Lexical Summary Bedan: Bedan Original Word: בְּדָן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Bedan Probably shortened for Abdown; servile; Bedan, the name of two Israelites -- Bedan. see HEBREW Abdown NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originperhaps from Abdon Definition an Isr. name NASB Translation Bedan (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs בְּדָן proper name, masculine (= עַבְדָּן ?). 1 a judge of Israel 1 Samuel 12:11; but rd probably בָּרָק, so ᵐ5 ᵑ6 We, compare Dr (see Judges 4:6f.). 2 a Manassite 1 Chronicles 7:17. בדק (penetrate, split ? compare Aramaic בְּדַק, Topical Lexicon Name and Occurrences Bedan (Strong’s Hebrew #917) appears twice in the Old Testament—1 Samuel 12:11 and 1 Chronicles 7:17. As a Deliverer of Israel (1 Samuel 12:11) When Samuel recounted Israel’s history he said, “Then the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely” (1 Samuel 12:11). The Hebrew text underlying “Barak” here reads Bedan. The verse groups Bedan with recognized judges who brought national deliverance. This places him in the era of the Judges, after Gideon (Jerubbaal) and before Jephthah, emphasizing God’s continued pattern of raising leaders in response to Israel’s cries for help. Whether Bedan is: the inspired narrative uses his name to underscore the Lord’s faithfulness in every generation. As a Descendant of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:17) “The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh” (1 Chronicles 7:17). Here Bedan is situated within the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan. The genealogical note preserves the family line of Gilead, important for post-exilic readers re-establishing tribal identities. It further shows that the name Bedan was in genuine use among northern tribes, lending weight to its appearance in 1 Samuel. Historical Significance 1 Samuel links Bedan with nationwide deliverance, while 1 Chronicles anchors him in a specific clan. The two references together illustrate how the Lord often draws leaders from ordinary tribal families for extraordinary purposes. They also highlight the fluidity of oral and written records in early Israel; a single individual may be remembered in one source for military exploits and in another for ancestry. Theological and Ministry Insights 1. God remains the true Deliverer; human instruments like Bedan are named only to magnify divine mercy (Psalm 44:3). Lessons for Believers Today • Remembering lesser-known servants such as Bedan encourages the church to value every member of Christ’s body, not only the widely recognized. Related Figures and Passages Gideon (Judges 6–8), Barak (Judges 4–5), Jephthah (Judges 11-12), Abdon (Judges 12:13-15), and Samuel himself (1 Samuel 7:3-17) frame Bedan’s mention and help situate his role within the wider narrative of the Judges. Forms and Transliterations בְּדָ֑ן בְּדָ֔ן בדן bə·ḏān beDan bəḏānLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 12:11 HEB: יְרֻבַּ֣עַל וְאֶת־ בְּדָ֔ן וְאֶת־ יִפְתָּ֖ח NAS: Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah KJV: Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, INT: the LORD Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel 1 Chronicles 7:17 2 Occurrences |
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explore; but these perhaps denominative compare LagGN 1882, 400).