing the continuity of the theme from Joel to the Apocalypse. Ministry Implications 1. Advocacy against human trafficking: יָדַד confronts every form of modern exploitation. Preaching and discipleship must call the Church to defend the voiceless, aligning with God’s ire against commodifying persons. Related Themes and Cross-References • Divine ownership of Israel – Leviticus 25:55; Deuteronomy 7:6 Forms and Transliterations יַדּ֣וּ ידו yad·dū yadDu yaddūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joel 3:3 HEB: וְאֶל־ עַמִּ֖י יַדּ֣וּ גוֹרָ֑ל וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ NAS: They have also cast lots KJV: And they have cast lots for my people; INT: about my people cast lots Traded Obadiah 1:11 Nahum 3:10 3 Occurrences |
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love; Aramaic Pa`el 
love, also derivatives; Sabean epithet feminine ודת loving-one, friend, amie, DHMZMG 1883, 391; see also דוד).