Lexical Summary
radah: To rule, to have dominion, to subdue
Original Word:רָדָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:radah
Pronunciation:rah-DAH
Phonetic Spelling:(raw-daw')
KJV: (come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to tread down, i.e. subjugate
2. specifically, to crumble off
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
make to have dominion, prevail against, reign, bear
A primitive root; to tread down, i.e. Subjugate; specifically, to crumble off -- (come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (Late Hebrew ,
Jon ,
chastise; Arabic
tread, trample; Syriac
chastise, also (and so Assyrian
radû)
go, flow); —
Perfect3plural consecutiveIsaiah 14:2;Leviticus 26:17; 2masculine pluralEzekiel 34:4;Imperfect3masculine singular suffixLeviticus 25:53,Lamentations 1:13, jussiveNumbers 24:19;Psalm 72:8; 2masculine singularLeviticus 25:43,46, etc.;Imperative masculine singular Lev 110:2; masculine pluralGenesis 1:28 (Joel 4:13 see );Infinitive constructEzekiel 29:15;Participle1 Kings 5:4;Isaiah 14:6; suffixPsalm 68:28; plural1 Kings 5:30 2t.; —have dominion, rule, over, usually with person or pop.1 Kings 5:4;1 Kings 5:30;1 Kings 9:23 2Chronicles 8:10;Isaiah 14:2;Leviticus 25:43,46,53;Leviticus 26:17;Ezekiel 29:15;Nehemiah 9:28;Psalm 49:15; of fish, etc.,Genesis 1:26,28;Psalm 110:2; with accusative of personEzekiel 34:4;Isaiah 14:6 (perhaps + accusative of congnate meaning with verb, see [ ] below); accusative omittedNumbers 24:19 (),Jeremiah 5:31 (+ , see (2); see also ingenious conjecture below II. ; but < Grteach),Psalm 72:8; forLamentations 1:13and it (the fire)prevailed against them (my bones), read perhaps into my bonesit descended (Bu). —Psalm 68:28 is dubious; Grill Hup-Now Che Du .Judges 5:13 (twice in verse) see .
Imperfect3masculine singularIsaiah 41:2and kings he causeth (him)to dominate; but apocopatic form strange, read (√ q. v.) Ew Di Du; Klo Che.
II. (Late Hebrewid., scrape ordraw off, out (bread from oven)); —
Perfect3masculine singularJudges 14:9b out of the carcasshe scraped the honey (see GFM); suffixJudges 14:9 ahe scraped it out into his palms; BuhlLex Du alsoJeremiah 5:31, namely, gifts, money, figurative for making gain (most I. q. v.).
see
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope of רָדָהThe verb רָדָה carries the central idea of exercising authority or dominion. In the Tanakh its range runs from benevolent oversight to harsh subjugation. Context therefore determines whether the rule is righteous (as when delegated by God) or oppressive (as when corrupted by sinners). The term appears some twenty-seven times, revealing a broad, coherent theology of authority in Scripture.
The Dominion Mandate in Creation (Genesis 1)
The first occurrence frames all the rest. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule (רָדָה) over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air…’ ” (Genesis 1:26). Immediately, verse 28 repeats the charge: humanity is blessed and commanded to “rule” over every living thing. Dominion is not license for exploitation; it is stewardship that reflects God’s own righteous governance. Later texts measuring all other kinds of rule—political, military, pastoral—echo back to this foundational vocation.
Human Kingship and Government
When Israel requests a king, and later when Solomon’s empire is described, רָדָה depicts legitimate national authority. “For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates… and he had peace on all sides” (1 Kings 4:24). Psalms celebrating the Davidic monarchy pick up the same vocabulary: “May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 72:8). Such verses hold the king to the Genesis pattern—governing under God for the good of the governed.
Servitude and Social Ethics (Leviticus 25)
In the Jubilee legislation רָדָה establishes boundaries for economic power. Three times the chapter forbids Israelites to “rule over” fellow covenant members with ruthless severity (Leviticus 25:43, 46, 53). The law acknowledges unavoidable hierarchies while insisting that those who exercise control must do so justly, remembering their own redemption from Egypt. Dominion is never autonomous; it is always accountable to Yahweh.
Oppressive Dominion and Divine Judgment
Where רָדָה becomes tyrannical, prophets announce judgment. Nehemiah laments foreign overlords who “rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please” (Nehemiah 9:37). Ezekiel indicts faithless shepherds: “You have ruled them with force and brutality” (Ezekiel 34:4). Isaiah foresees the tables turned: “They will take captive their captors and rule over their oppressors” (Isaiah 14:2). The same God who entrusts authority also revokes it when it degenerates into oppression.
Messianic Kingship and Future Hope
Psalm 110 anticipates a greater Son of David: “The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion: ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies’ ” (Psalm 110:2). Isaiah similarly looks beyond temporal rulers to one who will thresh the nations without injustice (Isaiah 41:15, context). Both passages employ רָדָה to portray the Messiah’s universal, righteous reign, fulfilling the original human calling on an eschatological scale.
Pastoral Application for Ministry Leadership
Although רָדָה is an Old Testament verb, its principles illuminate Christian ministry. Elders are to “shepherd the flock of God… not lording it over those entrusted” (1 Peter 5:2-3), a clear New Testament echo ofLeviticus 25 andEzekiel 34. Church leaders remain stewards, not owners; they exercise authority under Christ the Chief Shepherd. The concept also informs Christian engagement with civic structures, encouraging respect for legitimate government while resisting tyranny that violates divine standards.
Theological Reflections on Authority and Stewardship
1. Authority originates with God. Every human instance of רָדָה is derivative.
2. Dominion is for the benefit of creation and community, not self-aggrandizement.
3. Scripture distinguishes between righteous rule and ruthless domination, holding rulers accountable.
4. The hope of a perfect Ruler—Jesus Christ—grounds the believer’s confidence that all present abuses of power are provisional and destined to end.
Summary
רָדָה threads through the biblical narrative as a touchstone for understanding authority: granted at creation, regulated by law, critiqued by prophets, and consummated in the Messiah. It calls every follower of God to exercise whatever influence he entrusts with humble stewardship, justice, and anticipation of the coming kingdom where perfect dominion will at last be realized.
Forms and Transliterations
הָרֹדִ֖ים הָרֹדִ֣ים הרדים וְ֭יֵרְדְּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ וְיֵ֖רְדְּ וְרָד֖וּ וְרָד֤וּ וַיִּרְדֵּ֣הוּ וַיִּרְדֶּ֑נָּה וַיִּרְדּ֘וּ וַיִּרְדּ֣וּ וּרְד֞וּ וירד וירדהו וירדו וירדנה ורדו יְרַ֣ד יְרַד־ יִרְדֶּ֥נּֽוּ יִרְדּ֣וּ יַ֔רְדְּ ירד ירד־ ירדו ירדנו רְ֝דֵ֗ה רְד֥וֹת רְדִיתֶ֥ם רָדָ֥ה רֹדֵ֗ם רֹדֶ֣ה ׀ רֹדֶ֤ה רדה רדות רדיתם רדם תִרְדֶּ֥ה תרדה hā·rō·ḏîm haroDim hārōḏîm rā·ḏāh raDah rāḏāh rə·ḏêh rə·ḏî·ṯem rə·ḏō·wṯ reDeh rəḏêh rediTem rəḏîṯem reDot rəḏōwṯ rō·ḏeh rō·ḏêm roDeh rōḏeh roDem rōḏêm ṯir·deh tirDeh ṯirdeh ū·rə·ḏū ureDu ūrəḏū vaiyirDehu vaiyirDennah vaiyirDu veraDu veYered veyirDu way·yir·dê·hū way·yir·den·nāh way·yir·dū wayyirdêhū wayyirdennāh wayyirdū wə·rā·ḏū wə·yê·rəd wə·yir·dū wərāḏū wəyêrəd wəyirdū yard yə·raḏ yə·raḏ- yeRad yəraḏ yəraḏ- yir·den·nū yir·dū yirDennu yirdennū yirDu yirdū
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
