נֶגֶד
𐤍𐤂𐤃
neged
H5049 preposition
SILEX Entry
Definition
A preposition and adverb meaning 'in front of,' 'opposite,' or 'before (the face of).' It indicates position or orientation relative to another object, person, or place—expressing spatial opposition, facing toward, or presence across from. Semantic range includes the ideas of frontality, spatial relationship, and direct opposition or correspondence.
Semantic Range
in front of, opposite, before (the face of), toward, across from, in the presence of
Root / Etymology
From the root נגד, which conveys the sense of being in front of, confronting, or showing. The Aramaic form (נֶגֶד) is cognate with the Hebrew נֶגֶד, which is frequently used as a preposition for position or facing. In both languages, the word likely derives from the concept of being visibly manifest or set opposite another.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Biblical Aramaic (e.g., Ezra and Daniel), נֶגֶד functions primarily as a preposition or adverb denoting spatial relationship—'opposite,' 'toward,' or 'in front of.' Its usage parallels the Hebrew נֶגֶד but appears only in Aramaic sections of the Tanakh. In these texts, it most often refers to being physically or positionally across from or before another, such as 'before the king' or 'opposite the house.' The sense is always concrete and locative, not metaphorical or abstract. In post-biblical dialects and Rabbinic Hebrew/Aramaic, the word retains its spatial connotation and does not take on later religious nuances. English translations often use 'before' or 'in the presence of,' which accurately render its core meaning but sometimes smooth out the strongly spatial orientation present in the original.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to נֶגֶד; opposite; toward.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נגד (n-g-d) — to be conspicuous, to declare, to set before, to make known
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5046 | נָגַד | I will set forth |
| H5047 | נְגַד | flowing |
| H5048 | נֶגֶד | as opposite him |
| H5057 | נָגִיד | the leading ruler |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5049-01 |
נֶ֖גֶד | neged | AR |
opposite | in front of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5049-01 |
Daniel 6:11 | נֶ֖גֶד | neged | AR |
opposite | in front of |