נֵכֶל
𐤍𐤊𐤋
nêkel
H5231 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Deceit; cunning, treachery, or trickery. The term denotes a disposition or act of employing deception, craftiness, or underhanded schemes; may refer to the use of guile or stratagem for personal advantage, often in a negative or morally suspect sense.
Semantic Range
deceit, cunning, treachery, trickery, guile, underhanded stratagem
Root / Etymology
From the root נָכַל (nachal), meaning 'to be crafty, to be deceitful, to act treacherously.' The noun form נֵכֶל (nêkel) draws directly from this verbal root to refer to the concept of deceit or cunning behavior itself.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נֵכֶל appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, with clear attestations in contexts that stress negative evaluation of cunning or deceptive behavior. The root itself (נכל) is consistently associated with ideas of craftiness and treachery, akin to other negative terms denoting deceit in Biblical Hebrew (cf. מִרְמָה mirmah, רְמִיָּה remiyyah). While נֵכֶל often coincides with moral condemnation, the semantic focus is more on cognitive cunning and stratagem than on direct action, distinguishing it from terms that emphasize betrayal or overt falsehood. In later Hebrew, the root and its derivatives are less common, preserving most of their negative connotations. English translations such as 'deceit' or 'guile' generally capture the sense, but may understate the nuance of craftiness or plotting that is implied in Hebrew usage. Unlike the term מִרְמָה (mirmah), which covers a wider semantic range including fraud and dishonest gain, נֵכֶל centers specifically on the conceptual and strategic aspect of deceit (i.e., cunning planning or scheming).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָכַל; deceit; wile.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
נכל (n-k-l) — craftiness, deceit, treachery, cunning action
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5230 | נָכַל | to scheme treacherously |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5231-01 |
בְּ/נִכְלֵי/הֶ֛ם | benikheleyhem | HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
with their tricks | in their treacheries | in their treacheries | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5231-01 |
Numbers 25:18 | בְּ/נִכְלֵי/הֶ֛ם | benikheleyhem | HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp |
with their tricks | in their treacheries | in their treacheries |