נַעַל
𐤍𐤏𐤋
naʻal
H5275 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Footwear, typically made from leather or animal hide, designed to cover, protect, and bind the foot; generally a sandal. The term denotes a basic shoe worn in daily life, but can also be used symbolically, as in legal or ritual contexts, for relinquishment, transfer of rights or roles, and concepts of value or worthlessness. In its various occurrences, the word may denote a single sandal, a pair of shoes, or the fastening/thong that secures the sandal to the foot.
Semantic Range
sandal, shoe, slipper, pair of sandals, sandal thong/latchet, symbolic item in legal transaction, symbol of value or lack thereof; footwear in general
Root / Etymology
From the root נעל, meaning 'to lock, shut, fasten.' The noun נַעַל is derived from this root, signifying something that fastens or binds (in this case, to the foot). The word is likely native Northwest Semitic with parallels in related languages, and reflects the action of enclosing or securing the foot.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נַעַל appears in contexts describing basic attire for travel, priestly service, and daily living throughout the Hebrew Bible. In Deuteronomy 25:9-10, removal of the sandal is a symbolic gesture in the levirate law, representing the renunciation of one's rights or claim; similarly, in Ruth 4:7, the transfer of a sandal signifies a public legal transaction. The sandal (נַעַל) was a common and humble item of footgear, often contrasted with bare feet as a sign of hardship or mourning. The word's semantic scope includes both individual sandals and 'a pair' (always dual in some contexts, e.g., נַעֲלַיִם). It is broader than 'shoe' in modern English, which connotes a closed item; the ancient נַעַל was typically an open sandal secured with thongs. Later Jewish tradition and English translations sometimes read into נַעַל meanings of 'shoe' or 'slipper', but these can obscure the word's ancient connotations and practical realities. The word is distinct from מוֹכֵף (mokeph), 'boot,' found in later Hebrew. The action of untying a נַעַל (cf. 'latchet,' i.e. fastening) appears in idiomatic expressions of service or humility. Use of this term remained stable from the patriarchal period through the post-exilic era, but the sense of legal symbol grew more pronounced in later biblical and Second Temple sources.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or (feminine) נַעֲלָה; from נָעַל; properly, a sandal tongue; by extension a sandal or slipper (sometimes as a symbol of occupancy, a refusal to marry, or of something valueless); dryshod, (pair of) shoe((-latchet), -s).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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נעל (n-ʿ-l) — lock, shut, fasten, bind
Word Forms
16 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5275-08 |
נַעֲל/וֹ֙ | naalo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his sandal | his sandal | 3 |
H5275-01 |
בַּ/נְּעָלִֽים | banealim | HRd/Ncfpa |
in sandals | in the sandals | 2 |
H5275-15 |
וְ/נַֽעַלְ/ךָ֥ | venaalekha | HC/Ncfsc/Sp2ms |
and-your-sandal | and your sandal | 2 |
H5275-04 |
נַעֲלָֽיִם | naalayim | HNcfda |
a pair of sandals | pair of fastening-sandals | 2 |
H5275-07 |
נַעֲלִ֑/י | naali | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
my sandal | my sandal | 2 |
H5275-09 |
נְעָלָֽי/ו | nealayv | HNcfpc/Sp3ms |
of his sandals | his sandals | 1 |
H5275-14 |
וּֽ/בְ/נַעֲל֖/וֹ | uvenaalo | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and in his sandals | and in his sandal | 1 |
H5275-11 |
וּ/נְעָלֶ֖י/ךָ | unealeykha | HC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms |
and your sandals | and your sandals | 1 |
H5275-06 |
נַֽעֲלֵי/כֶם֙ | naaleykhem | HNcfpc/Sp2mp |
your sandals | your fastening-sandals | 1 |
H5275-05 |
נַֽעַלְ/ךָ֙ | naalekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your sandal | your sandal | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
22 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5275-03 |
Genesis 14:23 | נַ֔עַל | naal | HNcfsa |
of a sandal | foot-fastening sandal |
H5275-10 |
Exodus 3:5 | נְעָלֶ֨י/ךָ֙ | nealeykha | HNcfpc/Sp2ms |
your sandals | your sandals |
H5275-06 |
Exodus 12:11 | נַֽעֲלֵי/כֶם֙ | naaleykhem | HNcfpc/Sp2mp |
your sandals | your fastening-sandals |
H5275-08 |
Deuteronomy 25:9 | נַעֲל/וֹ֙ | naalo | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his shoe | his sandal |
H5275-02 |
Deuteronomy 25:10 | הַ/נָּֽעַל | hanaal | HTd/Ncfsa |
of the sandal | the fastening-sandal |
H5275-15 |
Deuteronomy 29:4 | וְ/נַֽעַלְ/ךָ֥ | venaalekha | HC/Ncfsc/Sp2ms |
and-your-sandal | and your sandal |
H5275-05 |
Joshua 5:15 | נַֽעַלְ/ךָ֙ | naalekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your sandal | your sandal |
H5275-13 |
Joshua 9:5 | וּ/נְעָל֨וֹת | unealot | HC/Ncfpa |
and-sandals | and sandals |
H5275-12 |
Joshua 9:13 | וּ/נְעָלֵ֔י/נוּ | unealeynu | HC/Ncfpc/Sp1cp |
and our sandals | our fastening-sandals |
H5275-14 |
1 Kings 2:5 | וּֽ/בְ/נַעֲל֖/וֹ | uvenaalo | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and in his sandals | and in his sandal |