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נָכֶה

𐤍𐤊𐤄

nâkeh

H5223 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root נכה to smite, strike, afflict

Definition

Maimed, disabled, or stricken; describes one who is physically impaired due to injury or debilitating condition, or—metaphorically—someone who is stricken emotionally or in spirit. The primary sense relates to physical affliction, especially lameness or mutilation, but can also extend to a state of defeat or emotional brokenness depending on context.

Semantic Range

maimed, lame, disabled, stricken (physically), wounded, afflicted, dejected (rare and figurative)

Root / Etymology

Root: נכּה. Derived from the root נכה, which relates to striking, smiting, or inflicting a blow. The term נָכֶה is the passive adjectival form, characterizing someone or something as having been afflicted by such action (i.e., 'struck', hence 'maimed' or 'disabled').

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, נָכֶה most frequently refers to people with a physical defect, especially impaired mobility (lame or crippled). It appears as a descriptive term in legal and narrative contexts (e.g., in lists of persons excluded from certain ritual or priestly service, or as objects of social concern and protection). Over time, the root's passive connotation allowed figurative extension to forms of emotional or spiritual affliction—a usage less common in the Tanakh itself but found in later Hebrew. It differs from terms such as פִּסֵּחַ (pissēaḥ, 'lame') in that נָכֶה has a broader scope, embracing various forms of visible disability resulting from being 'struck' or wounded. In translation history, the word has occasionally been rendered as 'contrite' in an emotional sense, but this is secondary to its principal meaning of physical debilitation. Modern translations try to distinguish physical impairment from emotional states more than older versions did. Usage remains focused on those affected by visible trauma or injury, with cultural and ritual implications in ancient Israelite society linked to wholeness and participation in communal life.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

; smitten, i.e. (literally) maimed, or (figuratively) dejected; contrite, lame.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נכה (n-k-h) — to smite, strike, afflict

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4347 מַכָּה like the strike-of
H5218 נָכֵא struck ones
H5219 נְכֹאת fragrant struck resin
H5221 נָכָה I will strike
H5222 נֵכֶה stricken men

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5223-01 נְכֵ֣ה nekheh HAamsc crippled stricken one 2
H5223-02 וּ/נְכֵה unekheh HC/Aamsc contrite stricken one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5223-01 2 Samuel 4:4 נְכֵ֣ה nekheh HAamsc lame stricken one
H5223-01 2 Samuel 9:3 נְכֵ֥ה nekheh HAamsc crippled stricken one
H5223-02 Isaiah 66:2 וּ/נְכֵה unekheh HC/Aamsc contrite stricken one
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