Lexical Summary
badal: separated, separate, set apart
Original Word:בָּדל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:badal
Pronunciation:bah-DAHL
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-dal')
KJV: (make, put) difference, divide (asunder), (make) separate (self, -ation), sever (out), X utterly
NASB:separated, separate, set apart, make a distinction, excluded, set aside, sever
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to divide (in variation senses literally or figuratively, separate, distinguish, differ, select, etc.)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
make, put difference, divide asunder, make separate
A primitive root; to divide (in variation senses literally or figuratively, separate, distinguish, differ, select, etc.) -- (make, put) difference, divide (asunder), (make) separate (self, -ation), sever (out), X utterly.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be divided, separate
NASB Translationcame over (1), dismissed (1), divide (1), excluded (2), made a separation (1), made...distinction (1), make a distinction (3), partition (1), selected (1), separate (6), separated (10), serve (1), set you apart (1), set apart (6), set aside (2), sever (2), single (1), surely separate (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Arabic
change, substitute, Mishna
divide, Syriac
Ithpe`el, Ethpe`el) —
divide, separate; PerfectNumbers 16:9;Deuteronomy 10:8; suffix consecutiveDeuteronomy 29:20; 3feminine singularExodus 26:33;Numbers 8:14;Ezekiel 22:26, etc.ImperfectLeviticus 1:17 +;Genesis 1:4,7;1 Chronicles 25:1; suffixIsaiah 56:3;Leviticus 20:26;Ezra 8:24, etc.;Infinitive absoluteIsaiah 56:3;constructGenesis 1:14 +;ParticipleGenesis 1:6;Isaiah 59:2; —
divide, separate, subject GodGenesis 1:4 followed by ....between light and darkness, compareGenesis 1:7; subject heavenly bodiesGenesis 1:14;Genesis 1:18; subject firmament followed byGenesis 1:6 (all in P's source);Exodus 26:33 of the in tabernacle, followed by ; of iniquities, separating men from GodIsaiah 59:2.
separate, set apart, followed by , of , setting off Israel from other peoplesLeviticus 20:24 (H)Numbers 16:9 (P);Leviticus 20:26 followed by also ; compare1 Kings 8:53separate them to thyself as an inheritance; of Moses, setting apart Levites, followed byNumbers 8:14; of separating an individual from the people, i.e. excluding himDeuteronomy 29:20, followed by also ; followed byIsaiah 56:3 (twice in verse), i.e. excluding him; compare alsoNehemiah 13:3 followed by ; of setting apart (forbidding) beasts as uncleanLeviticus 20:25; of setting apart the tribe of LeviDeuteronomy 10:8 (subject ); compare also (hum. subject)1 Chronicles 25:1, followed by , 2 Chronicles 25:10 followed by Infinitive; similarlyEzra 8:24; even followed by participleEzekiel 39:14 they shall set apart men , i.e.to pass through, or,men that shall pass through (RV); so of setting apart cities, accusativeDeuteronomy 4:41; compareDeuteronomy 19:2,7.
make a distinction between clean and unclean, holy and profane, followed byLeviticus 20:25 (H);Leviticus 10:10;Leviticus 11:47 (both P); followed byEzekiel 22:26;Ezekiel 42:20.
divide into partsLeviticus 1:17;Leviticus 5:8 (P), prohibited in case of fowls offered in sacrifice.
Perfect1 Chronicles 12:8;Ezra 9:1;ImperfectEzra 10:8;1 Chronicles 23:13;Ezra 10:16;Nehemiah 9:2;ImperativeNumbers 16:21;Ezra 10:11;ParticipleEzra 6:21;Nehemiah 10:29. (reflexive of )
separate oneself from people of the land, heathen, and their practices, also from non-Jewish wives, followed byEzra 6:21;Ezra 9:1;Ezra 10:11;Nehemiah 9:2; absolute in same senseEzra 10:16 (compare StaG. ii. 199 & 179 n. WlPharisäer u. Sadd. 76).
withdraw from (Moses & Aaron from Israel)Numbers 16:21 (P), followed by .
separate oneself unto () David1 Chronicles 12:8.
Nehemiah 10:29 combines &separate oneself .
passive,be separated.
be excluded from the people, followed byEzra 10:8.
be set apart, of Aaron, followed by1 Chronicles 23:13. — On , & distinction from see DrJPhoenician xi. 219.
Topical Lexicon
Divine Act of Separation in Creation“God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:4). The same verb recurs when the waters are divided (Genesis 1:6-7). These inaugural uses reveal a Creator who brings life-sustaining order by drawing clear boundaries. Separation is therefore not negative exclusion but the constructive act that makes habitation and blessing possible.
Separation as the Essence of Holiness
Priestly instruction hinges on distinction: “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean” (Leviticus 10:10). Repeatedly the Lord reminds Israel, “I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45; cf. 20:24-26). Holiness is relational before it is ritual; God sets His people apart so that they may reflect His character.
Distinguishing God’s People from the Nations
During the plagues God declared, “I will make a distinction between My people and your people” (Exodus 8:23; also 9:4; 11:7). Deliverance itself is an act of separation, underscoring covenant loyalty.Numbers 8:14 adds, “Thus you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine.” Privilege is joined to responsibility: those set apart are commissioned for service.
Cultic and Ceremonial Boundaries
Leviticus 15:31 commands the priests to “separate the Israelites from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling My tabernacle.” The verb shapes regulations for food, bodily emissions, Nazirites (Numbers 6:2-3), and even geography, as when cities of refuge are “set apart” (Deuteronomy 4:41). Sacred space, sacred persons, and sacred times exist because God marks them off for His own purposes.
Moral and Spiritual Separation
Following exile, restoration required renewed separation: “The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins” (Nehemiah 9:2; cf.Ezra 10:11;Nehemiah 10:28). Here the verb moves beyond ritual purity to covenant faithfulness and repentance, reminding the community that sin, not ethnicity, is what truly alienates from God.
Prophetic and Eschatological Echoes
Isaiah warns, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2), yet promises inclusion for the outsider who fears being “separated from the LORD” (Isaiah 56:3). Ezekiel envisions a future temple whose wall “separated the holy from the common” (Ezekiel 42:20), affirming that holiness remains central in the consummation of God’s kingdom.
Christological Fulfillment and New Testament Resonance
New Covenant writers employ the concept if not the Hebrew term. Paul cites Isaiah to exhort, “Come out from among them and be separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Peter echoes Leviticus: “You are a chosen people…a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). In Jesus, the Holy One set apart by the Father (John 10:36), separation achieves its redemptive goal: the veil is torn (Matthew 27:51), granting access while preserving divine holiness.
Ministry Implications
1. Worship must honor God-ordained distinctions in doctrine, sacrament, and leadership.
2. Discipleship calls believers to continual cleansing from defilement (2 Corinthians 7:1).
3. Mission springs from being set apart for witness, not isolation (Exodus 19:6;Matthew 5:14-16).
4. Pastoral oversight guards the flock from influences that blur biblical boundaries (Acts 20:28-31).
Summary
From the cosmos to the covenant community, בָּדל depicts a purposeful God who divides to bless, consecrates to inhabit, and distinguishes to redeem. The call remains: live distinctly in the world while reflecting the holiness of the One who first separated light from darkness.
Forms and Transliterations
הִבְדִּ֔ילוּ הִבְדִּ֤יל הִבְדִּיל֩ הִבְדַּ֥לְתִּי הִבְדַּלְתָּ֤ם הִבָּ֣דְל֔וּ הַבְדֵּ֧ל הַנִּבְדָּ֛ל הַנִּבְדָּ֞ל הבדיל הבדילו הבדל הבדלו הבדלתי הבדלתם הנבדל וְהִבְדִּיל֤וֹ וְהִבְדִּילָ֤ה וְהִבְדַּלְתֶּ֞ם וְהִבְדַּלְתָּ֙ וְהִבָּֽדְלוּ֙ וַיִּבָּֽדְלוּ֙ וַיִּבָּדְלוּ֩ וַיִּבָּדֵ֣ל וַיַּבְדִּ֥ילוּ וַיַּבְדִּילֵ֣ם וַיַּבְדֵּ֗ל וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל וָאַבְדִּ֛ילָה וָאַבְדִּ֥ל וּֽלֲהַבְדִּ֔יל ואבדילה ואבדל והבדילה והבדילו והבדלו והבדלת והבדלתם ויבדילו ויבדילם ויבדל ויבדלו ולהבדיל יִבָּדֵ֖ל יַבְדִּ֙ילוּ֙ יַבְדִּ֤יל יַבְדִּֽיל׃ יַבְדִּיל֒ יַבְדִּילַ֛נִי יבדיל יבדיל׃ יבדילו יבדילני יבדל לְהַבְדִּ֕יל להבדיל מַבְדִּ֔יל מַבְדִּלִ֔ים מבדיל מבדלים נִבְדְּל֞וּ נִבְדְּל֣וּ נבדלו תַּבְדִּ֣יל תַּבְדִּ֥יל תבדיל haḇ·dêl haḇdêl han·niḇ·dāl hanniḇdāl hannivDal havDel hib·bā·ḏə·lū hiḇ·dal·tām hiḇ·dal·tî hiḇ·dî·lū hiḇ·dîl hibBadeLu hibbāḏəlū hiḇdaltām hiḇdaltî hiḇdîl hiḇdîlū hivdalTam hivDalti hivDil hivDilu lə·haḇ·dîl ləhaḇdîl lehavDil maḇ·di·lîm maḇ·dîl maḇdîl maḇdilîm mavDil mavdiLim niḇ·də·lū niḇdəlū nivdeLu taḇ·dîl taḇdîl tavDil ū·lă·haḇ·dîl ūlăhaḇdîl ulahavDil vaavDil vaavDilah vaiyavDel vaiyavdiLem vaiyavDilu vaiyibbaDel vaiyibbadeLu vehibbadeLu vehivdalTa vehivdalTem vehivdiLah vehivdiLo wā’aḇdil wā’aḇdîlāh wā·’aḇ·dî·lāh wā·’aḇ·dil way·yaḇ·dêl way·yaḇ·dî·lêm way·yaḇ·dî·lū way·yib·bā·ḏə·lū way·yib·bā·ḏêl wayyaḇdêl wayyaḇdîlêm wayyaḇdîlū wayyibbāḏêl wayyibbāḏəlū wə·hib·bā·ḏə·lū wə·hiḇ·dal·tā wə·hiḇ·dal·tem wə·hiḇ·dî·lāh wə·hiḇ·dî·lōw wəhibbāḏəlū wəhiḇdaltā wəhiḇdaltem wəhiḇdîlāh wəhiḇdîlōw yaḇ·dî·la·nî yaḇ·dî·lū yaḇ·dîl yaḇdîl yaḇdîlanî yaḇdîlū yavDil yavdiLani yavDilu yib·bā·ḏêl yibbaDel yibbāḏêl
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