בָּדַל
ba.dal (H0914)
to separate
AI Word Study
# Badal (בָּדַל): Separation and Distinction The Hebrew word *badal* conveys the fundamental action of separating or dividing one thing from another. With 42 occurrences throughout the biblical text, it represents a common and functionally important verb in Hebrew communication. The word operates at a basic level—indicating the physical or conceptual act of creating distinction between entities that were previously together or undifferentiated. The prevalence of *badal* across the biblical corpus suggests its utility in describing both everyday practical matters and theological concepts. When something is separated, a boundary is established; when things are distinguished, their individual identities become clear. This makes *badal* particularly useful in narratives involving division, sorting, or categorization—whether describing the separation of peoples, the division of land, or the distinguishing of categories in creation accounts. The word's straightforward semantic range allows it to serve these varied contexts without requiring additional qualifiers or metaphorical extension. Understanding *badal* as a term of separation and distinction provides a foundation for recognizing how biblical writers used concrete language of division to structure their thought. The frequency of the word indicates that ancient Hebrew speakers found this concept essential enough to express repeatedly, suggesting that the idea of separating, distinguishing, and establishing boundaries held particular significance in biblical thought and communication.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring the ark of the covenant in there within the veil. The veil shall separate the holy place from the most holy for you.
He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one which is for the sin offering. He shall wring off its head from its neck, but shall not sever it completely.
You are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.
to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.’ ”
But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the peoples.
“ ‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean. You shall not make yourselves abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean for you.
You shall be holy to me, for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.
Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of Yahweh’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!”
Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise,
At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.
you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess.
Therefore I command you to set apart three cities for yourselves.
Yahweh will set him apart for evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.
For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your inheritance, as you spoke by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord Yahweh.”
Some Gadites joined David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains:
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before Yahweh, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, forever.
Moreover, David and the captains of the army set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with harps, with stringed instruments, and with cymbals. The number of those who did the work according to their service was:
Then Amaziah separated them, the army that had come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again. Therefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.
The children of Israel who had returned out of the captivity, and all who had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, ate,
Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them,
Now when these things were done, the princes came near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, following their abominations, even those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
and that whoever didn’t come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity.
Now therefore make confession to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.”
The children of the captivity did so. Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers’ households, after their fathers’ houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
The offspring of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters—everyone who had knowledge, and understanding—
It came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.
Let no foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying, “Yahweh will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned among them.
“ ‘ “They will set apart men of continual employment, who will pass through the land. Those who pass through will go with those who bury those who remain on the surface of the land, to cleanse it. After the end of seven months they will search.
He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, the length five hundred, and the width five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.