נָחַל
nâchal · H5157 · Hebrew · 59 occurrences
Meanings
-
to obtain, to inherit, to possess
Action by which humans or deities take permanent possession of objects, humans, or property, either by inheritance or force
ExamplesExodus 23:30 “I will drive them out from you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
Exodus 32:13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Exodus 34:9 Then he said, “If in any way I have found favor in Your sight, Lord, please may the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our wrongdoing and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”
-
to give in possession or to will one's property
An action by which humans or deities divide or give land and other possessions to other humans as their permanent possession, with focus on the recipients and the object given
ExamplesDeuteronomy 21:16 then it shall be on the day that he wills what he owns as an inheritance to his sons, he is not allowed to treat the son of the loved wife as the firstborn, at the expense of the son of the unloved, who actually is the firstborn son.
Leviticus 25:46 ‘You may also pass them on as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another.
Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of mankind, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel.
-
to acquire, to be allotted
Process by which humans attain an enduring condition or status, as if it were a permanent gift
ExamplesJob 7:3 So I am allotted worthless months, And nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
Proverbs 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools increase dishonor.
Proverbs 14:18 The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
-
to allot, to give
Causative process by which deites cause humans to attain an enduring condition or status, as if it were a permanent gift
Examples1 Samuel 2:8 “He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap To seat them with nobles, And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, And He set the world on them.
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
59 occurrences in 28 groups
- Not stated: you (more than one) 7
- Not stated: they 6
- Not stated: I 5
- Not stated: you (one person) 5
- Not stated (infinitive) 5
- בֵּןson 4
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (25) 25
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
44 occurrences in 21 groups
- אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 7
- הֶםthem 7
- נַחֲלָהinheritance, heritage 5
- בֵּןson 4
- הָher 4
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (17) 17
Second objectAs in “call him Lord”
9 occurrences in 8 groups
- אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 2
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- חֵלֶקportion, share, part 1
- יֵשׁthere is, there are 1
- יִשְׂרָאֵלIsrael 1
- כִּסֵּאthrone, seat 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
26 occurrences in 23 groups
- בin/on/with+ תָּוֶךְmiddle 4
- בin/on/with+ גּוֹרָלlot 3
- בin/on/with+ אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 3
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (22) 22
With adverbsAdverbs
6 occurrences in 3 groups
- לֹאnot 5
- הָלְאָהbeyond 1
- כֵּןthus 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- נָחַלto inherit, to possess 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- דָבַרto speak, to say 1
- אָמַרto say 1
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֵלֶּהthese 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אֵלֶּהthese 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
4 occurrences in 2 groups
- לto/for 3
- עַדto, as far as, until 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 2 words
- κληρονομέω klēronoméō · G2816 · to receive, to be given, to gain possession of
- Greek κληρονομέω renders Hebrew נָחַל in inheritance contexts where the focus is on receiving/possessing an inheritance, while נָחַל's broader range includes the administrative act of distributing or apportioning inheritances (causative sense 'cause to inherit'), which κληρονομέω does not encode.
- κατακληροδοτέω kataklērodotéō · G2624 · to be a giver of lots to each, i.e. to apportion an estate
- Greek κατακληροδοτέω specifically denotes the act of apportioning or distributing an inheritance by lot, functioning as the Koine Greek rendering of Hebrew נָחַל in its causative (Hiphil) sense of 'cause to inherit' or 'give as an inheritance,' particularly in contexts where God distributes the Promised Land to Israel's tribes.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Possess002003002019
- נָחַל denotes taking possession of or inheriting, most centrally the land promised to Israel, as they are to "take possession" of Canaan (Exodus 23:30) and "inherit" it forever (Exodus 32:13), tying the word to acquiring ownership of property.
- Engage002003003011
- The word also carries the sense of being occupied with or entering upon an inherited responsibility or portion, as the Levites are told they "shall have no inheritance" in the land but are instead engaged in service to the LORD as their portion (Numbers 18:20).
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5157. nachal נָחַל verb denominative get or take as a possession (compare Gerber236ff.;…
נָחַל verb denominative get or take as a possession (compare Gerber236ff.; Ecclus נחל Ecclesiasticus 45:22b +; Late Hebrew id. (rare)); —
Qal Perfect ׳נ Zechariah 2:16; Zec 2:2masculine singular נָחַלְתָּ Exo 23:20 Exo 23:8t. Perfect; Imperfect3masculine singular יִנְחַלְ Isa 57:13; Isa 57:3masculine plural יִנְחֲלוּ Num 18:23 Num 18:5t.; יִנְחָ֑לוּ Num 26:55 Num 26:2t.; + 8 t. Imperfect; Infinitive נְחֹל Num 34:18; Jos 19:49; —
1 take possession, inherit:
a. land of Canaan, Exo 23:30 (E), Exo 32:13 (J), Isa 57:13; Eze 47:14; Zoin and Judah Psalm 69:37.
b. special sections in the land, of tribes and individuals, נחלה נחל Jos 17:6 (J); נ אשׁר ׳נחלה Deu 19:14 (D), Num 35:8 (P), compare Jos 14:1 (P); without accusative, have or get a (landed) property, Num 18:20, Num 18:23, Num 18:24; Num 26:55; Num 32:19; Jos 16:4; Jos 19:9 (all P), Jdg 11:3.
c. land of Moab and Ammon by conquest Zep 2:9; landed property הנוים בכל Psa 82:8.
d. God takes possession of Israel as his private property Exo 34:9 (J); Judah Zechariah 2:16.
2 figurative have or get as a possession, property: testimonies Psa 119:111, glory Pro 3:35, good things Pro 28:10, lies Jer 16:19, wind Pro 11:29, simplicity Pro 14:18.
3 divide the land for a possession, Num 34:17-18, Jos 19:49 (all P; incorrect pointing for Piel, so SS).
Pi`el divide for a possession: Perfect3masculine singular נִחַל Jos 13:32; Jos 13:3plural נִחֲלוּ Jos 14:1; Jos 19:51; Infinitive נַחֵל Num 34:29 (all P); also Num 34:17-18, Jos 19:49 (see Qal 3).
Hithpa`el Perfect3plural suffix הִתְנַחֲלוּם Isa 24:2; Isa 24:2masculine plural הִתְנַחַלְתֶּם Lev 25:46; Num 33:54; Imperfect תִּתְנַחֲלוּ Num 34:13; Eze 47:13; תִּתְנֶחָ֑לוּ Num 33:54; Infinitive הִתְנַחֵל Num 32:18; possess oneself of land (accusative), Num 33:54; Num 34:13(P) Eze 47:13; נחלה Num 32:18 (P); slaves Lev 25:46 (P) Isa 14:2; absolute, reference to land Num 33:54 (P); all with לְ person (for whose benefit), except Num 32:18; Num 34:13; Isa 14:2.
Hiph`il Perfect1singular הִנְחַ֫לְתִּי Jer 3:18 Jer 3:3t. Perfect; Imperfect3masculine singular יַנְחִיל Deu 3:28; יַנְחִל Eze 46:18; Eze 46:2masculine singular suffix תַּנְחִילֶנָּה Deu 31:7 Deu 31:5t. Imperfect; Infinitive construct הַנְחִיל Isa 49:8; Pro 8:21; בְּהַנְחֵל Deu 32:8 (on form compare Ew§ 238 d Köi. 315 Ges§ 53k; read בְּהַנְחִל?); suffix הַנְחִילוֺ Deu 21:16; Participle מַנְחִיל Deu 12:10; —
1 give as a possession:
a. land of Canaan (given by ׳י or his servants), accusative of person and thing, Deu 1:38; Deu 3:28; Deu 12:10; Deu 19:3; Deu 31:7; Jos 1:6 (all D), Jer 3:18; Jer 12:14.
b. various things, accusative of person and thing, especially blessings, Zec 8:12; 1Sa 2:8; Pro 8:21; accusative of thing Isa 49:8; accusative of person Deu 32:8.
2 cause to inherit, give as an inheritance, with accusative of person and thing, Deu 21:16; accusative of person + מן thing, Eze 46:18; accusative of person Pro 13:22; ל person 1Ch 28:8.
Hoph`al Perfect1singular הָנְחַלְתּי Job 7:3 made to possess, with accusative of thing, e.g. months of vanity.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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