אֲדָמָה224 H0127
Ground, land, soil; cultivable earth, homeland, territory; the physical substance from which humanity was formed.
Adamah is the ground that gives adam (humanity) its name — a wordplay already present at creation (Gen 2:7). It denotes first the fertile, cultivable earth that yields produce when tilled (Gen 2:5; 3:17), then broadens to mean homeland or national territory, as in the covenant phrase 'the adamah which the LORD your God gives you' (Deut 7:13). Arabic أرض and Spanish tierra cover the full range, while German distinguishes Erdboden (soil) from Land (territory), and Korean separates 땅 (land) from 흙 (soil). The theological arc is striking: humanity is taken from the adamah, cursed upon it, exiled from it, and ultimately promised restoration to it.
1. ground, land (territory) — Cultivable land, territory, homeland — the dominant and broadest sense (210 occurrences). Covers both the arable ground of Gen 2:5, 9 and the promised national territory of Deuteronomy's covenant language ('the adamah which the LORD swore to your fathers,' Deut 7:13; 28:11). Arabic أرض, Spanish tierra, and French terre all serve this encompassing sense. In prophetic usage it becomes virtually synonymous with 'eretz (land) but retains the earthy, agricultural connotation. 210×
AR["الأَدَمَةَ","الأَدَمَةُ","الأَدَمَةِ","الْ-أَرْضِ"]·ben["মাটি","সেই-ভূমি","সেই-ভূমির"]·DE["Erdboden","dem-Erdboden","den-Erdboden","der-Erdboden","des-Erdbodens"]·EN["the-ground"]·FR["le-moulu"]·heb["ה-אדמה"]·HI["उस-भूमि","उस-भूमि-के","भूमि","भूमि-के"]·ID["tanah"]·IT["il-suolo"]·jav["ing-lemah"]·KO["그-땅","그-땅-은","그-땅-의"]·PT["a-terra","da-terra"]·RU["-земли","-землю","-земля","земле","земли"]·ES["la-tierra"]·SW["ardhi","ardhi-","ardhi-ya","udongo-","udongo-wa"]·TR["-toprak","-topraktan","-toprağa","-toprağı","-toprağın"]·urd["زمین","زمین-اس","زمین-اُس","زمین-سے","زمین-کی","زمین-کے"]
Gen 1:25, Gen 2:5, Gen 2:6, Gen 2:7, Gen 2:9, Gen 2:19, Gen 3:17, Gen 3:19, Gen 3:23, Gen 4:3, Gen 4:10, Gen 4:11 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. soil, dust (substance) — The physical substance of the earth — soil, clay, dust — viewed as raw material rather than territory. God forms adam from the afar min ha-adamah (dust from the ground, Gen 2:7), and Naaman takes two mule-loads of Israelite adamah back to Syria (2 Kgs 5:17). German 'Erde' (earth-substance), Korean 흙 (soil), and the contrast with sense 1 in Exod 20:24 ('an altar of adamah') confirm this material reading. The eight occurrences cluster around creation, death, and ritual contexts. 8×
AR["إِلَى-تُرْبَتِهِ","تُرَابًا","تُرَابٍ","وَ-تُرَابٌ","وَ-تُرَابٍ","وَتُرابٌ","وَتُرَابٌ","وَمِنَ-الأَرْضِ"]·ben["আর-ধূলি","আর-মাটি","এবং-মাটি","এবং-মাটি-থেকে","তার-মাটিতে","মাটি","মাটির"]·DE["Erde","und-Erde","und-von-Erde","zu-sein-ground"]·EN["and-earth","and-from-the-ground","earth","to-his-ground"]·FR["et-sol","et-terre","et-ומאדמה","terre","à-sol"]·heb["אדמה","ו-אדמה","ו-מ-אדמה","ל-אדמתו"]·HI["अपनी-मिट्टी-में","और-धूल","और-भूमि-से","और-मिट्टी","मिट्टी","मिट्टी-की"]·ID["dan-dari-tanah","dan-tanah","ke-tanahnya","tanah"]·IT["[לאדמתו]","e-da-e-da-il-ground","e-suolo","e-terra","terra"]·jav["dhateng-bumi-nipun","lan-bumi","lan-lebu","lan-saking-siti","lan-siti","siti"]·KO["그리고-에서-흡","그리고-흙이","그의-흙으로","흙","흙의"]·PT["e-de-terra","e-terra","terra","à-sua-terra"]·RU["в-землю-свою","земли","земляной","и-земля","и-из-земли"]·ES["a-su-tierra","de-tierra","tierra","y-de-tierra","y-tierra"]·SW["ardhini","na-kutoka-ardhini","na-udongo","udongo"]·TR["toprak","topraktan","toprağına","ve-toprak","ve-topraktan"]·urd["اور-زمین-سے","اور-مٹی","لِ-اُس-کی-مٹی","مٹی","مٹی-کا"]
3. ground surface (underfoot) — The surface of the ground as a spatial reference — the plane underfoot where things fall, crawl, or rest. In Gen 4:2 (creatures on the adamah), Lev 20:25, and Deut 4:18, the word designates the ground surface as habitat for creeping things, distinct from both the territorial and the material senses. French 'sol' and German 'Boden' (floor/ground) capture this locative usage. Ps 104:30 uses it for the renewed face of the ground. 4×
AR["أَدَمَةٍ","ال-أَرْضُ","الأَرض","عَلَى-الْأَرْضِ"]·ben["ভূমির","মাটি","মাটিতে","মাটির"]·DE["auf-der-Boden","der-Boden","der-ground","des-Erdbodens"]·EN["ground","on-the-ground","the-ground"]·FR["le-sol","moulu","sol","sur-le-sol"]·heb["אדמה","ב-אדמה","ה-אדמה"]·HI["-मिट्टी-पर","भूमि","भूमि-का","भूमि-के"]·ID["di-tanah","tanah"]·IT["[אדמה]","il-suolo","su-il-suolo","suolo"]·jav["bumi","bumi,","ing-bumi","lemah"]·KO["그-땅","그-땅-에","땅-의"]·PT["a-terra","da-terra","na-terra"]·RU["земли","земля","на-земле"]·ES["en-la-tierra","tierra"]·SW["ardhi","ardhini"]·TR["toprakta","toprakta-","toprağın"]·urd["-زمین-پر","زمین-پر","زمین-کا","زمین-کی"]
4. farmland, arable ground — Farmland or arable fields as a specific agricultural designation, narrower than the broad territorial sense. In Ps 105:35 the locusts devour 'all the vegetation of their adamah,' and Isa 1:7 describes foreigners consuming 'your adamah.' Spanish 'suelo' (soil/plot) and the possessive constructions ('their ground,' 'your ground') mark this as cultivated acreage rather than national homeland. 2×
AR["أَرضِهِم","حُقُولُكُم"]·ben["তাদের-ভূমির","তোমাদের-জমি"]·DE["Erde","ihr-ground"]·EN["their-ground","your-ground"]·FR["sol"]·heb["אדמתכם","אדמתם"]·HI["उनकी-भूमि-का","तुम्हारी-भूमि"]·ID["tanah-mereka","tanahmu"]·IT["[אדמתם]","suolo"]·jav["palemahan-panjenengan","siti-nipun"]·KO["그들-의-토지-의","너희-토지를"]·PT["de-sua-terra","solo-vosso"]·RU["почву-вашу","почвы-их"]·ES["su-suelo","vuestro-suelo"]·SW["ardhi-yao","ardhi-yenu"]·TR["topraginiz","topraklarının"]·urd["اُن-کی-زمین-کے","تمہاری-زمین"]
5. sense 5 — A rare plural form (adamot) meaning 'lands' or 'estates' — in Ps 49:11 the wealthy name 'their adamot after themselves.' The plural suggests distinct parcels or landed estates rather than the singular concept of ground or homeland. Spanish 'tierras' and English 'lands' capture this distributive plural. This is likely a contextual narrowing of sense 1 rather than a fully independent sense. 1×
AR["أراضٍ"]·ben["জমির"]·DE["lands"]·EN["lands"]·FR["sol"]·heb["אדמות"]·HI["भूमियों"]·IT["[אדמות]"]·jav["lan"]·KO["땅들"]·PT["terras"]·RU["землях"]·ES["tierras"]·SW["ardhi"]·TR["topraklar"]·urd["زمینوں"]
Related Senses
H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)G3772 1. heaven, sky, heavens (278×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)G2889 1. world (185×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֲדָמָה224 n.f. ground, land (as tilled, Ger. bebaut? DlPr 105, but Fleisch. (MerxArchiv I, 236 f) comp. Ar. أَدَمَة skin, as smoothly covering & close-fitting; √דם cf. Ar. دَمَّ smear (spread over surface); cf. also NöZMG 1886, 737)—א׳ Gn 1:25 +; cstr. אַדְמַת Gn 47:20 +; sf. אַדְמָתִי Jb 31:38 + 2 textual etc.; pl. אֲדָמוֹת ψ 49:12— 1. ground (as tilled, yielding sustenance) Gn 2:5, 9; 3:17,…