נָכַר
nâkar · H5234 · Hebrew · 49 occurrences
Meanings
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to recognize, to identify
Process by which humans understand the identity or nature of (other) humans, objects or events
ExamplesGenesis 27:23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
Genesis 31:32 “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
Genesis 37:32 and they sent the multicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
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Action by which humans or deities show a favorable attitude to (other) humans (to acknowledge, to take notice (of someone))
ExamplesDeuteronomy 21:17 “On the contrary, he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of everything that he owns, for he was the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.
Deuteronomy 33:9 Who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; And he did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For they kept Your word, And complied with Your covenant.
Ruth 2:10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
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to show partiality
Literally: to recognize (someone's) face; hence: action by which humans favor one side in a dispute over the other
ExamplesDeuteronomy 16:19 “You shall not distort justice, you shall not show partiality; and you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous.
Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
Proverbs 28:21 To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
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to be able
State in which humans know how to do something
ExamplesNehemiah 13:24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them knew how to speak the language of Judah, but only the language of his own people.
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to pretend to be a stranger
Action by which a humans act as as strangers toward other humans, to hide their identity
ExamplesGenesis 42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. He said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
1 Kings 14:5 Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you about her son, because he is sick. You shall say such and such to her, for it will be when she arrives, that she is going to make herself unrecognizable.”
1 Kings 14:6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why do you make yourself unrecognizable? Nevertheless, I am sent to you with a harsh message.
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to misunderstand, to misconstrue, not to accept
State in which humans are unable to identify someone or evaluate a situation incorrectly
ExamplesDeuteronomy 32:27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, That their adversaries would misjudge, That they would say, “Our hand is triumphant, And the LORD has not performed all this.”’
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to profane
Causative action by which humans cause a place to be associated with foreign religious practices
ExamplesJeremiah 19:4 “Since they have abandoned Me and have made this place foreign, and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent
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to hand over
Causative action by which deities give humans control over other humans
Examples1 Samuel 23:7 When it was reported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.”
How it’s used In 9 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
48 occurrences in 24 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 11
- Not stated: you (one person) 4
- Not stated: they 4
- Not stated: I 3
- Not stated (infinitive) 3
- Other words · 19 groups that occur once or twice (23) 23
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
33 occurrences in 18 groups
- וֹhim 8
- פָּנִיםface, presence, before 4
- קוֹלvoice, sound 3
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (18) 18
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
13 occurrences in 14 groups
- Other words · 14 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
With adverbsAdverbs
17 occurrences in 4 groups
- לֹאnot 14
- אַיִןthere is no, not 2
- עוֹדstill, again, yet 2
- כֵּןthus 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ךְyou 1
What it doesIt is the subject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- רָבָהto increase 1
What it is said to bePredicate
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- טוֹבgood 2
- אַיִןthere is no, not 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 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 1 word
- ἐπιγινώσκω epiginṓskō · G1921 · to know about, to know definitely about, knowledge about
- Greek ἐπιγινώσκω specifically emphasizes recognition based on observable marks or features (the ἐπι- prefix adds 'upon/toward' nuance to γινώσκω 'know'), making it a natural rendering for Hebrew נָכַר's core sense of 'acknowledge/recognize/discern' through perception or identifying characteristics.
Semantic domains 8 entries
- Know002004002007
- The word describes recognizing or discerning a person's identity, as when Isaac fails to recognize Jacob disguised as Esau by touch (Genesis 27:23), tying the word to cognitive recognition.
- Willing002001002028
- The word is also used of showing favor or regard toward someone, a broader relational and attitudinal sense than plain recognition.
- Partial002004002011
- The word is used in legal contexts for showing partiality or favoritism in judgment, a specialized sense of biased recognition broader than the identity-recognition citations sampled here.
- Able002001001001
- The word can describe having the capacity or skill to discern something correctly, a broader sense of competence than simple recognition.
- Different002001001019
- The word is used reflexively of disguising oneself so as to seem different or unrecognizable, as when Jacob's sons examine the torn coat to determine whose it is (Genesis 37:32-33), tying the word to distinguishing one thing or identity from another.
- Non-Know002004002008
- The word is also used negated, of failing to recognize or take notice of someone or something, the direct converse of its recognition sense.
- Unclean002001001066
- The word is used in one idiom for a woman's sexual defilement being made evident or exposed, a specialized moral-purity sense broader than the identity-recognition citations sampled here.
- Control002003002007
- The word can describe gaining mastery of information or a situation through careful investigation, as when Judah is asked to examine and identify the signet, cord, and staff as his own (Genesis 38:25), tying the word to authoritative determination through scrutiny.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5234. nakar I. [נָכַר] verb (not Qal) regard, recognize (Late Hebrew Hiph`il know, be…
I. [נָכַר] verb (not
Qal) regard, recognize (Late Hebrew Hiph`il know, be acquainted with; ᵑ7 Aph`el id.; Syriac Aph`el id.; compare also Arabic in sense be shrewd, cunning); **Arabic be shrewd, apparently rare, compare cunning Lane2850a. —
Niph`al Perfect3masculine plural נִכְּרוּ לֹא Lam 4:8 they are not recognized.
Pi`el Perfect לִפְנֵידָֿ֑ל שׁוֺע נִכַּר לֹא Job 34:19 he regardeth not the opulent above the poor (|| שָׂרִים מְּנֵי לֹאנָֿשָׂא); Imperfect תְנַכֵּ֑רוּ לֹא Job 21:29 do ye not recognize their tokens.
Hiph`il Perfect הִכִּיר Deu 33:9; Dan 11:39 Kt; suffix הִכִּירוֺ Gen 27:23; Gen 27:3plural הִכִּירוּ Jdg 18:3 Jdg 18:2t., suffix הִכִּירֻהוּ Job 2:12, הִכִּרֻהוּ Gen 42:8; Imperfect יַכִּיר Deu 21:17 Deu 21:3t. + Dan 11:39 Qr; וַיַּכֵּר Gen 38:26 +; suffix וַיַּכִּרֵ֫הוּ 1Ki 18:7, יַכִּירֶ֫נּוּ Job 7:10, וַיַּכִּירָהּ Gen 37:33, etc.; Imperative ַהכֶּרֿ Gen 31:32 Gen 31:2t.; Infinitive absolute הֵַכּרֿ (Ginsb van d. H. ַהכֶּרֿ) Pro 24:23; Pro 28:21; construct suffix הַכִּירֵנִי Rth 2:10; Participle מַכִּיר Psa 142:5, suffix מַכִּירֵךְ Rth 2:19, etc.; —
1 regard, observe, especially with a view to recognition, with object clause, Gen 31:32; Gen 37:32; Gen 38:25; pay attention to, with accusative of person Rth 2:10, Rth 2:19; accusative of thing (of God) Job 34:25; accusative of thing omitted 2Sa 3:36; ׳י subject לְטוֺבָה ֗֗֗ אַכִּיר כֵּן Jer 24:5 so will I regard the exiles ... for good; Antiochus subject Dan 11:39; מָּנִים הִכִּיר pay regard to (shew partiality, = פ מְּנֵי ׳נָשָׂא) Deu 1:17; Deu 16:19 (|| מִשְׁמָּט הִטָּה), Pro 24:23; Pro 28:21.
2 Recognize (as formerly known) with accusative of person or thing, Gen 27:23; Gen 37:33; Gen 38:26 (all J), Gen 42:7-8, (twice in verse) (E), 1Ki 18:7; 1Ki 20:41; Job 2:12; proverb. אֶתרֵֿעֵהוּ אִישׁ יַכִּיר בְּטֶרֶם Rth 3:14 before a man could recognize his fellow (i.e. before dawn); recognize voice (קוֺל), Jdg 18:3; 1Sa 26:17; = perceive the true situation, וְהִנֵּה וָאַכִּירָה Neh 6:12 and I perceived, and lo! God had not sent him.
3 Be willing to recognize, acknowledge Deu 21:17; Deu 33:9; Isa 63:16 (|| יָדַע), Psa 142:5; acknowledge with honour Isa 61:9.
4 Be acquainted with, מְקוֺמוֺ עוֺד יַכִּירֶנּוּ לֹא Job 7:10 his place shall be acquainted with him no more (he shall be gone and forgotten), compare Psa 103:16; with accusative of thing Job 24:17.
5 Distinguish, understand, לְקוֺל ֗֗֗ קוֺל הִכִּיר Ezr 3:13 could not distinguish, etc.; compare Job 4:16 could not distinguish its appearance; לְדַבֵּר הִכִּיר Neh 13:24 understand how to speak, etc.
Hithpa`el Imperfect יִתְנַכֶּרנָֿ֑עַר Pro 20:11 by his deeds a youth maketh himself known, whether his doing be pure, etc.
[נכר] verbdenominative act or treat as foreign, or strange; disguise, misconstrue; —
Niph`al Imperfect יִנָּכֵר Pro 26:24 with his lips a hater disguiseth himself (dissembles, speaks what is foreign to his thought).
Pi`el Perfect נִכַּר 1Sa 23:7, but see below; Imperfect וַיְנַכְּרוּ Jer 19:4 and they have treated this place as foreign (profane); צָרֵהוּ יְנַכְּרוּ Deu 32:27 lest their adversaries should misconstrue (it). — א אֹתוֺ ׳נִכַּר בְּיָדִי 1Sa 23:7 God hath alienated him into my hand, but improbable; מָכַר ᵐ5 (compare Jdg 4:9) hath sold him, so Th Klo HPS (compare We); < סִכַּר (as Isa 19:4) Krochm Dr; Kit either of these; > סִגַּר Bu; Löhr either סִגַּר or סִכַּר.
Hithpa`el Imperfect אֲלֵיהֶם וַיִּתְנַכֵּר Gen 42:7 he acted as a stranger toward them; Participle feminine מִתְנַכֵּרָ֑ה 1Ki 14:5-6, feign to be a stranger-woman.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 8 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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