וְדָן
ve.dan
casks
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Analysis of וְדָן (vedan) Based on the lexical data provided, וְדָן appears as a Hebrew noun meaning "casks" or storage vessels. With only a single occurrence in the biblical text, this word represents a relatively rare term in Hebrew scripture, suggesting it may have been either specialized vocabulary or a word that fell out of common usage by the time the biblical canon was standardized. The singular occurrence limits what can be determined about the word's semantic range or contextual applications. The term refers to a concrete object—a container presumably used for storing liquids or goods—which places it among the practical, material vocabulary of ancient Hebrew. Without additional instances of usage, we cannot determine whether the word had metaphorical applications or carried particular cultural or religious significance beyond its basic literal meaning. This word exemplifies how biblical Hebrew contains numerous terms that appear only once (called "hapax legomena"), often leaving interpreters with minimal evidence about precise usage or nuance. The existence of וְדָן reminds us that the biblical vocabulary extends beyond the frequently repeated words that dominate translation and study.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence across the text