Soil, Land.
Soil, Land.
Three Hebrew words are rendered land. Sadeh () signifies a field, a plot of land, or an estate; it is rendered ‘land’ in 1Sa 14:14; 2Sa 9:7; 2Sa 19:29; 2Ki 8:3; 2Ki 8:5 ; and Neh 5:3, &c. Erets (), which is very largely used, signifies a territory, or even the whole earth. It is systematically adopted by Moses and other writers in the expression, ‘A l and flowing with milk and honey.’ Adamah () properly means the soil, regarded as a productive agent. It is used of the l and or ground in the sense in which a farmer would speak of it. this word is used with remarkable consistency of the l and of Canaan, of the Jew’s own land, and of the fruits of the land. It occurs in Gen 28:15, ‘I will bring thee again into this land,’ where it is in contrast with ‘all the families of the earth.’ in Gen 47:20 we read, ‘Joseph bought all the l and (i.e. soil, adamah) of Egypt for Pharaoh . so the l and (i.e. the whole territory, erets) became Pharaoh’s.’ Other instances where the two words occur in juxtaposition are Lev 20:24; Deu 29:28; 2Ki 25:21; Jer 16:15; Jer 23:7-8; Eze 7:9; Eze 12:19; Eze 33:24 in these passages adamah is used in a peculiar sense, to mark Israel’s ‘own land,’ whilst erets is used more generally of the territory of the Canaanites, or of some other people.
Adamah is used in Deu 21:1; Deu 21:23, with regard to the defilement of the l and caused by the presence of a slain body, or of a body that remained unburied. It was regarded as holy or sacred, and death was a defilement because it was the outward and visible sign of sin.
In the passages which relate to the restoration of Israel to their native soil adamah is consistently used. See Isa 14:1-2; Jer 16:15; Eze 11:17; Eze 34:13; Eze 34:27; Eze 36:24; Eze 37:12; Eze 37:14; Eze 37:21; Amo 9:15; Zec 2:12.
Adamah is rendered earth about fifty times, and always in the sense above designated, as ground or soil. Thus it is used of the beast of the earth (Gen 1:25); of Cain being cursed from the earth, so that it should not yield its fruit to him (Gen 4:11); of the face of the earth (Gen 6:1; Gen 6:7); of rain falling on the earth (Gen 7:4); of the blessing to be given to all the families of the earth (Gen 12:3; Gen 28:14); compare its usage in Exo 10:6 in Exo 20:24 it is used of the ‘altar of earth,’ a point interesting to be observed, as making the soil on which man lives and from which he takes his name a participat or with the rite of sacrifice. Perhaps it was for an altar that Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of soil (2Ki 5:7). Adamah is also used of the earth which was put on a man’s head as a mark of sorrow (1Sa 4:12). It occurs with touching significance in Psa 146:4, ‘H is breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish.’ in Isa 24:21, where we read, ‘The Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth up on the earth,’ we should have expected to find erets; but adamah is used, to enforce the contrast between those that dwell on this soil with the inhabitants of other regions; compare 45:9, ‘Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth,’ and Amo 3:2, You only have I known of all the families of the earth.’