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גָּנַן

𐤂𐤍𐤍

gânan

H1598 verb

SILEX Entry

Root גנן to cover, to enclose, to shield, to protect

Definition

To protect, guard, or shield from harm, with an emphasis on encircling or enclosing for the purpose of defense or safety. In various contexts, גָּנַן refers to the action of providing protection, whether literal or metaphorical, often evoking the imagery of surrounding someone or something with a protective barrier. This may apply to physical safeguarding (such as shielding from threat or danger), or in poetic and prophetic texts, to divine protection offered to individuals, groups, or locations.

Semantic Range

to protect, to defend, to guard, to shield (especially by encircling or enclosing); to act as a protective barrier; to surround for safety

Root / Etymology

Root: ג-נ-ן (גָּנַן). The root broadly means 'to cover, enclose, shield'. The verb גָּנַן likely derives from the concept of encircling or enclosing, with the specific lexical sense developing toward the idea of guarding or defending by means of surrounding or hedging about. The root is also related to גָּן (gan, 'garden' or 'enclosure'), pointing to the underlying idea of something enclosed for protection.

Historical & Contextual Notes

גָּנַן occurs in poetic and prophetic passages (e.g., Psalms, Isaiah, Zechariah) to describe protective actions, often with YHWH as the subject who protects the people, the city, or the land. In such contexts, the imagery frequently implies active, vigilant safeguarding, sometimes echoing the role of a city wall or fortified enclosure. While English translations typically employ 'protect', 'defend', or 'shield', these may not convey the full nuance of encirclement inherent in the original. The verb's occurrences are relatively rare, and it does not refer to everyday military defense, but rather specialized or supernatural protection, especially in later biblical poetry. The connection to גָּן ('garden, enclosure') underscores a metaphorical association with something precious being surrounded for safety. During the post-exilic and Second Temple period, the protective sense often took on heightened theological resonance in relation to YHWH's safeguarding presence over Jerusalem and the returning community. English translations may sometimes narrow the sense by omitting the visual imagery of enclosure.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to hedge about, i.e. (generally) protect; defend.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גנן (g-n-n) — covering, enclosing, shielding, protecting

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1476 גּוּנִי Protected one
H1588 גַּן in the enclosed garden
H1593 גַּנָּה his enclosed garden
H1594 גִּנָּה enclosed garden of
H1599 גִּנְּתוֹן Encloser

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1598-02 וְ/גַנּוֹתִ֛י veganoti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-defend and I shielded 4
H1598-03 יָגֵ֛ן yagen HVqi3ms will defend he will shield 3
H1598-01 גָּנ֥וֹן ganon HVqa protecting shielding 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1598-02 2 Kings 19:34 וְ/גַנּוֹתִ֛י veganoti HC/Vqq1cs I will defend and I shielded
H1598-02 2 Kings 20:6 וְ/גַנּוֹתִי֙ veganoti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-defend and I shielded
H1598-03 Isaiah 31:5 יָגֵ֛ן yagen HVqi3ms will-protect he will shield
H1598-01 Isaiah 31:5 גָּנ֥וֹן ganon HVqa protecting shielding
H1598-02 Isaiah 37:35 וְ/גַנּוֹתִ֛י veganoti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-defend and I shielded
H1598-02 Isaiah 38:6 וְ/גַנּוֹתִ֖י veganoti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-defend and I shielded
H1598-03 Zechariah 9:15 יָגֵ֣ן yagen HVqi3ms will defend he will shield
H1598-03 Zechariah 12:8 יָגֵ֤ן yagen HVqi3ms will-defend he will shield
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