Lexical Summary
Paddan or Paddan Aram: Paddan or Paddan Aram
Original Word:פַדָּן
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Paddan
Pronunciation:pad-dawn' or pad-dawn' a-rahm'
Phonetic Spelling:(pad-dawn')
KJV: Padan, Padan-aram
NASB:Paddan-aram, Aram, Paddan
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to extend, a plateau; or Paddan pAram {pad-dan' ar-awm'}; from the same andH758 (אֲרָם - Aram)]
1. the table-land of Aram
2. Paddan or Paddan-Aram, a region of Syria
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Padan, Padan-aram
From an unused root meaning to extend; a plateau; or Paddan param {pad-dan' ar-awm'}; from the same and'Aram; the table-land of Aram; Paddan or Paddan-Aram, a region of Syria -- Padan, Padan-aram.
see HEBREW'Aram
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitionthe place where Rachel died
NASB TranslationAram (1), Paddan (1), Paddan-aram (10).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
11 (
? garden, field; compare
yoke, span of oxen; Syriac
yoke, whence, as loan-word Arabic
Frä
129; Assyrian
padanu, =
road, and also
garden, etc. (in word-lists, see KAT3/4, 612); also Nö
Aramaic in Ency. Bib.); —
Genesis 48:7, abbreviated from (? =
garden, field of [
in]
Aram; conjectures by many that
Hosea 12:13 is Hebrew translation, compare Di
Genesis 25:20)
Genesis 25:20 5t.;
Genesis 28:2 f. (see
; all P); (); perhapsPaddânâ, near Haran (andTel Fedd¹n of Arabic geography), see Nöl.c.
Topical Lexicon
Name and LocationPadan, most often appearing as “Padan-aram,” designates the fertile plain of Aram near Haran in northern Mesopotamia. Bordered by the Balikh River and situated on major caravan routes, it functioned as an agricultural heartland and commercial crossroads. In the Genesis narratives it is always linked with the Aramean clan of Bethuel and Laban, relatives of the patriarchal family.
Scriptural Occurrences
Padan is mentioned eleven times, all in Genesis: 25:20; 28:2, 5, 6, 7; 31:18; 33:18; 35:9, 26; 46:15; 48:7.
Role in the Patriarchal Narratives
1. A wife for Isaac’s son
Genesis 25:20 records Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah: “Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram”. The setting underscores the importance of maintaining covenant lineage within Abraham’s extended family rather than mingling with Canaanite idolatry.
2. Jacob’s flight and formation
At Rebekah’s urging, Isaac commands Jacob, “Go at once to Paddan-aram … take a wife for yourself there” (Genesis 28:2). Jacob’s twenty-year sojourn in Padan becomes the crucible in which God shapes him. There he experiences:
• Marriage to Leah and Rachel and the birth of eleven sons and Dinah (Genesis 35:26; 46:15).
• Material blessing despite Laban’s duplicity (Genesis 31:7-9).
• A deepening awareness of God’s covenant faithfulness, culminating in the return journey and the Bethel encounter (Genesis 35:9).
3. Departure and return
“After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem” (Genesis 33:18). The explicit mention of the region in the departure and return narratives frames Jacob’s life as a divinely guided pilgrimage, establishing a pattern later mirrored in Israel’s exodus and resettlement.
Theological Significance
• Covenant Preservation
By directing both Isaac and Jacob toward Padan for spouses, God safeguards the Abrahamic promise through marriages informed by shared faith rather than pagan culture.
• Divine Sovereignty and Providence
In Padan, the Lord multiplies Jacob’s household and wealth, demonstrating that the covenant blessing is not confined to Canaan’s borders. God is present and active wherever His people dwell.
• Identity Formation
The births in Padan produce the tribal heads of Israel. Thus, the plain becomes the geographical womb of the nation. References such asGenesis 46:15 anchor Israel’s collective memory to this foreign land, reminding future generations of humble origins and God’s sustaining grace.
• Typological Foreshadowing
Jacob’s exile-and-return from Padan anticipates Israel’s later exiles, affirming that divine discipline is restorative and that God faithfully brings His people back to the land of promise.
Historical Context
Archaeological and textual data locate Padan within the broader Aramean territory that flourished during the second millennium B.C. Haran served as a major worship center of the moon-god Sin, highlighting the contrast between the idolatrous surroundings and the monotheistic witness of the patriarchal family.
Ministry and Discipleship Applications
• Seeking God’s will in life transitions
Jacob’s obedience to leave home and submit to God’s timing for marriage models trust during uncertain seasons.
• Integrity in unfavorable environments
Jacob prospers in Padan without compromising his heritage, encouraging believers to maintain godly character in secular workplaces.
• Remembering spiritual milestones
Just as Jacob erected memorials at Bethel after leaving Padan, Christians are urged to mark and retell God’s faithfulness so future generations can see His hand at work.
Summary
Padan, though geographically distant from the Promised Land, stands at the heart of Genesis theology. It is the stage on which the Lord preserves the covenant family, multiplies their number, and reveals His steadfast love. The plain’s memory reminds God’s people that no matter the location, His purposes prevail.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲרָ֑ם אֲרָ֔ם אֲרָֽם׃ ארם ארם׃ מִפַּדָּ֗ן מפדן ’ă·rām ’ărām aRam mip·pad·dān mippadDan mippaddān
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