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נָקָה

𐤍𐤒𐤄

nâqâh

H5352 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be clean, free from guilt, or innocent; to be exempt or cleared from obligation, punishment, or contamination. Also, to leave unpunished or be acquitted in a judicial sense. In negative constructions, to not be exempt or to be held guilty or subject to penalty. The verb encompasses both the literal sense of being physically clean or emptied, and the figurative sense of moral or legal innocence, clearance from blame, or release from punishment.

Semantic Range

to be (declared) clean (ritually or physically), to be acquitted, to be innocent, to be free (from guilt, obligation, punishment), to leave unpunished, to hold guiltless, to be unscathed or exempt from harm, to be emptied (become desolate), to not be acquitted (in negative constructions), to forfeit or be cut off (rare negative extension)

Root / Etymology

From the root נקה, which carries the core sense of 'to be free (from impurity, obligation, or guilt), to be clean.' The stem is used in various binyanim (verb patterns), imparting nuances such as causation ('to declare clean'), and the basic meaning is extended both to ritual/physical matters and legal/moral situations.

Historical & Contextual Notes

נָקָה occurs across a wide range of contexts in the Hebrew Bible. Literally, it describes being free from impurity or emptied (e.g., of a city, Isa 3:26), but more frequently it is used in forensic/judicial contexts: acquittal, exoneration, or being spared from punishment (Exod 20:7: 'will not be acquitted'; Num 5:31: 'be free from guilt'). The word plays an essential role in ritual and legal language (especially in Leviticus and Numbers), marking the distinction between those held accountable and those relieved from guilt or obligation. The usage can be either positive (to be found innocent/clean) or, in negated form, strongly negative ('will by no means be acquitted,' indicating inevitable judgment or punishment). Later translation traditions (LXX, Vulgate, KJV) sometimes render it with terms like 'clear' or 'innocent,' but these may understate the formal legal scope or the absoluteness of the root's negated forms. Distinct from related roots like טהר, which focuses on ceremonially ritual purity, נקה emphasizes freedom from penalty, accusation, or contamination, whether moral, legal, or physical.

Translation Consistency

primary "clean" 22 occurrences

“Clean” best covers the typical semantic range: physical/ritual purity (be clean), moral or legal innocence (clean/cleared), and exemption from punishment or contamination. It is natural English, flexible for stative and passive uses, and broader than the narrower legal term “acquit” while being more specific and natural than the generic verb “be.”

Alternatives (22 occurrences):
"acquitted" (10x) "acquit" (3x) "innocent" (2x) "released" (1x) "blameless" (1x) "guiltless" (1x) "him go unpunished" (1x) "desolated" (1x) "means will acquit" (1x) "clear" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be (or make) clean (literally or figuratively); by implication (in an adverse sense) to be bare, i.e. extirpated; acquit [idiom] at all, [idiom] altogether, be blameless, cleanse, (be) clear(-ing), cut off, be desolate, be free, be (hold) guiltless, be (hold) innocent, [idiom] by no means, be quit, be (leave) unpunished, [idiom] utterly, [idiom] wholly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נקה (n-q-h) — cleanliness, freedom from guilt, acquittal, exemption

Root נקה to be clean, to be free from guilt, to be acquitted, to be exempt
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4518 מְנַקִּית the purifying basins
H5343 נְקֵא clean, pure
H5355 נָקִי the guiltless one
H5356 נִקָּיוֹן in cleanness

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5352-19 יִ֝נָּקֶ֗ה yinaqeh HVNi3ms be unpunished he will be acquitted he will be cleaned 7
H5352-18 יְנַקֶּה֙ yenaqeh HVpi3ms he clears he declares clean he will clean 5
H5352-12 וְ/נַקֵּה֙ venaqeh HC/Vpa and acquit and declaring clean and to clean 5
H5352-07 נִקֵּ֥יתִי niqeyti HVNp1cs I acquitted I was acquitted I am blameless 3
H5352-13 וְ/נִקָּ֣ה veniqah HC/VNq3ms and be guiltless and he will be acquitted and he will be cleaned 3
H5352-10 תִּנָּקֶה֙ tinaqeh HVNi2ms will you be acquitted you will be acquitted you will be acquitted 3
H5352-11 תִנָּק֑וּ tinaqu HVNi2mp will-you-be you will be acquitted you will be acquitted 2
H5352-01 אֲנַקֶּֽ/ךָּ anaqekha HVpi1cs/Sp2ms will I acquit I will declare you clean I will clean you 2
H5352-06 נִקָּ֔ה niqah HVNp3ms shall be cleared he has been acquitted he has been acquitted 2
H5352-09 תְנַקֵּֽ/נִי tenaqeni HVpi2ms/Sp1cs you acquit me you will declare me clean you will acquit me 2

Occurrences in Scripture

44 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5352-17 Genesis 24:8 וְ/נִקִּ֕יתָ veniqita HC/VNp2ms then you shall be released you have been acquitted then you shall be released
H5352-10 Genesis 24:41 תִּנָּקֶה֙ tinaqeh HVNi2ms you will be released you will be acquitted you will be acquitted
H5352-18 Exodus 20:7 יְנַקֶּה֙ yenaqeh HVpi3ms He will acquit he declares clean he will clean
H5352-13 Exodus 21:19 וְ/נִקָּ֣ה veniqah HC/VNq3ms then he shall be clear and he will be acquitted and he will be cleaned
H5352-12 Exodus 34:7 וְ/נַקֵּה֙ venaqeh HC/Vpa and clearing and declaring clean and to clean
H5352-18 Exodus 34:7 יְנַקֶּ֔ה yenaqeh HVpi3ms he clears he declares clean he will clean
H5352-03 Numbers 5:19 הִנָּקִ֕י hinaqi HVNv2fs be free Be acquitted be acquitted
H5352-15 Numbers 5:28 וְ/נִקְּתָ֖ה veniqetah HC/VNq3fs and she shall be cleared and she will be acquitted and she will be acquitted
H5352-13 Numbers 5:31 וְ/נִקָּ֥ה veniqah HC/VNq3ms and shall be cleared and he will be acquitted and he will be cleaned
H5352-12 Numbers 14:18 וְ/נַקֵּה֙ venaqeh HC/Vpa and-clearing and declaring clean and to clean
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