5708. ed

Lexical Summary

ed: Witness, Testimony

Original Word: עֵד
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `ed
Pronunciation: āyd
Phonetic Spelling: (ayd)
KJV: filthy
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to set a period]

1. the menstrual flux (as periodical)
2. (by implication) (in plural) soiling

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

filthy

From an unused root meaning to set a period (compare adah, uwd); the menstrual flux (as periodical); by implication (in plural) soiling -- filthy.

see HEBREW adah

see HEBREW uwd

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
see edah.

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[עִדָּה] noun feminine menstruation, so Vrss (properly time, period); — plural absolute בֶּגֶד עִדִּים Isaiah 64:5 i.e. stained garment (figurative of best deeds of guilty people; "" טָמֵא).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

עֵד (Strong’s Hebrew 5708) surfaces once in the Hebrew canon, Isaiah 64:6, where its plural form עִדִּים evokes the picture of soiled cloth. Though lexically simple, the term opens a vivid window on Israel’s ritual worldview, the prophetic critique of human righteousness, and the gospel’s promise of cleansing.

Biblical Occurrence

Isaiah 64:6: “Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.”

The prophet stacks three images—unclean, filthy rags, withered leaf—to portray Judah’s spiritual condition. עִדִּים is the central metaphor: a cloth defiled by bodily impurity, unsuitable for worship and destined for disposal outside the camp (compare Leviticus 15:20). One occurrence is enough; the picture is unforgettable.

Imagery of Soiled Garments

1. Ritual defilement: Anything touched by bodily discharge rendered a person, object, or cloth unclean (Leviticus 15:4-12). Isaiah borrows that ceremonial language to describe moral impurity, proving that external observance cannot mask internal corruption.
2. Human works exposed: “All our righteous acts” lie under the same verdict. The prophet does not criticize overt sin alone; even our best efforts, if offered apart from true repentance and faith, become contaminated.
3. Wind-blown leaf: The following clause underscores that sin’s power is not static; it sweeps people away. The defiled rag is not only unfit—it is transient, tossed aside by judgment.

Historical Background

Isaiah 64 belongs to the post-exilic prayer section (Isaiah 63:7–64:12), where the community laments covenant failure and pleads for divine intervention. Temple rituals, central before the exile, now serve as memory and mirror: what once distinguished Israel has become a witness against it. The image of a discarded cloth would resonate with a people who had seen their sanctuary destroyed and their offerings silenced.

Intertextual Echoes

• Zechariah 3:3-4: Joshua the high priest covered in “filthy garments” stands forgiven when the Lord commands, “Remove his filthy garments.”
• Job 9:30-31: Job despairs that even if he washes himself, God would “throw [him] into a pit, and [his] own clothes would abhor [him].”
• Revelation 3:4-5; 7:14: The promise of white robes signals final cleansing through the blood of the Lamb.

The single Old Testament noun thus threads into a larger canonical tapestry: polluted garments testify to sin; pure garments testify to grace.

Theological Significance

1. Total depravity: Isaiah’s metaphor reinforces that sin infects the whole person, not merely isolated actions.
2. Imputed righteousness: By showcasing the insufficiency of human righteousness, the text prepares the way for the righteousness God provides (Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
3. Holiness and worship: Access to God demands purity more thorough than ritual washing can accomplish; it requires atonement.

Ministry and Discipleship Applications

• Preaching repentance: The imagery dismantles self-righteousness and drives hearers to seek cleansing in Christ.
• Counseling assurance: Believers battling guilt can be pointed from “filthy rags” to the “garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10) already bestowed in the gospel.
• Corporate worship: Confession within gathered worship echoes Isaiah’s communal lament, ensuring that praise flows from hearts freshly purified.

Practical Reflection

The once-used עֵד stands like a stained rag held up to the light: brief yet devastating. It calls every generation to abandon the illusion of self-made righteousness and to rejoice in the spotless garment provided by the Savior who “loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her… washing her with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26).

Forms and Transliterations

עִדִּ֖ים עדים ‘id·dîm ‘iddîm idDim

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 64:6
HEB: כֻּלָּ֔נוּ וּכְבֶ֥גֶד עִדִּ֖ים כָּל־ צִדְקֹתֵ֑ינוּ
KJV: [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags;
INT: for all garment filthy and all our righteous

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5708
1 Occurrence

‘id·dîm — 1 Occ.