← H5326 H5328 →

נָצָה

𐤍𐤑𐤄

nâtsâh

H5327 verb

SILEX Entry

Root נצה to strive, to contend, to quarrel, to fight, to expel (causative), to ruin (causative)

Definition

To strive, contend, engage in conflict or a dispute; to fight, quarrel, or enter into a contest, whether physically or verbally. In some contexts, to drive out, expel, or ruin—particularly used in the causative stems to describe laying waste or leaving barren as a result of conflict.

Semantic Range

to strive; to quarrel; to fight; to engage in dispute; to expel; to cause desolation; to ruin; to destroy (poetic/causative)

Root / Etymology

Root נצה. The root conveys the idea of striving or contending, especially involving confrontation, struggle, or opposition. Derived in verb forms, it expresses the act of engaging in conflict (striving, quarreling), and in causative forms, the result of such conflict (being ruined or left desolate).

Historical & Contextual Notes

נָצָה appears primarily in verbal form in Biblical Hebrew, commonly in the Qal and Niphal stems for personal dispute or strife, sometimes between individuals (e.g., two persons fighting, as in Exodus 2:13). In the Piel and Hiphil (causative), it can describe causing ruin or expulsion, often used metaphorically of land becoming desolate or a person being expelled by force. The word differs from related terms like רִיב (to dispute/litigate, often in legal or forensic settings) and לָחַם (to wage war), since נָצָה emphasizes struggle or altercation with physical or personal connotations, not formal conflict or warfare. In most Hebrew Bibles, English translations render the term as 'to strive,' 'to contend,' or 'to quarrel,' which sometimes does not capture the full sense of forceful expulsion found in causative usages. The sense of destruction or laying waste is context-dependent and not the core meaning, but rather a consequential nuance, especially in poetic or prophetic texts. Usage remained relatively stable in later biblical periods, appearing rarely post-exile. In Septuagint and later Jewish Greek tradition, the term is sometimes rendered with words meaning 'to fight' or 'to dispute,' but not with later English terms like 'Jew,' thus avoiding later religious connotations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to go forth, i.e. (by implication) to be expelled, and (consequently) desolate; causatively, to lay waste; also (specifically), to quarrel; be laid waste, runinous, strive (together).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

נצה (n-ṣ-h) — striving, contending, fighting; expelling, causing desolation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4683 מַצָּה quarrel
H4695 מַצּוּת your contention
H5133 נוֹצָה with her flight-feather
H5323 נָצָא to depart
H5328 נִצָּה her blossom

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5327-04 נִצִּ֑ים nitsim HVNrmpa ruinous those contending 3
H5327-06 וַ/יִּנָּצוּ֙ vayinatsu HC/VNw3mp and they fought they contended 2
H5327-07 יִנָּצ֣וּ yinatsu HVNi3mp men fight they contend 2
H5327-03 הִצּ֜וּ hitsu HVhp3cp contended they laid waste 1
H5327-02 בְּ/הַצּוֹת֨/וֹ behatsoto HR/Vhc/Sp3ms when he was victorious over in his expelling 1
H5327-05 תִּצֶּ֖ינָה titseynah HVqi3fp will be ruins they will contend 1
H5327-01 בְּ/הַצֹּתָ֖/ם behatsotam HR/Vhc/Sp3mp when they contended in their laying-waste 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5327-04 Exodus 2:13 נִצִּ֑ים nitsim HVNrmpa fighting those contending
H5327-07 Exodus 21:22 יִנָּצ֣וּ yinatsu HVNi3mp they strive they contend
H5327-06 Leviticus 24:10 וַ/יִּנָּצוּ֙ vayinatsu HC/VNw3mp and they struggled they contended
H5327-03 Numbers 26:9 הִצּ֜וּ hitsu HVhp3cp contended they laid waste
H5327-01 Numbers 26:9 בְּ/הַצֹּתָ֖/ם behatsotam HR/Vhc/Sp3mp when they contended in their laying-waste
H5327-07 Deuteronomy 25:11 יִנָּצ֨וּ yinatsu HVNi3mp men fight they contend
H5327-06 2 Samuel 14:6 וַ/יִּנָּצ֤וּ vayinatsu HC/VNw3mp and they fought they contended
H5327-04 2 Kings 19:25 נִצִּ֖ים nitsim HVNrmpa ruinous those contending
H5327-04 Isaiah 37:26 נִצִּ֖ים nitsim HVNrmpa ruinous those contending
H5327-05 Jeremiah 4:7 תִּצֶּ֖ינָה titseynah HVqi3fp will be ruins they will contend
← H5326 Hebrew Lexicon H5328 →