BIBLE HEBREW WORD STUDY
Sadeh (שָׂדֶה) — Field in the Bible
שָׂדֶה (sadeh) is a common Hebrew noun meaning 'field' — an open, flat expanse of land used for cultivation, pasture, or simply as the wild outdoors.
Meaning of the word
The Hebrew noun שָׂדֶה (sadeh) is glossed in the lexical entry as 'a field (as flat),' capturing the basic image of an open, level expanse of land. It does not refer to a specific type of geography such as a mountain or a walled garden, but rather to the broad, cultivable outdoor space that lies outside the house or settlement.
In practice the word covers both cultivated ground and the uncultivated countryside. It can describe a plot used for growing plants and herbs, and equally the open space where wild animals roam. The phrase 'beast of the field' (חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה) is a recurring biblical idiom, and 'plant of the field' or 'herb of the field' refers to vegetation that grows in such open ground.
Usage in Scripture
In the early chapters of Genesis, sadeh is closely tied to the narrative of creation and the ground. Genesis 2:5 mentions 'plant of the field' and 'herb of the field' not yet having sprung up because there was no rain and no tiller of the ground. The word then frames the way the man relates to the creatures: the beasts of the field (Genesis 2:19–20) are brought before Adam to be named. After the fall, the field becomes the place where the serpent moves among the beasts of the field (Genesis 3:1), where the serpent is cursed 'above every beast of the field' (Genesis 3:14), and where humanity will eat 'the herb of the field' (Genesis 3:18).
Beyond Genesis, sadeh appears in poetic texts that draw on the image of the open landscape. Psalm 103:15 compares human life to 'a flower of the field,' using the same word to evoke a plant that grows in the open and quickly fades. Across these uses, sadeh consistently points to the world outside the cultivated or inhabited space — the ground where life, work, wild animals, and human mortality all play out.
The word in detail
- H7704 שָׂדֶה (sadeh) is glossed in the lexical entry as 'a field (as flat),' highlighting the idea of an open, level stretch of land. The word is used both for cultivated ground (plants, herbs) and for the wild outdoors where animals roam.
Example verses
- Genesis 2:5 Here 'plant of the field' and 'herb of the field' use sadeh for vegetation that grows in open ground; the verse notes that none had yet appeared because there was no rain and no human to till the soil.
- Genesis 2:19 'Every beast of the field' uses sadeh to describe the open habitat of the animals God forms and brings before Adam to be named.
- Genesis 3:1 The serpent is described as more crafty than 'any beast of the field,' situating it within the open-world setting of sadeh before it approaches the woman.
- Psalms 103:15 'A flower of the field' draws on the same open-country image of sadeh to picture human life as something that flourishes briefly in the open and then fades.
Common questions
What does שָׂדֶה (sadeh) mean in Hebrew?
It is a common Hebrew noun meaning 'field' — an open, roughly flat expanse of land, used for cultivation, grazing, or simply the wild outdoors.
Is sadeh only used for farmland, or also for the wilderness?
Both. Sadeh can denote cultivated ground (herbs, plants of the field) and also the open countryside where wild animals live, as in the recurring phrase 'beast of the field.'
Why does Genesis 2:5 mention 'the field' before agriculture existed?
The verse uses 'plant of the field' and 'herb of the field' to describe vegetation in general that grows in open ground, noting that none had yet sprung up because there was no rain and no human to till the soil.