Bible Dictionary
PADDAN-ARAM
Paddan-aram was the region associated with the patriarchs and with Jacob’s years of exile. It corresponds broadly to the district of Haran in the upper Euphrates region and may mean “the field” or “road of Aram.”
Definition
Paddan-aram was the region associated with the patriarchal home and with Jacob’s exile. It corresponds to the Haran district east of the Upper Euphrates valley and is understood in the source material as “the field of Aram,” while related terms may also mean “road.”
Biblical Usage
Paddan-aram is connected with the home of the patriarchs and the place of Jacob’s exile. The name appears in the patriarchal narratives, including the reference to Jacob’s mother’s burial place.
Historical Background
The versions translate Paddan-aram as Mesopotamia and identify it with the district of Haran. The source compares the term with Babylonian and Assyrian words meaning a land measure, field, or road.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>pad'-an-a'-ram or p.-ar'-am (paddan 'aram; Septuagint Mesopotamia tes Surias; the King James Version Padan-aram): In Ge 48:7, Paddan stands alone, but as the Septuagint, Sam, and Peshitta read "Aram" also, it must in this verse have dropped out of the Massoretic Text. In the time of Abraham, padanu occurs on the Babylonian contract-tablets as a land measure, to which we may compare the Arabic feddan or "ox-gang." In the Assyrian syllabaries it is the equivalent of iklu, "a field," so that Paddan-aram would mean "the field of Aram," and with this we may compare Ho 12:12 (Hebrew 12:13) and the use of the Hebrew sadheh in connection with Moab and Edom (Jud 5:4; Ru 1:6).</p><p>Furthermore, [`padanu] and harranu are given as synonyms with the meaning of "road."</p><p>Paddan-aram occurs only in the Priestly Code (P), but it corresponds to the "Haran" of the older documents. The versions agree in translating both as Mesopotamia, and identify with the home of the patriarchs and the scene of Jacob's exile the district of Haran to the East of the Upper Euphrates valley. More in harmony with the length of Jacob's flight, as indicated by the time given (Ge 31:22,23), is Harran-el-`Awamid, an ancient site 10 miles to the East of Damascus, which satisfies all the demands of history.</p><p>See ARAM.</p><p>W .M. Christie</p>