מוֹדַע

# Moda (H4129): A Hebrew Term for Kinship The Hebrew word *moda* (מוֹדַע) denotes a kinsman—someone related by blood or family ties. Based on its limited biblical record, the word appears only twice in Scripture, which suggests it was either a specialized or less common term for expressing familial relationship compared to other Hebrew kinship vocabulary. The rarity of *moda*'s occurrence indicates it occupied a specific niche in Hebrew's kinship terminology. While the Bible contains numerous words for family relationships (father, mother, brother, sister, etc.), this particular term's limited use—appearing just twice—suggests it may have referred to a broader or more distant category of relatives, or perhaps a relationship understood through a particular cultural lens that was less frequently referenced in the biblical text. Without additional contextual information about where these two occurrences appear, the precise social or legal significance of the relationship *moda* denoted remains bounded by its definition as simply "kinsman." For biblical interpreters, *moda*'s scarcity is itself meaningful. Its minimal presence in the biblical corpus contrasts with the extensive vocabulary available for immediate family members, suggesting that the relationships it described, while recognized as legitimate kinship, were less central to the narrative, legal, or theological concerns of the biblical writers.