עָתוּד

# עָתוּד (atud) – "Ready" The Hebrew word *atud* appears only once in the biblical text, making it a hapax legomenon—a term that occurs in isolation without parallel usage to clarify its meaning. Based on its single occurrence and the lexicon designation, the word conveys the sense of being "ready" or prepared for action. This limited attestation means that biblical interpreters must rely primarily on context to understand its precise application rather than comparing it across multiple verses. The rarity of this term in Hebrew Scripture makes it difficult to establish a full semantic range or to determine whether it carried technical significance in ancient Israelite usage. Words that appear only once present a particular challenge to lexicographers, as they lack the textual support that repeated usage provides. Nevertheless, the gloss "ready" suggests a state of preparedness—something or someone positioned, equipped, or available for imminent action or use. For readers encountering biblical translations, *atud* reminds us that the Hebrew Bible contains words whose meanings rest on limited evidence. Understanding such terms requires careful attention to their immediate context and recognition of the boundaries of what we can confidently assert about their meaning. The single occurrence preserves this word in Scripture but leaves much about its original usage to scholarly inference.