PADDAN

(Padʹdan) [possibly, Plain (Flatland)].

The shortened form of “Paddan-aram” (Ge 35:9; 48:7); apparently the same as “the field of Syria [Aram].” (Ge 28:6, 7; Ho 12:12) Paddan was a region around the city of Haran in northern Mesopotamia. (Ge 28:7, 10; 29:4) Though some consider Paddan and Aram-naharaim to be identical, it seems more likely that Paddan was a part of Aram-naharaim. (Ge 24:10, ftn; 25:20, ftn) This may be deduced from the fact that Aram-naharaim included mountainous territory, something that could not be true of Paddan, if its name is correctly understood to mean “plain,” “flatland.”​—Nu 23:7, ftn; De 23:4, ftn.

The patriarch Abraham resided temporarily at Haran in Paddan. (Ge 12:4; 28:7, 10) Later, from among the offspring of his relatives there, his son Isaac and then his grandson Jacob got their wives. (Ge 22:20-23; 25:20; 28:6) Jacob personally spent 20 years at Paddan in the service of his father-in-law Laban. (Ge 31:17, 18, 36, 41) While there, he became father to Dinah and 11 sons. (Ge 29:20–30:24) His 12th son, Benjamin, was born in Canaan.​—Ge 35:16-18, 22-26; 46:15; 48:7.