Word Study for H908 (בָּדָא) | Strong's Concordance

bâdâʼ /baw-daw'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaning(figuratively) to invent

KJV usagedevise, feign.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of bâdâʼ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word bâdâʼ, represented by H908, is a primitive root used figuratively to mean to invent, devise, or feign. It appears only 2 times across 2 unique verses, yet its usage is significant in illustrating the concept of human fabrication in opposition to divine truth. It consistently describes something created from a person's own mind or heart rather than from an external, authoritative source.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical occurrences, H908 is used to condemn actions that originate from human will rather than God's command. When Nehemiah is accused of rebellion, he refutes the claims by stating, "thou feignest them out of thine own heart" Nehemiah 6:8, identifying the accusations as pure invention. Similarly, King Jeroboam's establishment of an unauthorized religious festival is described as occurring in the month "which he had devised of his own heart" 1 Kings 12:33. In both cases, the word highlights an illegitimate creation stemming from the "heart."

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context of inventing and feigning:

H3820 lêb (the heart): This word is central to both uses of H908. It signifies that the invention or falsehood originates from a person's own intellect and will, as seen when Jeroboam devises a feast "of his own heart" 1 Kings 12:33 and Nehemiah's enemies invent lies from their "own heart" Nehemiah 6:8.
H2282 chag (a festival, or a victim therefor): This is the specific object of Jeroboam's invention. He "ordained a feast" 1 Kings 12:33 that was not commanded by God, showing H908 in the context of creating false religious observances.
H1008 Bêyth-ʼÊl (house of God; Beth-El): Jeroboam established his devised feast and altar in Beth-el 1 Kings 12:33, a location whose name means "house of God." This shows the corruption of a holy place through human invention.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H908 is focused on the critical distinction between divine authority and human arrogance.

Illegitimate Worship: The word is used to define the sin of creating religious practices outside of God's revealed law. Jeroboam's feast, which he "devised," stands as a foundational act of apostasy for the northern kingdom of Israel 1 Kings 12:33.
Source of Falsehood: In the context of Nehemiah, to "feign" is to create a lie. This connects H908 to slander and deception, where truth is replaced by something invented from a malicious heart Nehemiah 6:8.
The Heart as Origin: Both uses of H908 specify that the action came "out of his own heart." This underscores a biblical theme that the heart, as the seat of human will and intellect, can be the source of rebellion and things contrary to God's order.

Summary

In summary, H908 is a precise and powerful term for human invention that stands in opposition to divine reality. Though rare, its appearances in scripture are pivotal, marking moments of deliberate fabrication. It defines the creation of a counterfeit feast that led a nation into idolatry and the contriving of lies meant to undermine God's work. Ultimately, bâdâʼ serves as a strong condemnation of replacing God's truth with anything devised from the human heart.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

בוֹדָא
בָּדָא

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 1 Kings and Nehemiah (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

1 Kings

Nehemiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.