Lexical Summary sadad: To devastate, to despoil, to ruin Original Word: שָׂדַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance break clods, harrow A primitive root; to abrade, i.e. Harrow a field -- break clods, harrow. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to harrow NASB Translation harrow (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שָׂדַד] verb Pi`el harrow (שׂדד id. Ecclus 38:25 margin 26; compare Assyrian šadâdu, draw, drag); — Imperfect3masculine singular יְשַׂדֵּד Job 39:10 (of beast); human subject, with accusative of ground Isaiah 28:24 (+ יִפְתַּח, "" יַחֲרשׁ); יְשַׂדֶּדלֿוֺ Hosea 10:11 ("" יַחֲרוֺשׁ; figurative of Jacob). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Conceptual RangeThe verb שָׂדַד conveys the action of breaking up hard ground with a harrow. It is the second stage of field preparation that follows ploughing: the surface is crushed, the clods are shattered, and the soil is readied to receive seed. Figuratively, the term speaks of subduing resistance, preparing for fruitfulness, and imposing order upon what is rough or uncultivated. Occurrences in Scripture Job 39:10; Isaiah 28:24; Hosea 10:11. Every occurrence is agricultural, yet each one carries a deeper theological thrust. Agricultural Imagery and Divine Instruction Job 39:10 sets the question of mastery: “Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you?”. The Lord reminds Job that even the strongest ox is unmanageable without a skilled hand; the Creator’s sovereign power is required to direct the productive energies of creation. Isaiah 28:24 uses the same verb to expose the folly of endless preparation without sowing: “Does the plowman plow all day to sow? Does he continually loosen and harrow the soil?”. The prophet’s rhetorical question admonishes Judah to move beyond perpetual preliminaries and respond in obedience before divine judgment falls. Hosea 10:11 depicts Israel as a trained heifer enjoying the ease of threshing, but destined to be yoked for heavier labor: “Judah must plow; Jacob must break his fallow ground.” The harrowing becomes a metaphor of chastening—God will break the complacent nation so that covenant faithfulness may take root again. Theological Themes Preparation for Harvest Throughout Scripture, cultivation imagery pictures the Lord as the farmer who prepares hearts (Jeremiah 4:3; Luke 8:11–15). Harrowing is indispensable: untended clods deny the seed depth and moisture; unbroken hearts cannot receive the implanted word (James 1:21). שָׂדַד therefore illustrates the necessity of repentance before renewal. Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility In Job, only God can direct the harrower. In Isaiah, the farmer knows when to stop turning soil. In Hosea, God commands the tribes to submit to the yoke. The verb balances God’s control with Israel’s duty: He gives the means of preparation, but His people must yield and cooperate. Judgment as Cultivation When Israel resists, the Lord “harrows” His people through exile and discipline (compare Amos 4:6–12). The breaking process is not destructive for its own sake; it is the mercy that precedes restoration (Hosea 6:1–3). Messianic Foreshadowing The Servant-Son himself undergoes a harrowing in the Garden and at the Cross. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone” (John 12:24). Christ’s brokenness becomes the pattern for discipleship: only lives surrendered to divine harrowing bear abundant fruit. Historical and Cultural Background Ancient Near Eastern agriculture relied on three implements: the plough (to open grooves), the harrow (to crumble clods), and the mattock (for close work). The harrow was often a weighted platform or a thorny frame dragged behind oxen. Its scraping echoed across the villages, an audible reminder of labor preceding blessing. Prophets employed that familiar sound to underscore moral urgency. Relation to Other Hebrew Terms שָׂדַד functions alongside verbs such as חָרַשׁ (to plough) and עָבַד (to work, serve). While חָרַשׁ images initial disruption, שָׂדַד stresses refinement and completion. Together they form a progression: breaking up (plough), breaking down (harrow), and ultimately building up (sowing and harvesting). Practical Ministry Application 1. Preaching must include both uprooting and rebuilding (Jeremiah 1:10). Faithful exposition harrows consciences before offering the seed of the Gospel. New Testament Echoes Though שָׂדַד itself does not appear in Greek, its imagery resonates. “Break up your fallow ground” (Hosea 10:12) reemerges in the preaching of John the Baptist who demands fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8). Paul’s call to “sow to the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8) presupposes hearts already harrowed by conviction. Conclusion שָׂדַד reminds the reader that God never sows seed on unprepared soil. Whether in ancient Israel’s fields or in the hidden ground of the human heart, divine harrowing is a gracious, purposeful disruption that precedes growth, harvest, and enduring blessing. Forms and Transliterations וִֽישַׂדֵּ֖ד וישדד יְשַׂדֵּ֖ד יְשַׂדֶּד־ ישדד ישדד־ visadDed wî·śad·dêḏ wîśaddêḏ yə·śad·dêḏ yə·śad·deḏ- yesadDed yəśaddêḏ yəśaddeḏ-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 39:10 HEB: עֲבֹת֑וֹ אִם־ יְשַׂדֵּ֖ד עֲמָקִ֣ים אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ NAS: Or will he harrow the valleys KJV: in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys INT: ropes Or harrow the valleys after Isaiah 28:24 Hosea 10:11 3 Occurrences |
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