H0907 H0907
Empty talk, idle boasting, or lies; by extension liars and false prophets. Also: limbs or members of the body.
A noun appearing only in the plural (בַּדִּים), covering two quite distinct meanings. Primarily it denotes empty, boastful, or deceitful speech — Moab's unfounded boasts (Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30), Job's opponent's idle babble (Job 11:3), and the lies of false prophets or diviners (Isa 44:25; Jer 50:36). This sense has Phoenician cognates and Syriac parallels meaning 'vain talk' or 'liar.' A completely separate homonymous sense appears in Job 41:12, where Leviathan's powerful 'limbs' (בַּדָּיו) are described — a usage confirmed by consistent body-part vocabulary across translations: English 'his limbs,' Spanish 'sus miembros.'
Senses
1. idle talk, boasting, lies — Empty talk, idle boasting, or lies; concretely, empty talkers, liars, or false diviners. Isaiah 16:6 and Jer 48:30 denounce Moab's unfounded boasts (בַּדָּיו, 'his boastings are not right'). Job 11:3 uses it for babble that silences others. In Isa 44:25 and Jer 50:36, the word designates false prophets and diviners as 'liars' — those whose oracles are empty pretense. Phoenician cognate evidence (CIS 3.6) and Syriac ܒܶܕܝܳܐ ('vain talk') confirm this semantic range of deceitful or baseless speech. 5×
AR["أَكاذيبُكَ", "أَكَاذِيبُهُ", "الكَذَّابِينَ", "الْمُتَنَبِّئِينَ-الْكَذَبَةِ"]·ben["তার-গল্পগুলি", "তার-বড়াই", "তোমার-বকবক", "বকদের", "মিথ্যাবাদীদের"]·DE["[בדיו]", "[בדיך]", "[בדים]", "[הבדים]"]·EN["boasts-your", "his-boasts", "liars", "the-diviners"]·FR["[בדיו]", "[בדים]", "[הבדים]", "ton-בדיך-toi"]·heb["בדיו", "בדיך", "בדים", "ה-בדים"]·HI["उसकी-डींगें", "घमंडियों", "झूठों-के", "तेरी-बकवास"]·ID["Celotehmu", "kata-katanya-yang-kosong", "omongannya", "orang-orang-pembual", "tukang-tukang-bohong"]·IT["[בדיו]", "[בדים]", "[הבדים]", "boasts-your-tuo"]·jav["gineman-ingkang-tanpa-tanja", "omong-kosong-panjenengan", "omonganipun", "para-juru-ramal", "para-tukang-goroh"]·KO["거짓-예언자들을", "거짓말쟁이들의", "그의-자랑이라", "그의-헛된-말들은", "너의-헛된-말들-이"]·PT["Teus-palavrórios", "mentirosos", "os-adivinhos", "suas-jactâncias", "suas-mentiras"]·RU["болтовня-твоя", "вещунов", "гадателей", "хвастовство-его"]·ES["Tus-fanfarronerías", "de-adivinos", "los-adivinos", "sus-jactancias", "sus-palabras-vanas"]·SW["majisifu-yake", "majivuno-yake", "maneno-yako-matupu", "wasemaji-wa-uongo", "za-waongo"]·TR["boş-sözlerin", "boş-övünçleri", "kahinlerin", "ovuncleri", "uyduranlarin"]·urd["اُس-کی-ڈینگیں", "تیری-بکواس-سے", "جھوٹوں-کی", "جھوٹے-نبیوں", "ۈگی-باتیں-اُس-کی"]
2. limbs, members (of body) — Limbs or members of the body, a distinct homonymous sense appearing only in Job 41:12 (Hebrew 41:4), where God describes Leviathan's powerful limbs (בַּדָּיו). This anatomical meaning has no semantic connection to 'idle talk' and represents a separate lexical root. The multilingual evidence uniformly selects body-part vocabulary — English 'his limbs,' Spanish 'sus miembros' — confirming the distinct sense. The context of the Leviathan poem emphasizes the creature's awe-inspiring physical strength. 1×
AR["أَعْضَاءَهُ"]·ben["তার-অঙ্গগুলির"]·DE["[בדיו]"]·EN["his-limbs"]·FR["son-בדיו-lui"]·heb["בדיו"]·HI["उसके-अंगों"]·ID["anggota-anggota badannya"]·IT["his-limbs-suo"]·jav["babagan-péranganing-badanipun"]·KO["그것-의-지체들을"]·PT["seus-membros"]·RU["члены-его"]·ES["sus-miembros"]·SW["viungo-vyake"]·TR["uzuvlarını"]·urd["اُس-کے-اعضاء-کے-بارے-میں"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† III. [בַּד] n.m. only Pl. בַּדִּים. a. empty, idle talk (Ph. CIS 3, 6 listen not to בדנם = Heb. בַּדֵּיהֶם; cf. ܒܶܕܝܳܐ vain talk), especially with collat. idea of imaginary pretensions or claims: Jb 11:3 בַּדֶּיךָ מְתִים יַחֲרִישׁוּ thy idle talk brings men to silence (‖ וַתִּלְעַג), Is 16:6 (of Moab) לֹא כֵן בַּדָּיו his boastings are not right (unfounded), hence Je 48:30. b. concr. empty talkers, praters (cf. NH בַּדָּאָה, Syriac ܒܳܕܽܘܝܳܐ liar), of false prophets, Is 44:25; Je 50:36.