Lexical Summary sad: Support, Foundation, Base Original Word: סַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance stocks From an unused root meaning to estop; the stocks -- stocks. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originprobably of foreign origin Definition stocks (for securing feet of prisoners) NASB Translation stocks (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs סַד noun [masculine] stocks, for confining feet of culprits (probably loan-word from Aramaic סַדָּא, סַדָּנָא  ; Late Hebrew סַד, plural סַדִּין); = Latin nervus, Greek ποδοκάκη; — absolute רַגְלַיִם׳שִׂים בַּמּ Job 13:27 (ᵐ5 κώλύμα), Job 33:11 (ᵑ6 ξύλό); (compare synonym מַהְמֶּכֶת, and Greek equivalent there cited). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Basic Sense סַד pictures the wooden stocks in which the ankles—and sometimes wrists and neck—were clamped as a form of restraint, humiliation, and prolonged discomfort. Although the term occurs only twice, it evokes a vivid image of confinement and helplessness before superior authority. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Job 13:27 – Job protests that the Lord “put[s] my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths,” expressing the anguish of feeling imprisoned by God’s scrutiny. Historical Background—Ancient Near Eastern Punitive Devices Stocks were common in Mesopotamia and Egypt and later in Greco-Roman culture. A heavy board was hollowed with one or more pairs of holes; the victim’s limbs were inserted and the board fastened so escape was impossible. Public display intensified the shame, while the forced position produced cramps and swelling. In Israel, different words describe related implements (for example, Jeremiah 20:2), indicating that such punishment was known and understood in biblical times. Theological and Pastoral Implications • God’s Sovereignty in Suffering. Job’s imagery of being locked in stocks underscores the reality that nothing reaches the believer apart from divine permission (Job 1–2). Even when God feels like a jailer, His purposes are not arbitrary. Christological and Gospel Connections The Old Testament picture of immobilized feet anticipates the bondage of sin. Jesus Christ announced His mission “to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1; fulfilled in Luke 4:18). When the risen Christ freed Paul and Silas from literal stocks (Acts 16:24–26), the event dramatized the greater liberation He grants to all who believe (John 8:36). Thus the סַד ultimately magnifies the contrast between the tyranny of sin and the freedom secured by the Redeemer. Application for Ministry Today • Comfort the Afflicted. Like Job, many feel trapped by illness, persecution, or mental anguish. Point them to the God who hears honest lament and who alone can loosen every bond. Forms and Transliterations בַּסַּ֣ד בַּסַּ֨ד ׀ בסד bas·saḏ basSad bassaḏLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 13:27 HEB: וְתָ֘שֵׂ֤ם בַּסַּ֨ד ׀ רַגְלַ֗י וְתִשְׁמ֥וֹר NAS: my feet in the stocks And watch KJV: my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly INT: put the stocks my feet and watch Job 33:11 2 Occurrences |
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