Psalms 2:10 — Word Study
WLCוְ֭עַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
BSAThereforeʻattâh [now, at this time] be wisesâkal [prudent, circumspect, thoughtful] O kingsmelek [royal rulers, monarchs] be admonishedyâçar [instructed, disciplined, corrected, to receive warning or guidance] O judgesshâphaṭ [rulers, governors, vindicators] of the earthʼerets [land, territory, world]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְ֭עַתָּה | and therefore | Conjunction, adverb |
| מְלָכִ֣ים | O kings | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ | act prudently | Verb, Hiphil, imperative second person masculine plural |
| הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ | let yourselves be instructed | Verb, Niphal, imperative second person masculine plural |
| שֹׁ֣פְטֵי | O rulers of | Verb, Qal, participle (active) masculine plural common |
| אָֽרֶץ׃ | [the] earth | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth. |
| KJV | Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. |
| ASV | Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. |
| YLT | And now, O kings, act wisely, Be instructed, O judges of earth, |
| WEB | Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. |
| BBE | So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth. |
The translations agree on the essential message of the verse.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a subordinate imperative clause, emphasizing the call to action.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׂכַל
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 2:10
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Call to Kings and Judgesgenerated
Psalms 2:10 is a direct appeal to rulers and judges, urging them to act wisely and heed instruction. This verse is part of a larger passage where the psalmist speaks about the authority of God and the responsibilities of earthly rulers. The surrounding verses emphasize the consequences of ignoring this wisdom, as seen in Psalm 2:9 and Psalm 2:11.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah 6:8 | Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.” |
| 2 | Hosea 14:9 | Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them. |
| 3 | Psalm 45:12 | The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; men of wealth will seek your favor. |
| 4 | Psalm 72:10–11 | May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. |
| 5 | Isaiah 49:23 | Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 8 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ, has.Ki.lugenerated
The word שָׂכַל (*sakal*) is a verb in the Hiphil form, used here in the imperative mood. It conveys the idea of acting with prudence and thoughtfulness, suggesting that those in power must consider their actions carefully.
This term emphasizes the necessity of wisdom in governance, indicating that rulers should not only be aware of their responsibilities but also act with insight and understanding.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations of this verse agree on the call for kings to be wise and judges to be admonished.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs in this verse are הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ and הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ, both in the imperative form, commanding the kings and judges to act wisely and receive instruction. The structure emphasizes the dual call to action directed at two groups of authority figures.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the verbs, highlighting the imperative nature of the psalmist's message.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ as σύνετε (be wise), which maintains the imperative tone and reflects a similar call for discernment among rulers.
This choice indicates a consistent interpretation of the need for wisdom in leadership.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalms 2:10 urges kings and judges to be wise and to receive instruction. It emphasizes the importance of thoughtful leadership and the need for those in power to act prudently.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Being wise means making thoughtful decisions that consider the well-being of the people and the responsibilities of leadership.
Judges must be open to instruction to ensure they make fair and just decisions, reflecting their role as rulers.
Rulers can apply wisdom by seeking counsel, studying the law, and being aware of the moral implications of their decisions.
Ignoring this instruction can lead to poor governance and negative outcomes for both rulers and the people they serve.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways can I seek wisdom in my own decisions?
- How can leaders today be more receptive to instruction and guidance?
- What are the responsibilities of those in authority to their communities?
- How can I encourage others to act wisely in their roles?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers referenced this verse to discuss the responsibilities of rulers and the nature of divine authority.
If you remember the Judge only when you are in difficulties as one who inspires fear and who is incorruptibly honest, then you have not as yet learned to “serve the Lord in fear and to rejoice in him with trembling.” For understand this…Early Church Fathers on Psalms 2 →
He wants devotion, not coercion … because to obey is more sublime than to yield simply to duty.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 2 →
How, then, do kings serve the Lord with fear except by forbidding and restraining with religious severity all acts committed against the commandments of the Lord? A sovereign serves God one way as man,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 2 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 2:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBe wise now therefore, O ye kings,.... This address is made not so much to the kings of the earth in David's time, as to those who would be under the Gospel dispensation, and times of the Messiah;
Read John Gill on Psalms 2 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBe wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Be wise ... O ye kings - offers of grace ever accompanying threats against sinners in this day of God's long-suffering.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 2 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleBe wise; understand your true interest. Now, whilst you have time and space for repentance and submission. O ye kings; you and your people. But he speaks of and to kings only; partly, because they most needed the admonition, as presuming upon their own power and greatness, and thinking it below them to submit to him; partly, because their authority and example could do much with their people; and partly, to intimate the greatness of this monarch, and that he was King of kings, and Lord of lords. Ye judges, or rulers, or governors; the same called kings in the former branch.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 2 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.Ver. 10. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings] Redeem your own sorrows by trembling at God’ s judgments, while they hang in the threatenings; this is a high point of heavenly wisdom. Ergo Dei tandem verbo subscribite reges: Ne rapiant Stygiae vos Acherontis aquae. These kings were not without wit and learning. Julian the apostate, for instance (who said unto the King Christ, Apostate), but they wanted, godly wisdom, and are therefore here called upon to behave themselves prudently, and to play the wise men. For as wicked men are fools in print; so, on the contrary, in our old English books a righteous man is…
Read John Trapp on Psalms 2 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 10. Be wise - O ye kings] An exhortation of the Gospel to the rulers of all kingdoms, nations, and states, to whom it may be sent. All these should listen to its maxims, be governed by its precepts, and rule their subjects according to its dictates. Be instructed, ye judges] Rather, Be ye reformed - cast away all your idolatrous maxims; and receive the Gospel as the law, or the basis of the law, of the land.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 2 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges10–12. The poet speaks, drawing the lesson from the great truths which have been set forth. There is a better way. Submission may avert destruction. The leaders of the nations are exhorted to be wise in time, and accept the suzerainty of Jehovah instead of resisting until His wrath is kindled.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 2 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleBe wise now, therefore, O ye kings - This is to be understood as the language of the psalmist. See introduction to the psalm, Section 3.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 2 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible10-12. Be wise now—An admonition to kings and rulers to make peace with King Messiah. Be instructed—Be corrected, chastened, restrained.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 2 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.
Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.
So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction!
Tyndale line
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Be wise nowe therefore, ye Kings: be learned ye Iudges of the earth.
Strictly literal
And now, O kings, be ye wise, be admonished, ye judges of the earth.
And now, O kings, act wisely, Be instructed, O judges of earth,
And now, O kings, act wisely, || Be instructed, O judges of earth,
And now, O ye kings, be wise: take warning, ye judges of the earth.
So now, you kings, be warned; be corrected, you rulers of the earth.
From the Latin
And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.
Simplified
So then you kings, be wise! Be warned, you rulers of the world!
So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording for this verse, with all six words matched. This alignment shows a consistent transmission of the text across these traditions.
וְ֭עַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 2:10
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עַתָּ֫ה (attah) is an adverb of time meaning 'now.' It can also function as a conjunction or expletive, indicating immediacy or a current moment. The word is derived from a related term, עַת (att), and is used in various contexts to denote the present time.
עַתָּ֫ה 435, עָ֑֫תָּה, adv. of time, now
base
H6258 עַתָּ֫ה, עָ֑֫תָּה of time, now
6258 `attah at-taw'
from 6256; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or
expletive:--henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.
see HEBREW for 06256
עַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) — now.
1) now
1a) now
1b) in phrases
Conj | Adv — Conjunction · adverbHC/D
The Hebrew word מֶ֫לֶךְ (*melek*) means 'king.' It is derived from a root that suggests royalty. The term appears in various contexts, including references to specific kings and locations, such as the 'King's Highway' in Numbers 20:17 and the 'King's Valley' in Genesis 14:17. The lexicons note its Aramaic equivalent and mention its use in the context of individuals like Hammelech in Jeremiah.
מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king
base
H4428 מֶ֫לֶךְ king
4428 melek meh'-lek
from 4427; a king:--king, royal.
see HEBREW for 04427
מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — king.
1) king
Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)
הַמֶּלֶךְ (me.lekh) — `the king`.
'the king' or a name, Hammelech in KJV of Jer.36.26; 38.6- a man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;
father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";
§ A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.26;
father of: Jerahmeel (H3396I) and Malchijah (H4441H); also translated "the king";
מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.
King's (Highway) (Num.20.17)
מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.
Another name of she.lach (שֶׁ֫לַח "Shelah" H7975A)
מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — Milcom.
Another name of mo.lekh (מֹ֫לֶךְ "Molech" H4432)
מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) — King's.
King's (Valley) (Gen.14.17)
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
of Judah and Israel. For the list see table at the end of this volume.
The Hebrew word שָׂכַל (*sakal*) is a primitive root meaning to be prudent or circumspect. It encompasses a range of meanings including to consider, understand, teach, and prosper. The word can also refer to laying something crosswise in its Piel form. Notably, it appears in contexts that emphasize insight and wisdom.
שָׂכַל vb. be prudent
Qal be prudent, circumspect
Hiph.
look at
give attention to, consider, ponder
have insight, comprehension
cause to consider, give insight, teach
act circumspectly, prudently
H7919a שָׂכַל be prudent .be prudent, circumspect
. . look at
. give attention to, consider, ponder
. have insight, comprehension
. cause to consider, give insight, teach
. act circumspectly, prudently
. prosper, have success
. cause to prosper
H7919b שָׂכַל Pi. lay crosswise
7919 sakal saw-kal'
a primitive root; to be (causatively, make or act)
circumspect and hence, intelligent:--consider, expert,
instruct, prosper, (deal) prudent(-ly), (give) skill(-ful),
have good success, teach, (have, make to) understand(-ing),
wisdom, (be, behave self, consider, make) wise(- ly), guide
wittingly.
שָׂכַל (sa.khal) — be prudent.
1) to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper
1a) (Qal) to be prudent, be circumspect
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to look at or upon, have insight
1b2) to give attention to, consider, ponder, be prudent
1b3) to have insight, have comprehension
1b3a) insight, comprehension (subst)
1b4) to cause to consider, give insight, teach
1b4a) the teachers, the wise
1b5) to act circumspectly, act prudently, act wisely
1b6) to prosper, have success
1b7) to cause to prosper
Aramaic equivalent: se.khal (שְׂכַל "to contemplate" H7920)
שָׂכַל (sa.khal) — to cross hands.
(Piel) to lay crosswise, cross (hands)
V-Hiphil-Impv-2mp — Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine pluralHVhv2mp
יָסַר (yacar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to discipline or chasten. It encompasses a range of actions including instructing, correcting, and admonishing, with nuances depending on the grammatical form used. The entries indicate that it can involve both physical punishment and verbal instruction, with various forms expressing different aspects of correction and teaching.
[יָסַר] vb. discipline, chasten, admonish
Qal
admonish
instruct
discipline
Niph. let oneself be corrected, admonished
Pi.
discipline, correct (the moral nature, with more or less severity acc. to circumstances)
more severely, chasten, chastise
Nithp. pass. be disciplined, corrected
Hiph. chasten
base
H3256 [יָסַר] discipline, chasten, admonish
3256 yacar yaw-sar'
a primitive root; to chastise, literally (with blows) or
figuratively (with words); hence, to instruct:--bind, chasten,
chastise, correct, instruct, punish, reform, reprove, sore,
teach.
יָסַר (ya.sar) — to discipline.
1) to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish
1a)(Qal)
1a1) to chasten, admonish
1a2) to instruct
1a3) to discipline
1b) (Niphal) to let oneself be chastened or corrected or admonished
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to discipline, correct
1c2) to chasten, chastise
1d) (Hiphil) to chasten
1e) (Nithpael) to teach
V-Niphal-Impv-2mp — Verb · Niphal · imperative second person masculine pluralHVNv2mp
שָׁפַט (shaphat) is a Hebrew verb meaning to judge or govern. It encompasses a range of actions including pronouncing sentences, executing judgments, and deciding controversies in various contexts such as civil and religious matters. The word can also imply being judged or entering into legal disputes. There is a specific mention of its use in the context of final judgment.
שָׁפַט 185 vb. judge, govern
Qal
act as law-giver, judge, governor
specif. decide controversy, discriminate betw. persons, in civil, political, domestic and religious questions
execute judgment
Niph.
recipr., enter into controversy, plead
pass. be judged
Pô‛el = my opponent-at-law
base
H8199 שָׁפַט judge, govern .. act as law-giver, judge, governor
. specif. decide controversy, discriminate betw. persons, in civil, political, domestic and religious questions
. execute judgment
. . recipr., enter into controversy, plead
. pass. be judged
.= my opponent-at-law
8199 shaphat shaw-fat'
a primitive root; to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or
against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by
extenssion, to govern; passively, to litigate (literally or
figuratively):--+ avenge, X that condemn, contend, defend,
execute (judgment), (be a) judge(-ment), X needs, plead,
reason, rule.
שָׁפַט (sha.phat) — to judge.
1) to judge, govern, vindicate, punish
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man)
1a1a) to rule, govern, judge
1a2) to decide controversy (of God, man)
1a3) to execute judgment
1a3a) discriminating (of man)
1a3b) vindicating
1a3c) condemning and punishing
1a3d) at theophanic advent for final judgment
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to enter into controversy, plead, have controversy together
1b2) to be judged
1c) (Poel) judge, opponent-at-law (participle)
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine plural commonHVqrmpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.
אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land
earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
earth, opp. to heaven, sky
earth = inhabitants of earth
land =
country, territory
district, region
trial territory
piece of ground
specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
= inhabitants of land
used even of Shᵉʼôl
ground, surface of ground
soil, as productive
אֶרֶץ in phrases
people of the land
in measurements of distance
the country of the plain, level or plain country
land of the living
end(s) of the earth
pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
base
H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
. earth, opp. to heaven, sky
. earth = inhabitants of earth
. land = . country, territory
. district, region
. trial territory
. piece of ground
. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
. = inhabitants of land
. used even of Shᵉʼôl
. . ground, surface of ground
. soil, as productive
. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land
. in measurements of distance
. the country of the plain, level or plain country
. land of the living
. end(s) of the earth
. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
776 'erets eh'-rets
from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth
(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,
field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.
: country/field
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
1b2) district, region
1b3) tribal territory
1b4) piece of ground
1b5) land of Canaan, Israel
1b6) inhabitants of land
1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world
1b8) city (-state)
1c) ground, surface of the earth
1c1) ground
1c2) soil
1d) (in phrases)
1d1) people of the land
1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)
1d3) level or plain country
1d4) land of the living
1d5) end(s) of the earth
1e) (almost wholly late in usage)
1e1) lands, countries
1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan
אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.
: soil
1) land, earth
1a) earth
1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)
1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)
1a3) earth (inhabitants)
1b) land
1b1) country, territory
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):
In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.
'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).
Earth
(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.
(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (
The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…
In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.
Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2