Lexical Summary
gadar: To wall up, to build a wall, to enclose, to fence
Original Word: גָּדַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: gadar
Pronunciation: gah-dar
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-dar')
KJV: close up, fence up, hedge, inclose, make up (a wall), mason, repairer
NASB: build, masons, walled, blocked, build the wall, repairer, wall
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to wall in or around
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
close up, fence up, hedge, enclose, make up a wall, mason, repairer
A primitive root; to wall in or around -- close up, fence up, hedge, inclose, make up (a wall), mason, repairer.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto wall up or off, to build a wall
NASB Translationblocked (1), build (2), build the wall (1), masons (2), repairer (1), wall (1), walled (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(denominative? Late Hebrew
id., Arabic
👁 Image and see below) —
Perfect Job 19:8 2t., Hosea 2:8; Amos 9:11; Imperfect2masculine plural Ezekiel 13:5; Participle Isaiah 58:12; Ezekiel 22:30; plural 2 Kings 12:13; 2 Kings 22:6; — wall up, shut off, literal only Participle, absolute = masons (wall-builders) 2 Kings 12:13; 2 Kings 22:6; also Isaiah 58:12 (object ); figurative of Yahweh's dealings with men, object Job 19:8, Lamentations 3:9; compare Hosea 2:8 (accusative of congnate meaning with verb ), in all = obstructing path of life, compare also Lamentations 3:7 (with ); of restoring fallen booth of David Amos 9:11 (object ); of repairing fortunes of Israel, a work neglected by prophets Ezekiel 13:5, and by all in power Ezekiel 22:30 (both with accusative of congnate meaning with verb)
Topical Lexicon
Overview The root גָּדַר (Strong’s Hebrew 1443) gathers its meaning around the acts of enclosing, fencing, repairing, and hedging. The contexts of its ten appearances range from literal masonry to vivid metaphors of divine restraint or protection. Together they form a rich biblical motif: the wall that guards, the breach that endangers, and the call to restore what sin has broken.
Construction and Restoration of Physical Walls
1. Royal building projects. In 2 Kings 12:12 and 2 Kings 22:6 the word describes craftsmen “repairing the damage to the temple of the LORD.” Temple walls symbolize covenant order; their mending under Joash and Josiah mirrors moments of reform, reminding modern readers that material stewardship can serve spiritual renewal.
2. National rebuilding. Isaiah 58:12 proclaims, “You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,” linking social justice and fasting with civic reconstruction. Amos 9:11 extends the theme to David’s fallen tent: “I will raise up the fallen booth of David and repair its breaches,” projecting the Messianic hope of Acts 15:16–17. Thus גָּדַר becomes a pledge that God’s purposes, though breached, will stand again.
Obstruction and Limitation in Personal Suffering
Job 19:8 voices the lament, “He has walled up my way so I cannot pass.” Lamentations 3:7, 9 echoes the anguish: “He has walled me in so I cannot escape… He has walled in my ways with hewn stone.” Here גָּדַר portrays adversity as an impenetrable barrier. Yet even this wall is under divine sovereignty, pushing the sufferer toward humble appeal rather than despair.
Divine Hedge of Protection and Discipline
Hosea 2:6 intertwines mercy and judgment: “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns and wall her in, so she cannot find her paths.” The hedge disciplines a wayward nation while ultimately shielding her from deeper ruin. Pastoral application sees believers sometimes “hemmed in” for redemptive correction.
Prophetic Calls to Stand in the Breach
Ezekiel 13:5 rebukes false prophets who “did not go up to the breaches or build a wall for the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 22:30 records God’s search for “a man… who would build up the wall and stand in the gap.” גָּדַר thus underlines intercessory responsibility. When leadership fails to fortify moral boundaries, judgment advances unchecked.
Theological and Ministry Insights
• Walls signify ordered worship, moral boundaries, and covenant security. Their repair is an act of both engineering and repentance.
• God may wall in or hedge about His people either to protect (Psalm 34:7’s angelic encampment echoes the imagery) or to restrain them from self-destruction.
• Christ fulfills the prophetic promise of restored walls (Amos 9:11) and inaugurates a spiritual house “being built together” (Ephesians 2:22), where breaches are healed by His atonement.
• Ministry today imitates the masons and intercessors of old: repairing doctrinal breaches, guarding congregational holiness, and standing in prayer “on the walls” (Isaiah 62:6–7).
• Personal trials that feel like walls can become altars of trust; communal breakdowns that appear as breaches invite courageous restoration.
In every occurrence גָּדַר presents the same divine initiative: what has been broken must be mended, what has been exposed must be secured, and what threatens to imprison can, by grace, become a fortress of hope.
Forms and Transliterations
גָ֭דַר גָּדַ֤ר גָּדַ֧ר גֹּֽדֵר־ גֹּדֵ֣ר גדר גדר־ וְגָֽדַרְתִּי֙ וְגָדַרְתִּ֣י וְלַגֹּֽדְרִ֑ים וְלַגֹּֽדְרִים֙ וַתִּגְדְּר֥וּ וגדרתי ולגדרים ותגדרו gā·ḏar ḡā·ḏar Gadar gāḏar ḡāḏar gō·ḏêr gō·ḏêr- goDer gōḏêr gōḏêr- vattigdeRu vegadarTi velaggodeRim wat·tiḡ·də·rū wattiḡdərū wə·ḡā·ḏar·tî wə·lag·gō·ḏə·rîm wəḡāḏartî wəlaggōḏərîm
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