Bedan

Biblical Record

Bedan appears only once, in 1 Samuel 12:11. The verse is part of the farewell address that Samuel delivered to the people as the monarchy was beginning. Samuel declares, "And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe." Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon.

The text says nothing about Bedan's origin, deeds, or life. Because his name appears among those who delivered Israel, he is generally regarded as a leader from the period of the judges. The book of Judges, however, mentions no judge named Bedan.

In 1 Chronicles 7:17, a son of Ulam among the descendants of Manasseh bears the same Hebrew name. He is nevertheless regarded as a different person from the Bedan of 1 Samuel.

Significance Within Scripture

The verse belongs to Samuel's review of Israel's history, which recalls how God sent a deliverer in each time of crisis. In context, Samuel's point is that the people's demand for a king showed that they had forgotten the deliverance God had provided up to that time. The New Testament does not mention Bedan. However, Hebrews 11:32, in the faith chapter, lists Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel together. The similarity between this list and 1 Samuel 12:11 is frequently cited in discussions of Bedan's identity.

Interpretations and Issues

The principal views on Bedan's identity are as follows.

• Identification with Barak: Ancient versions such as the Septuagint (an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) read "Barak" at this point. On this basis, some scholars hold that the letters of the name were altered in the course of copying the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Some English Bibles also render the name here as "Barak."
• Identification with Abdon: Pointing to the similarity in Hebrew spelling, some regard Bedan as a variant form of the name of Abdon, the judge described in Judges 12:13–15.
• Identification with Samson: Jewish tradition (the Talmud) is reported to have interpreted Bedan as meaning "a man of Dan" and thus to have understood him as Samson, who belonged to the tribe of Dan.
• An unknown judge: Others suggest that he may have been a deliverer not recorded in the book of Judges.

None of these views is conclusive. It is important to distinguish these proposals from the text itself, which conveys nothing beyond the name.

In the Korean Church

Both the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version follow the Hebrew text and render the name as "Bedan." Bedan is not a figure given separate attention in Sunday school or in worship songs. He is mentioned chiefly as one of the deliverers God sent when Samuel's farewell address in 1 Samuel 12 is preached or studied.