נָקָה
𐤍𐤒𐤄
nâqâh
H5352 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be clean, free from guilt, or innocent; to be exempt or cleared from obligation, punishment, or contamination. Also, to leave unpunished or be acquitted in a judicial sense. In negative constructions, to not be exempt or to be held guilty or subject to penalty. The verb encompasses both the literal sense of being physically clean or emptied, and the figurative sense of moral or legal innocence, clearance from blame, or release from punishment.
Semantic Range
to be (declared) clean (ritually or physically), to be acquitted, to be innocent, to be free (from guilt, obligation, punishment), to leave unpunished, to hold guiltless, to be unscathed or exempt from harm, to be emptied (become desolate), to not be acquitted (in negative constructions), to forfeit or be cut off (rare negative extension)
Root / Etymology
From the root נקה, which carries the core sense of 'to be free (from impurity, obligation, or guilt), to be clean.' The stem is used in various binyanim (verb patterns), imparting nuances such as causation ('to declare clean'), and the basic meaning is extended both to ritual/physical matters and legal/moral situations.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נָקָה occurs across a wide range of contexts in the Hebrew Bible. Literally, it describes being free from impurity or emptied (e.g., of a city, Isa 3:26), but more frequently it is used in forensic/judicial contexts: acquittal, exoneration, or being spared from punishment (Exod 20:7: 'will not be acquitted'; Num 5:31: 'be free from guilt'). The word plays an essential role in ritual and legal language (especially in Leviticus and Numbers), marking the distinction between those held accountable and those relieved from guilt or obligation. The usage can be either positive (to be found innocent/clean) or, in negated form, strongly negative ('will by no means be acquitted,' indicating inevitable judgment or punishment). Later translation traditions (LXX, Vulgate, KJV) sometimes render it with terms like 'clear' or 'innocent,' but these may understate the formal legal scope or the absoluteness of the root's negated forms. Distinct from related roots like טהר, which focuses on ceremonially ritual purity, נקה emphasizes freedom from penalty, accusation, or contamination, whether moral, legal, or physical.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to be (or make) clean (literally or figuratively); by implication (in an adverse sense) to be bare, i.e. extirpated; acquit [idiom] at all, [idiom] altogether, be blameless, cleanse, (be) clear(-ing), cut off, be desolate, be free, be (hold) guiltless, be (hold) innocent, [idiom] by no means, be quit, be (leave) unpunished, [idiom] utterly, [idiom] wholly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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נקה (n-q-h) — cleanliness, freedom from guilt, acquittal, exemption
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4518 | מְנַקִּית | the purifying basins |
| H5343 | נְקֵא | clean, pure |
| H5355 | נָקִי | the guiltless one |
| H5356 | נִקָּיוֹן | in cleanness |
Word Forms
19 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5352-19 |
יִ֝נָּקֶ֗ה | yinaqeh | HVNi3ms |
be unpunished | he will be acquitted | 7 |
H5352-18 |
יְנַקֶּה֙ | yenaqeh | HVpi3ms |
he clears | he declares clean | 5 |
H5352-12 |
וְ/נַקֵּה֙ | venaqeh | HC/Vpa |
and acquit | and declaring clean | 5 |
H5352-07 |
נִקֵּ֥יתִי | niqeyti | HVNp1cs |
I acquitted | I was acquitted | 3 |
H5352-13 |
וְ/נִקָּ֣ה | veniqah | HC/VNq3ms |
and be guiltless | and he will be acquitted | 3 |
H5352-10 |
תִּנָּקֶה֙ | tinaqeh | HVNi2ms |
will you be acquitted | you will be acquitted | 3 |
H5352-11 |
תִנָּק֑וּ | tinaqu | HVNi2mp |
will-you-be | you will be acquitted | 2 |
H5352-01 |
אֲנַקֶּֽ/ךָּ | anaqekha | HVpi1cs/Sp2ms |
will I acquit | I will declare you clean | 2 |
H5352-06 |
נִקָּ֔ה | niqah | HVNp3ms |
shall be cleared | he has been acquitted | 2 |
H5352-09 |
תְנַקֵּֽ/נִי | tenaqeni | HVpi2ms/Sp1cs |
you acquit me | you will declare me clean | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
44 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5352-17 |
Genesis 24:8 | וְ/נִקִּ֕יתָ | veniqita | HC/VNp2ms |
then you shall be released | you have been acquitted |
H5352-10 |
Genesis 24:41 | תִּנָּקֶה֙ | tinaqeh | HVNi2ms |
you will be released | you will be acquitted |
H5352-18 |
Exodus 20:7 | יְנַקֶּה֙ | yenaqeh | HVpi3ms |
He will acquit | he declares clean |
H5352-13 |
Exodus 21:19 | וְ/נִקָּ֣ה | veniqah | HC/VNq3ms |
then he shall be clear | and he will be acquitted |
H5352-12 |
Exodus 34:7 | וְ/נַקֵּה֙ | venaqeh | HC/Vpa |
and clearing | and declaring clean |
H5352-18 |
Exodus 34:7 | יְנַקֶּ֔ה | yenaqeh | HVpi3ms |
he clears | he declares clean |
H5352-03 |
Numbers 5:19 | הִנָּקִ֕י | hinaqi | HVNv2fs |
be free | Be acquitted |
H5352-15 |
Numbers 5:28 | וְ/נִקְּתָ֖ה | veniqetah | HC/VNq3fs |
and she shall be cleared | and she will be acquitted |
H5352-13 |
Numbers 5:31 | וְ/נִקָּ֥ה | veniqah | HC/VNq3ms |
and shall be cleared | and he will be acquitted |
H5352-12 |
Numbers 14:18 | וְ/נַקֵּה֙ | venaqeh | HC/Vpa |
and-clearing | and declaring clean |