Lexical Summary aden or adenah: "Yet," "still," "now," "at this time" Original Word: עֲדֶן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance yet Or radennah {ad-en'-naw}; from ad and hen; till now -- yet. see HEBREW ad see HEBREW hen NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom adah Definition hitherto, still NASB Translation still (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֲדֶ֫נָֿה Ecclesiastes 4:2 Baer Ginsb (al. עֲדֶ֫נָּה), abbreviated עֲדֶן Ecclesiastes 4:3 (from עַדהֵֿנָּה, עַלהֵֿן; compare Late Hebrew עֲדַיִן e. g. Ned. Ecclesiastes 9:10), adverb hitherto, still. Topical Lexicon Semantic Nuance and Theological Overtones עֲדֶן serves adverbially to mark a temporal threshold—“still” or “not yet.” In Ecclesiastes it frames earthly life between birth and death, underscoring existence as fleeting and incomplete apart from the fear of God. Occurrences and Literary Context Ecclesiastes 4:2: “So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.” Ecclesiastes 4:3: “But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.” Solomon contrasts three groups: the living, the dead, and the unborn. By pairing עֲדֶן with both “still” living and the one “not yet” born, he exposes the pervasive injustice of a fallen world and presses readers to look beyond temporal experience. Integration within Wisdom Tradition Ecclesiastes tests every human pursuit only to label them “vanity” when severed from a God-centered life (Ecclesiastes 12:13). עֲדֶן heightens this tension: even ongoing life is marred by oppression, and the awaited future has not yet resolved the dilemma. The word’s nuance supports the book’s design—driving hearts from earthly hopes to eternal ones. Canonical Resonances • Genesis 8:22: creation “still” endures, yet full restoration waits. Together these passages affirm a progressive, purposeful timeline culminating in Christ’s return. Pastoral and Ministry Implications • Honest Lament: Ecclesiastes legitimizes grief over injustice, giving believers language for godly complaint while steering them to hope. Eschatological Outlook עֲדֶן invites anticipation. God will “bring every deed into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). The Resurrection reverses Solomon’s bleak calculus: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on” (Revelation 14:13). What is “not yet” will one day be fully realized when “death will be no more” (Revelation 21:4). Summary Though appearing only twice, עֲדֶן sharpens Ecclesiastes’ critique of life under the curse by highlighting the ongoing presence of evil and the as-yet unrealized hope of redemption. It calls believers to sober realism, steadfast hope, and worship of the God who will transform the “not yet” into everlasting fulfillment. Forms and Transliterations עֲדֶ֖ן עֲדֶֽנָה׃ עדן עדנה׃ ‘ă·ḏe·nāh ‘ă·ḏen ‘ăḏen ‘ăḏenāh aDen aDenahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ecclesiastes 4:2 HEB: הֵ֥מָּה חַיִּ֖ים עֲדֶֽנָה׃ NAS: the living who are still living. KJV: more than the living which are yet alive. INT: like living are still Ecclesiastes 4:3 2 Occurrences |
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