נָצַל
nâtsal · H5337 · Hebrew · 213 occurrences
Meanings
-
Causative action by which humans remove an object from a situation where it could be damaged (remove (violently), to pluck out, to snatch from)
ExamplesAmos 4:11 “I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a log snatched from a fire; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD.
Zechariah 3:2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?”
-
to stop, to separate
Literally: to deliver between (two people); hence: causative action by which humans intervene when other humans are fighting
Examples2 Samuel 14:6 “And your servant had two sons, but the two of them fought in the field, and there was no one to save them from each other, so one struck the other and killed him.
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to plunder, to strip
Causative action by which humans remove or carry away valuable goods from people that have been defeated in war
ExamplesExodus 3:22 “But every woman shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Exodus 12:36 and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Therefore they plundered the Egyptians.
2 Chronicles 20:25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.
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to take away, to snatch away, to recover
Causative action by which humans or deities remove (other) humans or objects from someone else's possession
ExamplesGenesis 31:9 “So God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
Genesis 31:16 “Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has told you.”
1 Samuel 30:18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives.
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to save oneself
Action by which humans remove themselves from a dangerous or life-threatening situation
ExamplesProverbs 6:3 Then do this, my son, and save yourself: Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and be urgent with your neighbor to free yourself.
Proverbs 6:5 Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
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to deliver, to rescue
Causative action by which humans or deities remove (other) humans or objects from a dangerous or life-threatening situation
ExamplesGenesis 37:21 But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands by saying, “Let’s not take his life.”
Genesis 37:22 Then Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—so that later he might rescue him out of their hands, to return him to his father.
Exodus 2:19 They said, “An Egyptian saved us from the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
-
to escape, to elude
Literally: to be delivered from (someone's) eyes
Examples2 Samuel 20:6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight.”
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Action by which humans take off something they have been wearing, such as jewellery or clothing (to strip, to remove (something) from oneself)
ExamplesExodus 33:6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry, from Mount Horeb onward.
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
195 occurrences in 28 groups
- Not stated: you (one person) 38
- Not stated: he, she or it 33
- Not stated (infinitive) 26
- Not stated: I 17
- Not stated: they 14
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 11
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (19) 19
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
160 occurrences in 39 groups
- נִיme 30
- הֶםthem 17
- נֶפֶשׁsoul, life 16
- כֶםyou 14
- נוּus 13
- ךָּyou 12
- Other words · 28 groups that occur once or twice (35) 35
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
121 occurrences in 52 groups
- מִןfrom+ יָדhand, power 53
- מִןfrom+ כַּףpalm, hand 7
- מִןfrom+ מָוֶתdeath 5
- מִןfrom+ פֶּהmouth 4
- בin/on/with+ יוֹםday, time 4
- מִןfrom+ אִישׁman, person, each 3
- Other words · 44 groups that occur once or twice (48) 48
With adverbsAdverbs
20 occurrences in 8 groups
- לֹאnot 14
- כֵּןthus 2
- אָזat that time 1
- אַךְonly 1
- מַדּוּעַwhy? 1
- אַלnot, do not 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 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
- אָמַרto say 1
What it is said to bePredicate
14 occurrences in 1 groups
- אַיִןthere is no, not 14
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
16 occurrences in 3 groups
- לto/for 14
- בin/on/with 1
- כlike/as 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
- ῥύομαι rhýomai · G4506 · to rescue, to deliver
- Greek ῥύομαι serves as the standard Septuagint rendering of Hebrew נָצַל across its core sense of rescue or deliverance, consistently translating the Hebrew verb in contexts of physical deliverance from enemies, danger, or oppression.
- ἐξαιρέω exairéō · G1807 · to take out, to remove, to set free
- Greek ἐξαιρέω emphasizes the physical act of extraction or removal ("tear out") with semantic extensions to selection and release, while Hebrew נָצַל focuses more broadly on deliverance and rescue across contexts (military, legal, divine intervention) without foregrounding the extraction motion as strongly.
Semantic domains 5 entries
- Non-Whole002003001021
- The word describes taking away, plucking off, or stripping something from a whole, as God takes away Laban's livestock and gives them to Jacob (Genesis 31:9, 31:16), tying the word to forcible removal.
- Non-Engage002003003012
- This entry carries no independent "Non-Engage" sense of its own; every genuine tagged occurrence of נָצַל (e.g. Genesis 32:12, Exodus 3:8, 18:10) concerns rescuing, delivering, or snatching away, not disengagement. The domain is bundle-shared with the lexeme's own broader sense range, illustrated at Exodus 18:10 ("he has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians").
- Possess002003002019
- The word's sense of taking away property ties it to a change in possession, as wealth is taken from one party and transferred to another (Genesis 31:16).
- Safe002003003019
- The word is most frequently used for rescuing or delivering someone from danger, as Reuben rescues Joseph from his brothers' hands (Genesis 37:21) and Jacob prays to be delivered from Esau (Genesis 32:11), tying the word to deliverance into safety.
- Undress002003001017
- This entry carries no independent “Undress” sense of its own; every tagged occurrence is the verb “deliver” or “rescue”, as in “There is no one who can save anyone from My hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39). The “Undress” domain is bundle-shared with the related lexeme נְצַל (nᵉtsal, H5338) rather than independently attested here.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H5337. natsal [נָצַל212 verb not in Qal; Pi`el strip, plunder; Niph`al deliver oneself,…
[נָצַל212 verb not in
Qal; Pi`el strip, plunder;
Niph`al deliver oneself, be delivered;
Hiph`il snatch away, deliver (Ecclus Hiph`il Participle מצלת delivering Ecclesiasticus 40:24b (Levi conjectures יציל Ecclesiasticus 40:24a)); Late Hebrew Hiph`il = Biblical Hebrew; Biblical Aramaic Haph`el id.; Syriac pour out; Arabic intransitive tincturam exuit emisitque barba, ex cuspide excidit sagitta, etc., Kam Frey; Ethiopic III. evulsum or abruptum excidere e suo loco, Di698); —
Niph`al Perfect1plural נִצַּלְנוּ Jer 7:10; Imperfect יִנָּצֵל Deu 23:16, + 1singular אִנָָּֽצְלָה Psa 69:15, + 8 t. Imperfect; Infinitive הַנָּצֵל Isa 20:6 Isa 20:3t. —
1 reflexive tear oneself away, deliver oneself: absolute Pro 6:3; Eze 14:16, Eze 14:18; 2Ki 19:11 = Isa 37:11; with מִיַּד Pro 6:5; אֶל ֗֗֗ מֵעִ escape from-unto Deu 23:16.
2 passive, be torn, out or away הָאֲרִי מִמִּי Amo 3:12; be delivered, absolute Gen 32:31; Jer 7:10; Psa 33:16; Micah 4:30 מִמְּנֵי Isa 20:6; מִכַּף Hab 2:9; מִן Psa 69:15.
Pi`el Perfect2masculine plural נִצַּלְתֶּם Exo 3:22; Imperfect יְנַצֵּל Eze 14:14 Eze 14:2t.; —
1 strip of, spoil, absolute 2Ch 20:25; with accusative of person Exo 3:22; Exo 12:36 (J).
2 deliver, with accusative נַפְשָׁם Eze 14:14.
Hiph`il190 Perfect הִצִּיל Exo 12:27; Exo 12:2masculine singular הִצַּ֫לְתָּ Exo 5:23 50t. Perfect; Imperfect יַּצִּיל 2Ki 17:39; יַצֵּל Gen 31:9 63t. Imperfect; Imperative הַצֵּל Pro 24:11; הַצִּ֫ילָה Psa 22:21; suffix הַצִּילֵנִי Gen 32:12 Gen 32:24t. Imperative; Infinitive absolute הַצֵּל 2Ki 18:30 2Ki 18:4t.; construct הַצִּיל Gen 37:22-23t. Infinitive; Participle מַצִּיל Deu 32:39 Deu 32:16t. Participle —
1 take away, snatch away, e.g. property Gen 31:9-10, (E) Hos 2:11, prey from the mouth of animals 1Sa 17:35; Amo 3:12; Eze 34:10, words of ׳י from the mouth Psa 119:43; בֵּינֵיהֶם מַצִּיל וְאֵין 2Sa 14:6 and there was none to tear them apart (two fighting); וְהִצִּיל עֵינֵנוּ 2Sa 20:6 and take away our eye (elude our sight, Ges; Ew We after ᵐ5 cast shadow over our eye, denominative from צֵל Bö Th after ᵑ6 tear away our eye, harm us irretrievably, see Dr1826. 2.; HPS escape from us [מִמֶּנּוּ, as ᵐ5L], compare Bu [וְנִצַּל]).
2 rescue, recover, e.g. cities Jdg 11:26; wives and property 1Sa 30:8, 1Sa 30:18, 1Sa 30:22.
3 deliver from:
a. enemies and troubles, absolute 1Sa 12:21; Pro 19:19; Isa 50:2; Jer 39:17; מַצִּיל אֵין Jdg 18:28; Job 5:4; Job 10:7; Psa 7:3; Psa 50:22; Psa 71:11; Isa 5:29; Isa 42:22; Isa 43:13; Daniel 8:47; Hos 5:14; Mic 5:7; with accusative Gen 18:8 (E), Exo 5:23; Exo 12:27 (J), Deu 23:15 39t.; נַפְשׁוֺ הַצִּיל Isa 44:20; Isa 47:14; Eze 3:19, Eze 3:21; Eze 14:20; Eze 33:19; with מִן from Mic 5:6 25t.; מִיַּד from the hand or power of Gen 32:12; Exo 2:19 (J) + 57 t.; יַד מִתַּחַת Exo 18:10 (E); מִכַּף 2Sa 14:16; 2Sa 19:10; 2Sa 22:1 = Psa 18:1, 2Ki 20:6 = Isa 38:6; 2Ch 32:11; Ezr 8:31.
b. from death Pro 11:16; Pro 12:6; מִמּוֺת Jos 2:13 (J), Psa 33:19; Psalm 56:14; Pro 10:12 = Pro 11:4; מִשְּׁאוֺל Psa 86:13; Pro 23:14.
4 deliver from sin and guilt (in late writings), מִכָּלמְּֿשָׁעַי Psa 39:9 from all my trangression; מִדָּמִים Psa 51:6 from bloodguiltiness; עַלחַֿטּאֹתֵינוּ וְכַמֵּר הַצִּילֵנוּ Psa 79:9 deliver us and cover over all our sins; probably also הַצִּילֵנִי כְּאִמְרָֽתְךָ Psa 119:170.
Hoph`al Participle מֻצּל; — מִשְּׂרֵטָה מֻצָּל כְּאוּד Amo 4:11 as a brand plucked out of the burning; מֵאֵשׁ Zec 3:2 from the fire.
Hithpa`el אֶתעֶֿדְיָם וַיִּתְנַצְּלוּ Exo 33:6 (E) and they stripped themselves of their ornaments.
[נְצַל] verb Haph`el rescue, deliver (see Biblical Hebrew, Egyptian Aramaic הנצל take away, S-CC 10, D 18); — of God, absolute: Participle active מַצִּל Dan 6:28, Infinitive לְהַצָּלָה Dan 3:29; of man, suffix person לְהַצָּלוּתֵהּ Dan 6:15.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 5 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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