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נָדָן

𐤍𐤃𐤍

nâdân

H5083 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נתן to give, bestow, grant

Definition

A specific type of gift, typically referring in the Hebrew Bible to a present or payment given in the context of ritualized sexual activity in temple or cultic prostitution. The term only appears in contexts involving illicit or cultic transactions, especially where gifts are exchanged for participation in prohibited religious practices.

Semantic Range

ritual gift, cultic present, payment for prostitution, offering connected to illicit ritual activity

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root נָדָן (uncertain, but possibly connected with נתן 'to give'); the specific noun formation is rare and distinct from common Northwest Semitic terms for gifts, and it is not widely attested outside the Hebrew Bible.

Historical & Contextual Notes

נָדָן appears only in poetic or prophetic contexts (notably, Ezekiel 16:33), where it denotes gifts or payments given or received in connection with forbidden acts, particularly temple or cult prostitution. Unlike common Hebrew terms for gift (such as מַתָּנָה mattanah or שַׁי shai), נָדָן is limited to this specific, often negative, cultic context. Translations such as 'gift' or 'present' fail to capture the strongly pejorative and cultic undertones of the term. In later periods, similar ritual-gift practices are referenced by different terminology. The word's appearance is restricted to one verse, underlining its specialized meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably from an unused root meaning to give; a present (for prostitution); gift.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

נתן (n-t-n) — to give, bestow, grant

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3129 יוֹנָתָן in Yahweh-has-given
H4976 מַתָּן Mattan
H4977 מַתָּן Gift
H4978 מַתְּנָא gifts
H4979 מַתָּנָה with their gifts

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5083-01 נְדָנַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ nedanayikhe HNcmpc/Sp2fs your gifts your cultic prostitution payments 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5083-01 Ezekiel 16:33 נְדָנַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ nedanayikhe HNcmpc/Sp2fs your gifts your cultic prostitution payments
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