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נִבְחַז

𐤍𐤁𐤇𐤆

Nivechaz

H5026 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain, proper name of a foreign deity

Definition

Proper noun referring to Nibchaz, a deity venerated by the Avites, a people group settled in Samaria by the Assyrians following the exile of the Israelite population. The precise attributes, character, or associations of this deity are unknown due to lack of extra-biblical evidence.

Semantic Range

Nibchaz (proper name of a deity), foreign god worshipped by the Avites in Samaria

Root / Etymology

Etymology uncertain. The name נִבְחַז does not derive from a known Hebrew root and is of foreign, likely West Semitic or Mesopotamian, origin, reflecting its non-Israelite context.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Nibchaz appears only in 2 Kings 17:31, in a list of deities brought by the peoples settled in Samaria by the Assyrian Empire. The Avites, linked with either northwest Mesopotamia or the Syrian region, worshipped Nibchaz alongside Tartak. The absence of independent historical or archaeological references leaves the nature and features of this deity obscure. English translations often simply transliterate the name, sometimes accompanied by a marginal note stating 'a god of the Avites'; some older traditions imply analogies to classical deities, but these are speculative and not linguistically supported. The word functions as a proper noun designating a specific non-Israelite god, contrasting with general terms for deity (אֵל, אֱלֹהִים) or named deities native to Israelite or neighboring traditions. Usage is specific to the monarchic and exilic narrative of 2 Kings, reflecting a focus on foreign religious practices introduced to Samaria during the Assyrian period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of foreign origin; Nibchaz, a deity of the Avites; Nibhaz.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — uncertain, proper name of a foreign deity

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5026-01 נִבְחַ֖ז nivechaz HNp Nibhaz Nibchaz 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5026-01 2 Kings 17:31 נִבְחַ֖ז nivechaz HNp Nibhaz Nibchaz
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