Original Word: צְדָד
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tsdad
Pronunciation: tseh-dahd'
Phonetic Spelling: (tsed-awd')
KJV: Zedad
NASB: Zedad
Word Origin: [from the same as H6654 (צַּד - side)]

1. a siding
2. Tsedad, a place near Israel

Zedad

From the same as tsad; a siding; Tsedad, a place near Palestine -- Zedad.

see HEBREW tsad

Word Origin
from the same as tsad
Definition
a place on the N. border of Canaan
NASB Translation
Zedad (2).

[צְדָד] proper name, of a location on northern border of Canaan, with ה locative, צְדָ֫דָה Numbers 34:8 (Σαραδακ, Samaritan צרדה), Ezekiel 47:15 (Σελδαμμα), read probably צְרָ֫דָה; perhaps Khirbet ‚era-da-, north of Abil, east of Merj 'Ajûn toward Hermon (latitude approximatly 33° 25' north, longitude approximately 35° 35' east), so van Kasteren^{Rev. Bibl., 1895, 30,} compare Buhl^{Geogr. 67}.

Geographical Setting

Zedad is presented in Scripture as a landmark on the northern frontier of the land allotted to Israel. It lies somewhere east of Lebo-Hamath and south of Hauran, between the Mediterranean coast and the Syrian desert. Most scholars place it in the region of today’s Beqaa Valley or northern Lebanon–western Syria, perhaps near modern Ṣadad (about 35 kilometers south of Homs). Its precise location remains debated, yet all proposals situate it on the high plateau that forms the southern edge of the Anti-Lebanon range. The terrain is elevated and semi-arid, offering natural defensibility and a commanding view toward the upper Orontes basin.

Biblical Context

1. Numbers 34:8 appears in the instructions Yahweh gave Moses on Mount Sinai for apportioning Canaan among the tribes: “from Mount Hor draw a line to Lebo-Hamath, then extend the border to Zedad”. The verse establishes Zedad as part of Israel’s northern limit west-to-east, marking the boundary beyond which Israel was not to advance during the initial conquest.
2. Ezekiel 47:15 echoes the same line when the prophet describes the allocation of a restored land following the Babylonian exile and in anticipation of Israel’s ultimate redemption: “On the north side it will extend from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-Hamath, then to Zedad”. Here Zedad reappears as a fixed point in the eschatological map of a purified, reordered land under Messiah’s rule.

Theological Significance

Boundary markers such as Zedad highlight the covenant balance of promise and restraint. The land is a gift, yet the gift has borders appointed by God. These limitations teach that divine blessing is always linked to divine order (Deuteronomy 32:8). Zedad therefore stands as an enduring testimony that God both grants inheritance and defines its limits. When Ezekiel reaffirms the same marker centuries later, he underscores the immutability of the Lord’s purpose despite Israel’s unfaithfulness.

Historical and Archaeological Considerations

Ancient extra-biblical texts from Egypt and Mesopotamia mention settlements with similar consonants, but no conclusive inscription has yet been tied to the biblical site. Surveys around Ṣadad have unearthed Bronze and Iron Age pottery and fortification traces that fit the period of Numbers 34. Although not definitive, these finds corroborate the plausibility of Zedad as a northern border town controlling caravans between Damascus and the Phoenician ports.

Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions

Ezekiel’s vision (chapters 40–48) describes a future redistribution of land that transcends previous tribal rivalries, centering on the sanctity of worship and the presence of the Lord. Zedad serves as a northern anchor in that vision, symbolizing the stability and security of redeemed Israel. Because Ezekiel’s prophecy looks beyond the sixth-century return under Zerubbabel, many interpreters understand the passage to anticipate the millennial reign of Jesus Christ when national Israel will dwell safely “from Dan to Beersheba” and beyond, yet still within divinely set bounds (compare Ezekiel 37:25-28).

Ministry Applications

• God’s boundaries are not arbitrary but protective; leaders today can draw from Zedad’s example to establish wise parameters for congregational life and personal holiness (Proverbs 22:28).
• Zedad’s reappearance in Ezekiel reminds believers that God’s promises persist through exile and restoration. This encourages prayer for modern Israel (Psalm 122:6) and for the advance of the gospel to all nations while awaiting the consummation of God’s geographic and spiritual kingdom.
• Teaching on Zedad helps underline a biblical theology of place: specific plots of earth matter to God, pointing ultimately to the new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).

Devotional Reflection

Standing at the northern edge of the Promised Land, Zedad invites reflection on the boundaries God graciously sets for His people. Within them lies inheritance, outside them danger. Yet the same Lord who limits also enlarges the heart (Psalm 119:32). He calls His people to rest content inside His appointed borders now, while they look in hope to a coming day when the whole earth will be filled with His glory and every boundary will resound with praise (Habakkuk 2:14).

צְדָֽדָה׃ צדדה׃ ṣə·ḏā·ḏāh ṣəḏāḏāh tzeDadahInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts