Lexical Summary
hadar: Splendor, majesty, honor, glory
Original Word:הָדָר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:hadar
Pronunciation:hah-DAHR
Phonetic Spelling:(haw-dawr')
KJV: beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty
NASB:majesty, splendor, honor, majestic, array, beautiful, dignity
Word Origin:[fromH1921 (הָדַר - claim honor)]
1. magnificence, i.e. ornament or splendor
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beauty, comeliness, glorious, glory, goodly, honor, majesty
Fromhadar; magnificence, i.e. Ornament or splendor -- beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty.
see HEBREWhadar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
hadarDefinitionan ornament, honor, splendor
NASB Translationarray (1), beautiful (1), dignity (1), honor (2), majestic (2), majesty (15), splendor (8).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Psalm 149:9 (chiefly in poetry) — absolute
Deuteronomy 33:17 12t.; construct
Isaiah 2:10 7t.; suffix
Micah 2:9 (but compare below)
Ezekiel 16:14;
Psalm 45:5;
Psalm 90:16;
Psalm 45:4;
Ezekiel 27:10;
Isaiah 5:14;
Lamentations 1:6; plural construct
Psalm 110:3 (but read probably so Symm Jerome editions; O1 Hup Gr Bi Che); —
ornamentProverbs 20:29 (grey hair, for old men; "" ),Ezekiel 16:14 (figurative of ornaments of Jerusalem as bride of );Leviticus 23:40 (H) i.e.fruit of goodly (ornamental, beautiful)trees, so AV RV & most, orgoodly tree-fruit, , so Di; — here would come alsoPsalm 110:3, reference to sacred, festal garments, according to Thes and others compare RVm; but read probablyon the holy mountains, see above
splendour, majestyDeuteronomy 33:17 of Ephraim under figure of a noble bull (compare Di); of JerusalemIsaiah 5:14 compareLamentations 1:6; of CarmelIsaiah 35:2 ("" ); ofmajesty & dignity conferred by on manPsalm 8:6 ("" ), on kingPsalm 21:6 (""id., ), comparePsalm 45:4 ("" ) &Psalm 45:5 (but text perhaps erroneous Checritical note.); denied of suffering servant ofIsaiah 53:2 ("" ); ofdignity of good & capable woman ()Proverbs 31:25 ("" ); ofsplendour due to warlike equipmentEzekiel 27:10; especially ofmajesty of1 Chronicles 16:27 =Psalm 96:6, compareJob 40:10;Psalm 111:3 (all "" ); alsoPsalm 104:1 (""id., under figure of garment); furtherPsalm 29:4 ("" ),Psalm 90:16 ("" ); in combinationPsalm 145:5;Psalm 145:12;Isaiah 2:10,19,21.
honour, gloryPsalm 149:9 for saints of ; compareMicah 2:9 of 's glory as possession of his people, lost by exile & slavery: but perhaps text error; HoffmZAW 1882, 103 proposes , from their children ye takefreedom (yet then hardly suitable).
Topical Lexicon
Concept Summaryהָדָר (hādar) communicates visible magnificence—“splendor,” “majesty,” “dignity,” or “honor.” Appearing about thirty times, it most often describes the LORD’s glorious self-revelation, but it can also mark royal authority, human dignity, the beauty of creation, and the anticipated glory of the Messianic age.
Divine Splendor
1 Chronicles 16:27;Psalm 96:6;Psalm 104:1; and similar texts pair הָדָר with terms such as “strength,” “beauty,” and “joy,” portraying the God of Israel as clothed in unapproachable brilliance.
•Psalm 96:6: “Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”
•Psalm 104:1: “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
This splendor is not ornamental but revelatory, displaying the LORD’s holiness and covenant faithfulness and inviting responsive worship (cf.Psalm 29; 96; 100).
Royal and Human Dignity
Hādar is transferred to the Davidic king (Psalm 21:5; 45:3) and, by extension, to humanity in its God-given dominion (Psalm 8:5).
•Psalm 21:5: “Great is his glory through Your salvation; splendor and majesty You bestow upon him.”
In wisdom literature it marks honorable maturity:
•Proverbs 20:29: “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair.”
•Proverbs 31:25: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the days to come.”
Thus biblical dignity is rooted in God’s image and invites stewardship rather than self-exaltation.
Creation’s Display of Splendor
Isaiah 35:2 applies הָדָר to restored landscapes: “They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God”. The term appears in Psalms celebrating creation’s order (Psalm 111:3; 145:5), reminding readers that the natural world is a theater for divine majesty and a summons to praise.
Prophetic and Messianic Dimensions
Isaiah 53:2 uses hādar negatively regarding the Suffering Servant: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us”. Paradoxically, true splendor is manifested through humble suffering that accomplishes redemption (Philippians 2:5-11). Future hope reverses that concealment: the Servant rises to “be high and lifted up and greatly exalted” (Isaiah 52:13), fulfilling the promise that “the splendor of Carmel and Sharon” will be granted to redeemed Zion (Isaiah 35:2; 60:7-13).
Liturgical Use in Worship
Many hādar passages are found in enthronement psalms (Psalms 93–99) and festival prayers (1 Chronicles 16), functioning as doxological vocabulary. Declaring God’s splendor shapes the worshiper’s attitude, anchoring praise in objective realities rather than subjective feelings.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
1. Worship: Congregational song and prayer should explicitly declare the LORD’s splendor, fostering reverence and joy.
2. Leadership: By attributing splendor to the Lord alone, human leaders cultivate humility while modeling dignity rooted in divine grace (Psalm 45:3;Proverbs 31:25).
3. Intergenerational Ministry:Proverbs 20:29 dignifies old age; churches can honor seniors as bearers of God-given hādar, pairing their wisdom with the energy of youth.
4. Creation Care: Because earth reflects divine majesty, stewardship of resources becomes an act of worship (Psalm 104).
5. Christ-Centered Preaching: The paradox ofIsaiah 53 encourages proclamation of the crucified yet risen Messiah whose hidden splendor now fills the Church (Revelation 1:12-18).
Related Themes
kabôd (“glory”) highlights weight or substance; hādar stresses visible majesty. Together they offer a rounded portrait of God’s glory both revealed and reflected.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּֽהַדְרֵי־ בֶּהָדָֽר׃ בַּֽהֲדָרִי֙ בהדר׃ בהדרי בהדרי־ הֲ֭דַר הֲדַ֣ר הֲדַ֥ר הֲדָרִ֖י הֲדָרֵֽךְ׃ הֲדָרָ֑הּ הֲדָרָ֧הּ הָדָ֑ר הָדָ֣ר הָדָר֙ הדר הדרה הדרי הדרך׃ וְ֝הָדָר וְהָדָ֣ר וְהָדָ֥ר וְהָדָר֙ וַ֝הֲדָרְךָ֗ וַהֲדַ֖ר וַהֲדָ֬רְךָ֨ ׀ וַהֲדָרֶֽךָ׃ וּמֵהֲדַ֖ר וּמֵהֲדַ֣ר והדר והדרך והדרך׃ ומהדר ba·hă·ḏā·rî bahadaRi bahăḏārî be·hā·ḏār bə·haḏ·rê- behaDar behāḏār bəhaḏrê- behadrei hă·ḏā·rāh hă·ḏā·rêḵ hă·ḏā·rî hă·ḏar hā·ḏār haDar hăḏar hāḏār hadaRah hăḏārāh hadaRech hăḏārêḵ hadaRi hăḏārî ū·mê·hă·ḏar umehaDar ūmêhăḏar vahaDar vahadaRecha vehaDar Vehador wa·hă·ḏā·re·ḵā wa·hă·ḏā·rə·ḵā wa·hă·ḏar wahăḏar wahăḏāreḵā wahăḏārəḵā wə·hā·ḏār wəhāḏār
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