אָדָם560 H0120
Man, human being; mankind/humanity collectively; also the proper name Adam.
The Hebrew אָדָם covers a remarkably wide range—from a single individual ('a man') to the entire human species ('mankind') to the proper name of the first human. Unlike אִישׁ, which emphasizes a male person in contrast to a woman, אָדָם stresses the creature as such: mortal, earth-born, made in God's image. The etymological link to אֲדָמָה ('ground, soil') resonates throughout Scripture, from Genesis 2:7 where God forms the man from the dust of the ground, to Ecclesiastes' reflections on human mortality. Arabic preserves the same spectrum: آدَم as the proper name, إِنْسَان for the generic human being.
1. man, human being (individual/generic) — An individual human being or 'man' in the generic sense (any person, someone), covering the vast majority of occurrences (527 times). Functions in legal texts ('if a man brings an offering,' Lev 1:2), proverbial wisdom ('blessed is the man,' Ps 1:1), and narrative. Distinguished from אִישׁ by its species-level focus: not 'a male' but 'a human.' Spanish 'hombre,' French 'homme,' and German 'Mensch/Mann' all serve here, though German 'Mensch' (human) better captures the non-gendered force than 'Mann' (male). Includes all inflected forms with prepositions and conjunctions. 527×
AR["آدَمَ","أَحَدٍ","إنسانٌ","إنسانٍ","إِنسانٍ","إِنْسَانًا","إِنْسَانٌ","إِنْسَانٍ","الْإِنْسَانِ"]·ben["আদম","আদমের","কোনো-মানুষ","মানুষ","মানুষের"]·DE["Mann","Mensch","von-einem-Menschen"]·EN["man"]·FR["homme"]·heb["אדם"]·HI["-पृथ्वी-पर","अअदमि-क","आदम-का","आदम-के","आदमी","आदमी-की","आदमी-के","किसी-आदमी","मनुश्य","मनुष्य","लकड़ी"]·ID["manusia","seseorang"]·IT["uomo"]·jav["manungsa","tiyang"]·KO["사람","사람-의","사람을","사람의","사람이"]·PT["homem","humano"]·RU["человек","человека","человеком"]·ES["al-hombre","hombre"]·SW["aliyekufa","mtu","mtu-yeyote","mwanadamu","na-ukawaghadhibikia","wa-mwanadamu","ya-mtu"]·TR["adam","adamla","adamın","insan","insanın"]·urd["آدم","آدمی","آدمی-کا","آدمی-کی","آدمی-کے","انسان-کی","کسی-آدمی","کوئی-آدمی"]
Gen 1:26, Gen 16:12, Exod 13:13, Exod 13:15, Exod 30:32, Lev 16:17, Lev 24:17, Num 9:6, Num 9:7, Num 23:19, Deut 4:28, Deut 4:32 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. mankind, humanity (collective) — Humanity or mankind as a collective whole—the human race considered as a category or species (19 occurrences). Appears in contexts of universal scope or dominion: 'any man' in the sense of 'any mortal at all' (Judg 16:7, 11, 17), or rulers set 'over mankind' (2 Sam 23:3). The multilingual glosses use constructions like 'among-humanity,' 'de-entre-hombre' (Spanish), and 'dans-homme' (French), signaling a partitive or categorical reading distinct from the individual sense. Often carries overtones of human limitation or mortality in contrast to divine power. 19×
AR["الإنْسانِ","الإِنْسَانِ","النَّاسِ","الْنَاسِ-الـ","بَشَرٍ","بَيْنَ-البَشَرِ","بِ-البَشَرِ","عَلَى-الْإِنْسَانِ","في-البَشَرِ","فِي-الْبَشَرِ","كَالْبَشَرِ","مِنَ-البَشَرِ","مِنَ-النّاسِ","نَاسًا","وَ-الْآدَمِيَّ","وَفِي-الْبَشَرِ"]·ben["-মানুষের-মধ্য-থেকে","আর-মানুষে","ও-আদমকে","মানবজাতির","মানুষে","মানুষেদের-মধ্যে","মানুষের","মানুষের-উপরে","মানুষের-কাছে","মানুষের-থেকে","মানুষের-মতো","মানুষের-মধ্যে","সেই-মানুষদের"]·DE["Mensch","der-Maenner","der-Mensch","der-mankind","in-Mensch","ueber-Mann","und-Mensch","und-in-Mensch","unter-Mensch","von-Mensch","wie-Mensch"]·EN["among-humanity","among-mankind","and-among-man","and-human","are-from-men","from-mankind","like-man","mankind","men","over-man","the-mankind","the-men","with-men"]·FR["au-dessus-homme","comme-homme","dans-homme","de-homme","et-dans-homme","et-homme","homme","le-mankind","les-hommes","l’homme"]·heb["אדם","ב-אדם","ה-אדם","ו-אדם","ו-ב-אדם","כ-אדם","מ-אדם"]·HI["आदम-की-तरह","आदमियों-में-से","आदमियों-से","आदमी","और-आदमी-को","और-में-मनुष्यों","मनुष्य-की","मनुष्यों-के-बीच","मनुष्यों-पर","मनुष्यों-में","मनुष्यों-में-से","मनुष्यों-से।","में-आदमियों","से-आदमी"]·ID["atas-manusia","dan-adam","dan-di-antara-manusia","dari-manusia","dengan-manusia","di-antara-manusia","manusia","seperti-manusia"]·IT["da-uomo","e-uomo","il-mankind","il-uomini","in-uomo","sopra-uomo","uomo"]·jav["ing-antawis-manungsa","ing-antawising-manungsa","ing-manungsa","ing-tiyang","kados-manungsa","lan-ing-manungsa","lan-tiyang","manungsa","saking-manungsa","saking-tiyang","tiyang"]·KO["그-사람","그-사람을","그리고-사람들-안에서","사람-같이","사람-들-속에서","사람들-가운데서","사람들-안에서","사람들-에게","사람에서","사람으로","사람을","사람의","에-그-사람","에-사람-중에"]·PT["adam","como-homens","de-homem","de-homens","dentre-humanidade","e-no-homem","e-o-ser-humano","entre-homem","entre-os-homens","homem","humanidade","o-homem","o-humano","os-homens","sobre-o-homem"]·RU["в-человеках","и-смертного","и-среди-людей","из-людей","из-среды-людей","из-человека","как-человек","людей","люди","людьми","над-людьми","приведённых","среди-людей"]·ES["como-hombre","de-entre-hombre","de-hombres","el-hombre","entre-el-hombre","entre-hombre","entre-hombres","entre-los-hombres","hombre","hombres","humanidad","los-hombres","sobre-el-hombre","y-al-ser-humano","y-en-el-hombre"]·SW["ha-wanadamu","kama-wanadamu","katika-wanadamu","kutoka-wanadamu","miongoni-mwa-wanadamu","miongoni-mwa-watu","na-binadamu","na-miongoni-mwa-wanadamu","ni-binadamu","wa-wanadamu","wanadamu","watu","za-watu"]·TR["-de-insanlarda","adamlarla","insanda","insanda-o","insanlar-arasında","insanlar-arasında-","insanlar-gibi","insanlardan","insanlarin","insanı","insanın","ve-adami","ve-insanlar-arasında"]·urd["آدمی","آدمی-پر","آدمی-کی","آدمیوں","آدمیوں-سے","آدمیوں-میں","انسانوں-سے-ہیں","اور-انسان-کو","اور-لوگوں-میں","بِ-آدموں","بِ-ہَ-آدمی-میں","سے-بنی-آدم","مانند-آدم"]
Josh 11:14, Judg 16:7, Judg 16:11, Judg 16:17, 2 Sam 23:3, Ps 68:18, Ps 78:60, Ps 82:7, Prov 23:28, Prov 30:14, Isa 13:12, Isa 29:19 (+7 more)
3. Adam (proper name) — The proper name 'Adam,' referring to the first man in the Genesis creation account (6 occurrences). Identified by anarthrous usage in genealogical and narrative contexts: Gen 5:1–2 ('the book of the generations of Adam'), Gen 2:20, 3:21. Arabic آدَم and Korean 아담 consistently transliterate the name, while Swahili uses 'Adamu.' The boundary between the common noun and the proper name is famously fluid in Genesis 2–3, but these six passages treat it unambiguously as a personal name in genealogical or naming contexts. 6×
AR["آدَمَ","لِ-آدَمَ","وَ-لِ-آدَمَ"]·ben["আদম","আদমকে","আদমের","কিন্তু-মানুষের-জন্য","মানুষের-জন্য"]·DE["Adam","Mensch","aber-für-Adam","den-Menschen","für-Adam"]·EN["Adam","and-for-man","for-Adam","man"]·FR["Adam","et-pour-homme","homme","pour-Adam"]·heb["אדם","ו-ל-אדם","ל-אדם"]·HI["आदम","आदम-के","आदम-के-लिए","आदम-को","और-के-लिए-आदम"]·ID["Adam","Manusia","bagi-Adam","manusia","tetapi-bagi-manusia"]·IT["Adam","Adamo","e-per-uomo","per-Adamo","uomo"]·jav["Adam","kangge-manungsa","nanging-kangge-manungsa"]·KO["그리고-에-아담","사람의","아담","아담의","에-아담"]·PT["Adão","homem","mas-para-Adão","o-homem","para-Adão"]·RU["Адаму","а-человеку","человек","человека","человеческих"]·ES["Adán","hombre","para-hombre","pero-para-hombre"]·SW["Adamu","kwa-Adamu","lakini-kwa-Adamu"]·TR["-Adem-için","Adem","ama-Adem-için","insan","insanlığın","insanı"]·urd["آدم","آدم-کو","آدم-کے-لیے","آدم-کے۔","لیکن-آدم-کو"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0001 1. father, immediate male parent (1031×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)G0444 1. human being, person (469×)G3962 1. father or divine Father (413×)G0080 1. brother, fellow believer (343×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אָדָם560 n.m. Gn 1:27 man, mankind (Ph. אדם, Sab. id., CISiv. 1, 1. 4 al.; cf. As. admu, young (of bird) DlW, but NöZMG 1886, 722 identif. with Ar. أَذَامٌ coll. creatures)—Sg. abs. exc. cstr. Pr 6:12 cf. Thes; (בְּנֵי (הָ)א׳ oft. = pl. of א׳ Gn 11:5 + 39 textual, cf. בְּנוֹת הָא׳ Gn 6:2, 4)— 1. a man (= Ger. Mensch) = human being Gn 2:5, 7(×2), 8, 15, 16, 18 +, 16:12 (27 textual J) Lv 5:4 (‖…