קָדַר
to be ashy, i.e. darkcolored; by implication, to mourn (in sackcloth or sordid garments)
Definition
The Hebrew verb קָדַר (qâdar) primarily means 'to be dark' or 'to grow dark,' often describing the sky or landscape becoming overcast and gloomy, as in 1 Kings 18:45 when the sky blackens with rain clouds. By extension, it describes a person's physical appearance growing dark or ashen, typically from grief, fasting, or illness, as seen in Job 30:28 and Psalm 38:6. This physical manifestation leads to its secondary, metaphorical meaning: 'to mourn' or 'to be in a state of mourning,' where inner sorrow visibly alters one's countenance, as in Psalm 42:9 and Psalm 43:2.
Biblical Usage
This verb is used 17 times, primarily in poetic and prophetic books like Job, Psalms, and Jeremiah. It appears in two main contexts: describing literal atmospheric darkness (e.g., 1 Kings 18:45; Jeremiah 4:28) and depicting the figurative darkness of mourning, lament, or divine judgment (e.g., Job 5:11; Psalm 35:14; Micah 3:6). The usage often blends the physical and emotional, where darkened skies mirror a darkened spirit.
Etymology
A primitive root, קָדַר is related to the idea of darkness, soot, or ash. Cognates in other Semitic languages, like Arabic, also carry meanings of blackness or gloom. The root likely gave rise to nouns like קֵדָר (qēdār, 'darkness') and קָדְרוּת (qadrût, 'blackness'), emphasizing its core semantic field of dark coloration.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it connects human emotional and spiritual states—like mourning, penitence, and despair—with the tangible, created order. The darkening sky can symbolize God's judgment (Jeremiah 4:28) or His mysterious providence (Job 5:11). When applied to people, it validates embodied faith, showing how profound grief or prayer (Psalm 42:9) physically manifests, enriching our understanding of biblical lament as a holistic experience before God.
In ancient Israelite culture, mourning was often a public, physical act involving wearing sackcloth, pouring ashes on oneself, and allowing one's face to grow dark from neglect and weeping. The word קָדַר captures this expected visual sign of deep distress. The darkening of the sky was also understood as a potent sign of God's direct activity in the weather, making the term bridge natural phenomena and divine communication.
אָפַל (ʼāphal, H691) — emphasizes thick, enveloping darkness, often more intense. חָשַׁךְ (ḥāšak, H2821) — general term for to be or become dark, less tied to mourning. אָבַל (ʼāval, H56) — focuses on the act of mourning itself, not the physical darkening. קָדָר (qādār, H6938) — an adjective meaning 'dark' or 'gloomy,' directly derived from this verb.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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