נָכָא
𐤍𐤊𐤀
nâkâʼ
H5217 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To strike, beat, or hit with force. The core meaning is to deliver a physical blow, whether to a person, animal, or object. In some contexts, it can extend to mean driving away, repelling, or figuratively causing abasement or humiliation. It does not indicate death or fatal harm as strongly as חָלַל (chalal) or הִכָּה (hikkah), but can refer to making someone undervalued, despised, or 'vile.'
Semantic Range
to strike, to hit, to beat, to drive away, to repulse, to make despicable, to abase, to make vile
Root / Etymology
Root: נָכָא (n-k-ʼ). The root conveys the idea of striking or hitting. The verb נָכָא is a rare root, attested in limited contexts. The form may be a dialectal or rare variant of the more common נָכָה (n-k-h, H5221), with which it is sometimes confused in manuscripts. The phonological difference (final aleph vs. final he) may reflect alternate spellings or secondary root formation. There is no clear cognate in related Semitic languages, and etymology beyond this is uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נָכָא is a rare verb, appearing in very few biblical passages (e.g. Job 30:8; possibly Malachi 1:14, though this is debated and sometimes emended to align with נָכָה, 'to strike'). In its few uses, the sense is to 'strike' or 'lash out' at someone or something, but more often in the context of contempt or repulsing rather than fatal harm. The word sometimes carries the nuance of making one despicable or lowly, particularly in poetic or wisdom literature (e.g. Job, describing social pariahs). Later translations occasionally render the term as 'to smite' or 'to drive away,' but most modern lexical scholarship favors the idea of causing abasement or striking so as to render someone or something insignificant. Distinct from נָכָה (to strike, often fatally), נָכָא suggests a lesser blow or social repudiation rather than lethal violence. This nuance is rarely conveyed in English translations, which tend to generalize as 'smite' or 'drive away.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to smite, i.e. drive away; be viler.
Bantu Hebrew
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נכא (n-k-ʾ) — to strike, to hit, to beat
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5217-01 |
נִ֝כְּא֗וּ | nikeu | HVNp3cp |
they are driven out | they were struck | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5217-01 |
Job 30:8 | נִ֝כְּא֗וּ | nikeu | HVNp3cp |
they are driven out | they were struck |