נָצָה
𐤍𐤑𐤄
nâtsâh
H5327 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To strive, contend, engage in conflict or a dispute; to fight, quarrel, or enter into a contest, whether physically or verbally. In some contexts, to drive out, expel, or ruin—particularly used in the causative stems to describe laying waste or leaving barren as a result of conflict.
Semantic Range
to strive; to quarrel; to fight; to engage in dispute; to expel; to cause desolation; to ruin; to destroy (poetic/causative)
Root / Etymology
Root נצה. The root conveys the idea of striving or contending, especially involving confrontation, struggle, or opposition. Derived in verb forms, it expresses the act of engaging in conflict (striving, quarreling), and in causative forms, the result of such conflict (being ruined or left desolate).
Historical & Contextual Notes
נָצָה appears primarily in verbal form in Biblical Hebrew, commonly in the Qal and Niphal stems for personal dispute or strife, sometimes between individuals (e.g., two persons fighting, as in Exodus 2:13). In the Piel and Hiphil (causative), it can describe causing ruin or expulsion, often used metaphorically of land becoming desolate or a person being expelled by force. The word differs from related terms like רִיב (to dispute/litigate, often in legal or forensic settings) and לָחַם (to wage war), since נָצָה emphasizes struggle or altercation with physical or personal connotations, not formal conflict or warfare. In most Hebrew Bibles, English translations render the term as 'to strive,' 'to contend,' or 'to quarrel,' which sometimes does not capture the full sense of forceful expulsion found in causative usages. The sense of destruction or laying waste is context-dependent and not the core meaning, but rather a consequential nuance, especially in poetic or prophetic texts. Usage remained relatively stable in later biblical periods, appearing rarely post-exile. In Septuagint and later Jewish Greek tradition, the term is sometimes rendered with words meaning 'to fight' or 'to dispute,' but not with later English terms like 'Jew,' thus avoiding later religious connotations.
Translation Consistency
nâtsâh most typically means to strive or take part in a dispute—whether verbal or physical. "Contend" naturally covers quarrel, strive, and fight senses and can be used figuratively for the causative/ruinous uses (e.g., to cause conflict or lay waste in contest). It matches the primary range of occurrences while remaining a clear, consistent English verb for all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to go forth, i.e. (by implication) to be expelled, and (consequently) desolate; causatively, to lay waste; also (specifically), to quarrel; be laid waste, runinous, strive (together).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
נצה (matstsâh) — to strive, to contend, to quarrel
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4683 | מַצָּה | quarrel |
| H4695 | מַצּוּת | your contention |
| H5133 | נוֹצָה | with her flight-feather |
| H5323 | נָצָא | to depart |
| H5328 | נִצָּה | her blossom |
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5327-04 |
נִצִּ֖ים | nitsim | HVNrmpa |
ruinous | those contending | ruinous | 3 |
H5327-06 |
וַ/יִּנָּצ֤וּ | vayinatsu | HC/VNw3mp |
and they fought | they contended | and they contended | 2 |
H5327-07 |
יִנָּצ֨וּ | yinatsu | HVNi3mp |
men fight | they contend | they contend | 2 |
H5327-01 |
בְּ/הַצֹּתָ֖/ם | behatsotam | HR/Vhc/Sp3mp |
when they contended | in their laying-waste | when they contended | 1 |
H5327-02 |
בְּ/הַצּוֹת֨/וֹ | behatsoto | HR/Vhc/Sp3ms |
when he was victorious over | in his expelling | in his contending | 1 |
H5327-03 |
הִצּ֜וּ | hitsu | HVhp3cp |
contended | they laid waste | contended | 1 |
H5327-05 |
תִּצֶּ֖ינָה | titseynah | HVqi3fp |
will be ruins | they will contend | they will be laid waste | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
11 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5327-04 |
Exodus 2:13 | נִצִּ֑ים | nitsim | HVNrmpa |
fighting | those contending | those contending |
H5327-07 |
Exodus 21:22 | יִנָּצ֣וּ | yinatsu | HVNi3mp |
they strive | they contend | they contend |
H5327-06 |
Leviticus 24:10 | וַ/יִּנָּצוּ֙ | vayinatsu | HC/VNw3mp |
and they struggled | they contended | and they contended |
H5327-03 |
Numbers 26:9 | הִצּ֜וּ | hitsu | HVhp3cp |
contended | they laid waste | contended |
H5327-01 |
Numbers 26:9 | בְּ/הַצֹּתָ֖/ם | behatsotam | HR/Vhc/Sp3mp |
when they contended | in their laying-waste | when they contended |
H5327-07 |
Deuteronomy 25:11 | יִנָּצ֨וּ | yinatsu | HVNi3mp |
men fight | they contend | they contend |
H5327-06 |
2 Samuel 14:6 | וַ/יִּנָּצ֤וּ | vayinatsu | HC/VNw3mp |
and they fought | they contended | and they contended |
H5327-04 |
2 Kings 19:25 | נִצִּ֖ים | nitsim | HVNrmpa |
ruinous | those contending | ruinous |
H5327-04 |
Isaiah 37:26 | נִצִּ֖ים | nitsim | HVNrmpa |
ruinous | those contending | ruinous |
H5327-05 |
Jeremiah 4:7 | תִּצֶּ֖ינָה | titseynah | HVqi3fp |
will be ruins | they will contend | they will be laid waste |
H5327-02 |
Psalms 60:2 | בְּ/הַצּוֹת֨/וֹ | behatsoto | HR/Vhc/Sp3ms |
when he was victorious over | in his expelling | in his contending |