Bible Word Study
בְּדָן
Bᵉdân · Bedan, the name of two Israelites
בְּדָן
Bedan, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Bedan is the name of two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 12:11, Bedan is listed among the judges whom God raised up to deliver Israel, though he is not mentioned in the Book of Judges itself. In 1 Chronicles 7:17, a different Bedan appears as a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Ulam. The name likely means 'servile' or 'in service,' reflecting a common theme of servanthood in Hebrew names.
Biblical Usage
The name Bedan is used only twice in the Old Testament, in two different contexts. In 1 Samuel 12:11, it is used in a historical summary of Israel's judges, grouped with Jerubbaal (Gideon), Jephthah, and Samuel. In 1 Chronicles 7:17, it is used in a genealogical list tracing the lineage of the tribe of Manasseh. There is no narrative story associated with either figure.
Etymology
The name Bedan (בְּדָן) is generally considered a shortened form of the name Abdon (עַבְדוֹן, H5658), which itself derives from the root עָבַד (ʿāḇaḏ), meaning 'to serve' or 'to work.' Thus, Bedan carries the meaning 'servant' or 'servile.' It is a theophoric name, implicitly relating to service of God, similar to names like Obadiah ('servant of Yahweh').
Semantic Range
The mention of Bedan in 1 Samuel 12:11, within Samuel's farewell speech, highlights God's faithfulness in providing deliverers for His people throughout their history, even those not recorded in detail. It underscores the theme that God's salvation history is broader than what is preserved in the canonical narrative. Understanding the name's meaning ('servant') connects these figures to the biblical ideal of servanthood to God. In ancient Israelite culture, names often conveyed meaning or parental hopes. A name meaning 'servant' would reflect a value placed on humility and dedication to God or community. The two separate individuals named Bedan, one a judge and one a clansman, show how common names and their virtuous meanings were reused across generations and tribes. Abdon (ʿAḇdôn, H5658) — A judge of Israel, sharing the same root meaning 'servant.' Eved (ʿeḇeḏ, H5650) — The common noun for 'servant' or 'slave,' from the same root.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]