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נָבָל

𐤍𐤁𐤋

nâbâl

H5036 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root נבל to wither, to decay, to become senseless

Definition

A person who is senseless, lacking understanding or moral insight, one who rejects social and ethical norms, often specifically referring to someone exhibiting willful disregard for moral conduct or respect for YHWH. The term encompasses intellectual folly as well as moral deficiency, and is used especially for individuals characterized by offensive, ignoble, or disgraceful behavior.

Semantic Range

fool, senseless person, one lacking moral sensibility, villain, ignoble person, one who rejects piety or social norms, disgraceful person

Root / Etymology

From the root נבל, which primarily means 'to wither' or 'to fade' (as in withering of plants), with extended metaphorical application to refer to decay or collapse. By analogy, the noun נָבָל (nâbâl) comes to signify a person whose conduct is 'withered', i.e., lacking in integrity, sense, or goodness—morally or intellectually deficient.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, נָבָל appears regularly as a descriptive term for someone who is not simply lacking intelligence but actively rejects social responsibility or shows contempt for norms of decency and piety. The classic narrative example is the figure Nabal (1 Samuel 25), whose actions illustrate both moral folly and disregard for Israelite custom and hospitality. The term is distinguished from other Hebrew words for 'fool', such as כְּסִיל (kesil, H3684), which often implies a lack of wisdom or understanding, and אֱוִיל (evil, H191), which typically signals obstinacy or stubborn stupidity. נָבָל often emphasizes an element of outrageous or disgraceful conduct, especially in matters connected to piety, ethics, and communal order. Later translations sometimes render נָבָל as 'vile man' or 'villain', and in some English Bible traditions as 'fool'—but the term commonly has stronger connotations of moral outrage and deliberate affront to propriety. By the post-exilic and intertestamental periods, the nuance of moral contempt attached to 'nabal' was recognized, although direct usage began to fade. The concept persisted in derived vernacular expressions such as 'navalut' (foolishness, folly).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נָבֵל; stupid; wicked (especially impious); fool(-ish, -ish man, -ish woman), vile person.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נבל (n-b-l) — to wither, to decay, to become senseless

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5034 נָבֵל like withering
H5035 נֶבֶל with a nebel-vessel
H5037 נָבָל like Nabal
H5038 נְבֵלָה in the decayed carcass of
H5039 נְבָלָה the disgraceful act

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5036-04 נָבָ֖ל naval HAamsa fool withered-minded man 12
H5036-03 לְ/נָבָ֖ל lenaval HR/Aamsa a fool to a senseless man 2
H5036-01 הַ/נְּבָלִ֖ים hanevalim HTd/Aampa the foolish the morally-withered ones 2
H5036-02 הַ/נְּבָלוֹת֙ hanevalot HTd/Aafpa the-foolish-women the morally-withered women 1
H5036-05 וְ֝/נָבָ֗ל venaval HC/Aamsa and a fool withered fool 1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5036-04 Deuteronomy 32:6 נָבָ֖ל naval HAamsa foolish withered-minded man
H5036-04 Deuteronomy 32:21 נָבָ֖ל naval HAamsa foolish withered-minded man
H5036-04 2 Samuel 3:33 נָבָ֖ל naval HAamsa a fool withered-minded man
H5036-01 2 Samuel 13:13 הַ/נְּבָלִ֖ים hanevalim HTd/Aampa the fools the morally-withered ones
H5036-03 Isaiah 32:5 לְ/נָבָ֖ל lenaval HR/Aamsa a fool to a senseless man
H5036-04 Isaiah 32:6 נָבָל֙ naval HAamsa fool withered-minded man
H5036-04 Jeremiah 17:11 נָבָֽל naval HAamsa a fool withered-minded man
H5036-01 Ezekiel 13:3 הַ/נְּבָלִ֑ים hanevalim HTd/Aampa the foolish the morally-withered ones
H5036-04 Psalms 14:1 נָבָ֣ל naval HAamsa fool withered-minded man
H5036-04 Psalms 39:9 נָ֝בָ֗ל naval HAamsa of the fool withered-minded man
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