RUDDY

rud'-i ('adhmoni (1 Samuel 16:12; 17:42; Genesis 25:25 the Revised Version margin), 'adhom (Song of Solomon 5:10); verbs 'adham (Lamentations 4:7), and eruthriao, "to blush" (Ad Est 15:5)): "Ruddy" is the form taken by the adjective "red" when used as a term of praise of the human skin, and this is its use in the Bible (the Hebrew and Greek words are all usual words for "red" or "to be red"). The dark-skinned Hebrews found great beauty in a clear complexion.

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.