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נֶפֶל

𐤍𐤐𐤋

nephel

H5309 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נפל to fall, collapse, be cast down

Definition

A prematurely born offspring, particularly a human fetus that does not survive to term or is miscarried; in most contexts, denotes a stillborn child or miscarriage. The term specifically refers to that which fails to come to full birth or is expelled before viability.

Semantic Range

miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurely born offspring, untimely birth, aborted fetus

Root / Etymology

From the root נפל (to fall), indicating the sense of 'fallen' or 'cast down.' The noun נֶפֶל derives from the verb, originally conveying the idea of that which has 'fallen' from the womb (i.e., an aborted fetus or miscarriage), rather than a live-born child.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, נֶפֶל appears infrequently and is used almost exclusively to denote a fetus or child that has died in the womb or during birth, emphasizing premature loss and non-viability. The term is distinctly medical and does not carry later euphemisms or metaphoric senses. Usage is found both in legal and poetic contexts (e.g., Job 3:16; Psalm 58:9; Ecclesiastes 6:3) and always refers specifically to stillbirth or miscarriage. It should not be confused with ילד (yeled), which denotes a living child. Later translations often rendered נֶפֶל as 'abortion,' 'untimely birth,' or 'miscarriage;' in legal texts, it sometimes concerns questions of ritual purity or inheritance.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or נֵפֶל; from נָפַל; something fallen, i.e. an abortion; untimely birth.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נפל (n-p-l) — to fall, collapse, be cast down

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4651 מַפָּל fallen-off fragments of
H4654 מַפָּלָה to a collapse
H4658 מַפֶּלֶת in their downfall
H5303 נְפִיל the fallen-giants
H5307 נָפַל I will cause to fall

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5309-01 הַ/נָּֽפֶל hanafel HTd/Ncmsa the fallen offspring 1
H5309-02 כְ/נֵ֣פֶל khenefel HR/Ncmsa as a miscarriage as a fallen stillborn 1
H5309-03 נֵ֥פֶל nefel HNcmsc miscarriage fallen offspring 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5309-03 Psalms 58:9 נֵ֥פֶל nefel HNcmsc miscarriage fallen offspring
H5309-02 Job 3:16 כְ/נֵ֣פֶל khenefel HR/Ncmsa as a miscarriage as a fallen stillborn
H5309-01 Ecclesiastes 6:3 הַ/נָּֽפֶל hanafel HTd/Ncmsa the fallen offspring
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