נַ֠גֵּן
𐤍𐤂𐤍
nâgan
in playing
To play or perform music, particularly by striking or plucking a stringed instrument with the fingers. The verb can refer either to the act of making music (typically instrumental) or, less commonly, to singing accompanied by instrumental music. In most biblical contexts, it describes playing a lyre or harp, typically in a liturgical, royal, or prophetic setting. The semantic range includes to play (a stringed instrument), to make music, to perform musically, and to accompany with music.
1 Samuel 16:18 · Word #12
Lexicon H5059
| Lemma | נָגַן |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤍𐤂𐤍 |
| Transliteration | nâgan |
| Strong's | H5059 |
| Definition | To play or perform music, particularly by striking or plucking a stringed instrument with the fingers. The verb can refer either to the act of making music (typically instrumental) or, less commonly, to singing accompanied by instrumental music. In most biblical contexts, it describes playing a lyre or harp, typically in a liturgical, royal, or prophetic setting. The semantic range includes to play (a stringed instrument), to make music, to perform musically, and to accompany with music. |
Morphology HVpc
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | p — Piel — Intensive active |
| Conjugation | c — Infinitive Construct — The verbal noun ("to ...") |
Common Translation
| Phrase | in playing |
SIBI-P1 Translation H5059-05
to play strings
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Piel stem (intensive/denominative), infinitive construct. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Piel stem intensifies or specifies the action of striking or plucking strings to produce music, and the infinitive construct expresses the verbal idea in its abstract form, hence "to play strings." This preserves the root’s physical sense of striking while reflecting its developed musical meaning. |
View full lexicon entry for H5059 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
to play strings
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | P1 correctly expresses the lexical sense of playing a stringed instrument, which is primary in context. |