נְזַק
𐤍𐤆𐤒
nᵉzaq
H5142 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To incur or cause damage, harm, or loss; refers to situations involving injury or damage to property, circumstances, or persons. In the causative stem, indicates the act of inflicting damage or loss. Primarily legal or economic in tone, denoting diminution in value, injury, or circumstances leading to such outcomes.
Semantic Range
to suffer damage, to inflict damage, to be injured, to cause loss, to harm physically or materially, to undergo harm, to be hurt
Root / Etymology
Root: נזק (Aramaic, variant form of Hebrew נֵזֶק nezeq). The root נזק in Northwest Semitic languages broadly means 'to harm, injure, cause loss.' The Aramaic form נְזַק is a verbal development indicating either passive or causative senses depending on stem. The Hebrew noun נֵזֶק means 'damage, harm, injury.' The verbal form does not occur in biblical Hebrew but is attested in Aramaic as found in the book of Daniel.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb נְזַק appears within Aramaic portions of Daniel (e.g., Daniel 6:23–25), where it refers to suffering or inflicting harm or injury, especially in legal or narrative settings. The underlying concept is closely aligned with the Hebrew root נזק, although the verb form is only attested in Aramaic in the Tanakh. The semantic field encompasses both physical harm (to bodies) and economic or property damage. Standard translations like 'damage,' 'harm,' or 'suffer loss' capture the general sense, but nuances about intentional vs. unintentional damage are not always preserved in translation. In post-biblical usage (e.g., later Aramaic), the root expands further to include a broader range of damages, including indemnity and liability law. The related term in Hebrew law, חָבַל (ḥaval), often refers specifically to personal injury or pledge/forfeit, whereas נזק/נְזַק is more general, encompassing both property and personal injury. In rabbinic Hebrew and Jewish legal traditions, נזק developed into technical categories of tort law, but this legal precision is not as marked in biblical and early Aramaic usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to the root of נֵזֶק; to suffer (causatively, inflict) loss; have (en-) damage, hurt(-ful).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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נזק (n-z-q) — harm, damage, loss
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5143 | נֵזֶק | in damage of |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5142-03 |
תְּהַנְזִֽק | tehaneziq | AVhi3ms |
will be damaged | he will inflict damage | 1 |
H5142-01 |
לְ/הַנְזָקַ֖ת | lehanezaqat | AR/Ncfsc |
to-the-detriment-of | of damage | 1 |
H5142-02 |
נָזִֽק | naziq | AVqrmsa |
able to harm | harming one | 1 |
H5142-04 |
וּֽ/מְהַנְזְקַ֤ת | umehanezeqat | AC/Vhrfsc |
and damaging | and causing damage of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5142-02 |
Daniel 6:3 | נָזִֽק | naziq | AVqrmsa |
able to harm | harming one |
H5142-03 |
Ezra 4:13 | תְּהַנְזִֽק | tehaneziq | AVhi3ms |
will be damaged | he will inflict damage |
H5142-04 |
Ezra 4:15 | וּֽ/מְהַנְזְקַ֤ת | umehanezeqat | AC/Vhrfsc |
and damaging | and causing damage of |
H5142-01 |
Ezra 4:22 | לְ/הַנְזָקַ֖ת | lehanezaqat | AR/Ncfsc |
to-the-detriment-of | of damage |