נׇכְרִי (H5237) — Hebrew Lexicon

נׇכְרִי

𐤍𐤊𐤓𐤉

nokrîy

H5237 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root נכר to recognize, to make distinct, to acknowledge as other

Definition

An individual or entity characterized by being foreign, unfamiliar, or other, with the primary lexical value 'foreigner' or 'outsider.' In many contexts, denotes a person not belonging to the recognized kinship group, tribe, or nation—especially someone not of the Israelite community. The term can range from an ethnically distinct foreigner, a traveler or sojourner, to something or someone considered unusual, unfamiliar, or estranged. In certain usages—especially when applied to women (nokrîyâ)—it also carries the sense of 'adulterous' or 'one who does not belong by covenant.'

Semantic Range

foreigner, non-Israelite, outsider, alien, non-relative, different, unfamiliar, adulterous (of a woman), outlandish, wonderful (in the sense of astonishing or strange)

Root / Etymology

From the root נכר, meaning 'to recognize, acknowledge, regard as strange or distinguish.' The form nokrîy is an adjectival or substantival derivative, denoting 'one recognized as other' or 'who is acknowledged as different/foreign.' Derived from the core sense of perceiving difference or otherness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, נׇכְרִי is used to identify people who are not part of the Israelite community, distinguishing them from the in-group (גֵּר ger is used for resident aliens who live among Israelites, emphasizing protected status; נׇכְרִי highlights foreign or outsider status, often without rights or affinity). In the monarchic period, נׇכְרִי may refer broadly to foreigners. In legal and cultic codes, the term frequently marks outsiders who do not share in covenant obligations or privileges. In wisdom literature, the expression 'strange woman' (אִשָּׁה נׇכְרִיָּה) refers specifically to a woman outside recognized societal or covenant bounds, often with moral or social suspicion. Post-exilic texts maintain the contrast between Israelite/Judahite and nokrîy in shaping community boundaries. English translations sometimes inadequately render the term as 'stranger' or 'alien,' risking confusion with ger, which has a different social and legal valence. Unlike gentile, which is an English term covering a broad range of non-Israelites, nokrîy in Biblical Hebrew always signifies foreignness or otherness in both ethnic and covenantal terms.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נֶכֶר (second form); strange, in a variety of degrees and applications (foreign, non-relative, adulterous, different, wonderful); alien, foreigner, outlandish, strange(-r, woman).

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Root Family

נכר (n-k-r) — to recognize, to make distinct, to acknowledge as other

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H1971	הַכָּרָה	partiality of
H4378	מַכָּר	your acquaintances
H5234	נָכַר	I will acknowledge
H5235	נֶכֶר	his foreignness
H5236	נֵכָר	the foreign one

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H5237-10`	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	foreign	foreign woman	10
`H5237-07`	נָכְרִ֛י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	foreign	foreign one	9
`H5237-09`	נָכְרִיּ֛וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women	9
`H5237-01`	הַ/נָּכְרִ֖י	hanakheri	`HTd/Aamsa`	the foreigner	the outsider	5
`H5237-02`	הַ/נָּכְרִיּ֑וֹת	hanakheriot	`HTd/Aafpa`	the foreign	the foreign women	3
`H5237-06`	מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה	minakheriyah	`HR/Aafsa`	from foreign	from a foreign woman	2
`H5237-14`	וְ/נָכְרִ֞ים	venakherim	`HC/Aampa`	and foreigners	and outsiders	1
`H5237-05`	לְ/נָכְרִֽים	lenakherim	`HR/Aampa`	to foreigners	to outsiders	1
`H5237-13`	וְ֝/נָכְרִ֗י	venakheri	`HC/Aamsa`	and an alien	and a foreigner	1
`H5237-08`	נָכְרִ֖ים	nakherim	`HAampa`	of foreigners	foreigners	1
`H5237-11`	נכרים	nkhrym	`HAampa`	foreigners	foreigners	1
`H5237-03`	לַ/נָּכְרִ֣י	lanakheri	`HRd/Aamsa`	to a foreigner	to the foreigner	1
`H5237-04`	לְ/נָכְרִ֔י	lenakheri	`HR/Aamsa`	to a foreigner	to a foreigner	1
`H5237-12`	וְ/הַ֨/נָּכְרִ֔י	vehanakheri	`HC/Td/Aamsa`	and the foreigner	and the foreign man	1

Occurrences in Scripture

46 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H5237-09`	Genesis 31:15	נָכְרִיּ֛וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreigners	foreign women
`H5237-10`	Exodus 2:22	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	foreign.	foreign woman
`H5237-10`	Exodus 18:3	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	foreign	foreign woman
`H5237-07`	Exodus 21:8	נָכְרִ֛י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	foreign	foreign one
`H5237-04`	Deuteronomy 14:21	לְ/נָכְרִ֔י	lenakheri	`HR/Aamsa`	to a foreigner	to a foreigner
`H5237-01`	Deuteronomy 15:3	הַ/נָּכְרִ֖י	hanakheri	`HTd/Aamsa`	the foreigner	the outsider
`H5237-07`	Deuteronomy 17:15	נָכְרִ֔י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	foreigner	foreign one
`H5237-03`	Deuteronomy 23:21	לַ/נָּכְרִ֣י	lanakheri	`HRd/Aamsa`	to a foreigner	to the foreigner
`H5237-12`	Deuteronomy 29:21	וְ/הַ֨/נָּכְרִ֔י	vehanakheri	`HC/Td/Aamsa`	and the foreigner	and the foreign man
`H5237-07`	Judges 19:12	נָכְרִ֔י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	of foreigners	foreign one
`H5237-07`	2 Samuel 15:19	נָכְרִ֣י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	foreigner	foreign one
`H5237-01`	1 Kings 8:41	הַ/נָּכְרִ֔י	hanakheri	`HTd/Aamsa`	the foreigner	the outsider
`H5237-01`	1 Kings 8:43	הַ/נָּכְרִ֑י	hanakheri	`HTd/Aamsa`	the foreigner	the outsider
`H5237-09`	1 Kings 11:1	נָכְרִיּ֛וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-02`	1 Kings 11:8	הַ/נָּכְרִיּ֑וֹת	hanakheriot	`HTd/Aafpa`	the foreign	the foreign women
`H5237-08`	Isaiah 2:6	נָכְרִ֖ים	nakherim	`HAampa`	of foreigners	foreigners
`H5237-10`	Isaiah 28:21	נָכְרִיָּ֖ה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	foreign	foreign woman
`H5237-10`	Jeremiah 2:21	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	foreign	foreign woman
`H5237-14`	Obadiah 1:11	וְ/נָכְרִ֞ים	venakherim	`HC/Aampa`	and foreigners	and outsiders
`H5237-07`	Zephaniah 1:8	נָכְרִֽי	nakheri	`HAamsa`	foreign	foreign one
`H5237-13`	Psalms 69:9	וְ֝/נָכְרִ֗י	venakheri	`HC/Aamsa`	and an alien	and a foreigner
`H5237-06`	Proverbs 2:16	מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה	minakheriyah	`HR/Aafsa`	from foreign	from a foreign woman
`H5237-07`	Proverbs 5:10	נָכְרִֽי	nakheri	`HAamsa`	a stranger	foreign one
`H5237-10`	Proverbs 5:20	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	of a stranger	foreign woman
`H5237-10`	Proverbs 6:24	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	of strange woman	foreign woman
`H5237-06`	Proverbs 7:5	מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה	minakheriyah	`HR/Aafsa`	from the foreigner	from a foreign woman
`H5237-11`	Proverbs 20:16	נכרים	nkhrym	`HAampa`	foreigners	foreigners
`H5237-10`	Proverbs 20:16	נָכְרִיָּ֣ה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	a foreign woman	foreign woman
`H5237-10`	Proverbs 23:27	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	woman	foreign woman
`H5237-07`	Proverbs 27:2	נָ֝כְרִ֗י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	a-stranger	foreign one
`H5237-10`	Proverbs 27:13	נָכְרִיָּ֣ה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	an adulterous woman	foreign woman
`H5237-07`	Job 19:15	נָ֝כְרִ֗י	nakheri	`HAamsa`	a foreigner	foreign one
`H5237-10`	Ruth 2:10	נָכְרִיָּֽה	nakheriyah	`HAafsa`	a foreigner	foreign woman
`H5237-05`	Lamentations 5:2	לְ/נָכְרִֽים	lenakherim	`HR/Aampa`	to foreigners	to outsiders
`H5237-07`	Ecclesiastes 6:2	נָכְרִ֖י	nakheri	`HAamsa`		foreign one
`H5237-09`	Ezra 10:2	נָכְרִיּ֖וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-09`	Ezra 10:10	נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-02`	Ezra 10:11	הַ/נָּכְרִיּֽוֹת	hanakheriot	`HTd/Aafpa`	the-foreign	the foreign women
`H5237-09`	Ezra 10:14	נָכְרִיּוֹת֙	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-09`	Ezra 10:17	נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-09`	Ezra 10:18	נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-09`	Ezra 10:44	נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-02`	Nehemiah 13:26	הַ/נָּכְרִיּֽוֹת	hanakheriot	`HTd/Aafpa`	the foreign	the foreign women
`H5237-09`	Nehemiah 13:27	נָכְרִיּֽוֹת	nakheriot	`HAafpa`	foreign	foreign women
`H5237-01`	2 Chronicles 6:32	הַ/נָּכְרִ֗י	hanakheri	`HTd/Aamsa`	the foreigner	the outsider
`H5237-01`	2 Chronicles 6:33	הַ/נָּכְרִ֑י	hanakheri	`HTd/Aamsa`	the-foreigner	the outsider

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