Menu

1 Kings 20:37 — Word Study

Depth

WLCוַיִּמְצָא֙ אִ֣ישׁ אַחֵ֔ר וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הַכֵּ֣ינִי נָ֑א וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ הָאִ֖ישׁ הַכֵּ֥ה וּפָצֹֽעַ׃

BSAThen the prophet foundmâtsâʼ [a spokesperson for God, discovered, came across] anotherʼachêr [different, next] manʼîysh [a male person, individual] and saidʼâmar [spoke, commanded] Strike menâkâh [hit, smite] pleasenâʼ [I pray thee] So the manʼîysh [the individual, person] struck himnâkâh [hit, smote] and wounded himnâkâh [hurt, injured]

Word
Listen & take away1 Kings 20
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 37 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (u.fa.Tzo.a') — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Kings 20:37quick helps
In a sentenceA prophet commands a man to strike him, leading to an injury.
Who is speakingThe prophet, acting as a spokesperson for God.
Where we areIn a narrative about a prophet's encounter with a man.
The hard wordנָכָה
Take awayThe act of striking leads to a wound.
4 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them › clause verbמָצָא The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 1 Kings 20:37

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Prophet's Encountergenerated

36Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.
37Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!” So the man struck him and wounded him,
38and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver. ’

1 Kings 20:37 describes a moment when a prophet finds another man and commands him to strike. This encounter is part of a larger narrative where the prophet is conveying a message from God. The context highlights the seriousness of obedience to God's voice, illustrated by the previous verse where disobedience leads to dire consequences.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Kings 20:35Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.
2Exodus 21:12Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word נָכָה, ha.Kehgenerated

The verb נָכָה (nakah) means to strike or smite. It covers a range of actions from lightly hitting to delivering fatal blows. The parsing as a Hiphil imperative indicates a command directed at the man to perform the action.

This word is often used in contexts of judgment or punishment, as seen in various biblical passages. The prophet's request for the man to strike him carries significant weight, as it serves a purpose in the unfolding narrative.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb יִּמְצָא֙ governs the main action of the verse — he found — with multiple phrases hanging off it: a noun phrase identifying the subject, a clause indicating what the prophet said, and another clause detailing the action taken by the man.

The structure emphasizes the sequence of actions: the prophet finds the man, commands him to strike, and the man responds by striking and wounding.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates נָכָה as πατάχας, which means to strike or hit. This choice suggests a direct correspondence to the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the sense of physical action involved in the command.

The Greek word reflects the same imperative nature of the request, emphasizing the act of striking as a critical component of the narrative.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Kings 20:37 tells us that a prophet found another man and asked him to strike him. The man complied and wounded the prophet. This moment is part of a larger story about the consequences of obedience to God's commands.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the prophet's command to strike mean?

The command signifies a demonstration of obedience and the seriousness of the message being conveyed.

Why did the prophet ask to be struck?

This act served a symbolic purpose in the narrative, illustrating the consequences of disobedience to God's voice.

What is the significance of the injury?

The injury represents the physical manifestation of the prophet's message and the seriousness of the situation at hand.

How does this verse connect to the surrounding context?

This verse follows a warning about the consequences of disobedience, reinforcing the theme of obedience to God's commands.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does this encounter teach about obedience to God's voice?
  2. How can we understand the significance of physical actions in conveying messages?
  3. In what ways can we apply the lessons from this narrative to our own lives?
  4. What role does the prophet play in communicating God's will in this passage?

Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Kings 20:37 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Then he found another man, and said, smite me, I pray thee,.... This is not said to be his neighbour, nor one of the sons of the prophets, but a rustic man, and so stuck not to take him at his word:

Read John Gill on 1 Kings 20 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Kings 20 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1 Kings 20:37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded [him].Ver. 37. And the man smote him.] See on 1 Kings 20:36.

Read John Trapp on 1 Kings 20 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

37. so that in smiting he wounded him] The R.V. has adopted the literal rendering which stands on the margin of A. V. smiting and wounding him. Josephus specifies the nature of the wound θραύσαντοςαὐτοῦτὸκράνιον ‘breaking his head’. This of course is to be inferred from what follows.

Read Cambridge on 1 Kings 20 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!” So the man struck him and wounded him,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Then he found another man, and said, “Please strike me.” The man struck him and wounded him.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!” So the man struck him and wounded him,

NETBNew English Translation2006

He found another man and said, “Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him .

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Then he founde another man, and sayde, Smite mee, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded him.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him violently, and wounded [him].

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And he findeth another man, and saith, 'Smite me, I pray thee;' and the man smiteth him, smiting and wounding,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And he finds another man and says, “Please strike me”; and the man strikes him, striking and wounding,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Then he met with another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding [him].

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Then the prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me.” So the man hit him and wounded him.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Then he found another man, and said to him: Strike me. And he struck him, and wounded him.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me!” So the man hit him, wounding him.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Then he came across another man, and said, Give me a wound. And the man gave him a blow wounding him.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbיִּמְצָא֙he.foundnoun phrase · objectאִ֣ישׁa.manאַחֵ֔רanotherוַandclauseverbיֹּ֖אמֶרhe.saidclauseverbהַכֵּ֣יstrikeobjectנִיmeadverbialנָ֑אpleaseוַandclauseverbיַּכֵּ֥heobjectהוּstruck.himnoun phrase · subjectהָtheאִ֖ישׁmanadverb phrase · adverbialהַכֵּ֥הstrikingוּandפָצֹֽעַwounding

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording of this verse, with a complete match of all ten words. This indicates a strong consistency in the transmission of this text across different manuscripts.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיִּמְצָא֙ אִ֣ישׁ אַחֵ֔ר וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הַכֵּ֣ינִי נָ֑א וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּ הָאִ֖ישׁ הַכֵּ֥ה וּפָצֹֽעַ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיִּמְצָא֙εὑρίσκειאִ֣ישׁἄνθρωπονאַחֵ֔רἄλλονוַיֹּ֖אמֶרεἶπενהַכֵּ֣ינִיμεנָ֑אδήוַיַּכֵּ֥הוּαὐτὸνהָאִ֖ישׁἄνθρωποςהַכֵּ֥הπατάχαςוּפָצֹֽעַ׃συνέτριψεν

10 of the 10 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

1 Kings 20:37מָצָאand he founand he foundמָצָאאִישׁa mana manאִישׁאַחֵרanotheranotherאַחֵראָמַרand he saidand he saidאָמַרנָכָהstrike mestrike meנָכָהנָאpleasepleaseנָאנָכָהand he struand he struck hנָכָהאִישׁthe manthe manאִישׁנָכָהcompletelycompletelyנָכָהפָּצַעand woundedand woundedפָּצַעאֱנוֹשׁhumanhumanאֱנוֹשׁאִשָּׁהwomanwomanאִשָּׁהאָחַרto delayto delayאָחַרמַכָּהwoundwoundמַכָּהפְּלִשְׁתִּי(Sea of th(Sea of the) Phפְּלִשְׁתִּיחֵןfavorfavorחֵןרֵעַneighborneighborרֵעַבָּקַשׁto seekto seekבָּקַשׁשָׁחָהto bowto bowשָׁחָהעָבַדto serveto serveעָבַדכֹּהthusthusכֹּהיהוהYHWH/GodYHWH/Godיהוהעַתָּ֫הnownowעַתָּ֫הנָכָהto smiteto smiteנָכָה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 1 Kings 20:37

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
וַיִּמְצָא֙vai.yim.Tza' and he found H4672 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
455× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Matsa means to find or attain something, whether it is a physical object, a person, or a condition, as seen in various KJV translations.
Amplified meaning
a spokesperson for God, discovered, came across
Tyndale gloss
to find
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָצָא (matsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to find or attain. It encompasses a range of actions, including discovering something lost, encountering someone, or coming upon a situation. The word can also imply being present or sufficient. Lexicons note various forms and uses, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, which indicate different nuances of finding and encountering.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָצָא 452 vb. attain to, find

Qal

find

find out

= come upon, light upon

noteworthy phrases

Niph. pass. of Qal, be found

Hiph.

cause to find, attain

cause to light upon, come upon, come

cause to encounter

present unto

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4672 מָצָא attain to, find

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4672 matsa' maw-tsaw'

a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or

exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire;

figuratively, to occur, meet or be present:--+ be able,

befall, being, catch, X certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to

hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion,

out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left,

light (up-)on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present,

ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָצָא (ma.tsa) — to find.

1) to find, attain to

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to find

1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought)

1a1b) to find (what is lost)

1a1c) to meet, encounter

1a1d) to find (a condition)

1a1e) to learn, devise

1a2) to find out

1a2a) to find out

1a2b) to detect

1a2c) to guess

1a3) to come upon, light upon

1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with

1a3b) to hit

1a3c) to befall

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be found

1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered

1b1b) to appear, be recognised

1b1c) to be discovered, be detected

1b1d) to be gained, be secured

1b2) to be, be found

1b2a) to be found in

1b2b) to be in the possession of

1b2c) to be found in (a place), happen to be

1b2d) to be left (after war)

1b2e) to be present

1b2f) to prove to be

1b2g) to be found sufficient, be enough

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to find, attain

1c2) to cause to light upon, come upon, come

1c3) to cause to encounter

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
אִ֣ישׁ'ish a man H376 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
1,664× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for man, referring to a male person or individual, is used in the Bible to describe humans in contrast to God or animals, as seen in Genesis and Psalms. It can also mean husband or servant. In the KJV, it is translated as man or male.
Amplified meaning
a male person, individual
Tyndale gloss
man
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אִישׁ (iysh) means 'man' and can refer to an individual male, a husband, or a human being in general. It encompasses various meanings, including champion and great man, and can also imply 'whosoever' or 'each.' The word is built from a root suggesting existence and is used throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִישׁ 2166 n.m. man (= vir)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H376 אִישׁ man (= vir)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

376 'iysh eesh

contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root

meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male

person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and

in such cases frequently not expressed in

translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, +

champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-,

husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree),

him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people,

person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.

Compare 802.

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0802

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִישׁ (ish) — man.

: man

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: husband.

: husband

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: anyone.

: anyone/someone

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See ANTHROPOLOGY.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Man

(1.) Heb. ‘Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning “to be red,” and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of the human race (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:2; 8:21; Deut. 8:3). Its equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Matt. 5:13, 16). It denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen. 3:12; Matt. 19:10).

(2.) Heb. ‘ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in opposition to a woman (1 Sam. 17:33;

→ CREATED Ge 1:26,27; 2:7; 5:1,2; De 4:32; Job 4:17; 10:2,3,8,9; 31:15; 33:4; 35:10; Ps 8:5; 100:3; 119:73; 138:8; 139:14; Ec 7:29; Isa 17:7; 42:5; 43:7; 45:12; 64:8; Jer 27:5; Zec 12:1; Mal 2:10; Mr 10:6; Heb 2:7

See CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, below

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
אַחֵ֔ר'a.Cher another H312 Adj
166× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means another or next in the original Hebrew, often referring to someone or something that follows or is different. It appears in various contexts, including descriptions of people and events in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
different, next
Tyndale gloss
another
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַחֵר (acher) means 'another' or 'other' and can imply something that follows or is different. It is derived from a root that suggests hindrance or being next to something else. The term appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, often referring to another person or thing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַחֵר adj. another

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H312 אַחֵר another

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

312 'acher akh-air'

from 309; properly, hinder; generally, next, other,

etc.:--(an-)other man, following, next, strange.

see HEBREW for 0309

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַחֵר (a.cher) — another.

1) another, other, following

1a) following, further

1b) other, different

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAamsa
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
וַיֹּ֖אמֶרvai.Yo.mer and he said H559 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
5,309× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Amplified meaning
spoke, commanded
Tyndale gloss
to say
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

Say

Say in the heart (= think)

Promise

Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say

. Say in the heart (= think)

. Promise

. Command (esp. late)

. be said, told

. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

. act proudly, boast

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

559 'amar aw-mar'

a primitive root; to say (used with great

latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,

certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),

commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X

expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,

publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X

suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),

utter, X verily, X yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.

1) to say, speak, utter

1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend

1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called

1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly

1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
הַכֵּ֣ינִיha.Kei.ni strike me H5221 Verb hiphil imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
500× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to strike or hit something, and it's used in many different ways, like in Exodus when God strikes down the Egyptians. It can also mean to punish or destroy, as seen in Isaiah. The word is used to describe God's judgment.
Amplified meaning
hit, smite
Tyndale gloss
to smite
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָכָה (nakah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to strike or smite, encompassing a range of actions from lightly hitting to fatal blows. It appears in various forms, indicating actions like attacking, punishing, or causing disease. The entries suggest its use in both literal and figurative contexts, including divine judgment and applause. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[נָכָה] 501 vb. smite (not in Qal)

Niph. and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

Pu. both be smitten down by the hail

Hiph.

lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

smite repeatedly, beat a man

and they clapped hands (in applause)

give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

smite, of sun

Smite fatally

Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

Of God

smite with a plague, disease, etc.

smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

of God’s destroying palaces

Hoph. be smitten

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5221 נָכָה smite (not in Qal) . and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

. both be smitten down by the hail

. . . lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

. smite repeatedly, beat a man

. and they clapped hands (in applause)

. give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

. smite, of sun

. Smite fatally

. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

. Of God . smite with a plague, disease, etc.

. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

. of God’s destroying palaces

. be smitten

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5221 nakah naw-kaw'

a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally

or figuratively):--beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), X

go forward, X indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer,

punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike,

be stricken, (give) stripes, X surely, wound.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָכָה (na.khah) — to smite.

1) to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill

1a)(Niphal) to be stricken or smitten

1b) (Pual) to be stricken or smitten

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust

1c2) to smite, kill, slay (man or beast)

1c3) to smite, attack, attack and destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage

1c4) to smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy

1d) (Hophal) to be smitten

1d1) to receive a blow

1d2) to be wounded

1d3) to be beaten

1d4) to be (fatally) smitten, be killed, be slain

1d5) to be attacked and captured

1d6) to be smitten (with disease)

1d7) to be blighted (of plants)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Impv-2ms | Suff — Verb hiphil imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
HVhv2ms/Sp1bs
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
נָ֑אNa' please H4994 Particle
404× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word 'nâ'' is used to express a polite request, like 'please' or 'I pray', and is often added to verbs to make them more polite. In the Bible, it appears in passages like Ezra's reading of the law to the people.
Amplified meaning
I pray thee
Tyndale gloss
please
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָא (na') is a Hebrew particle used primarily for entreaty or exhortation, meaning 'I pray,' 'now,' or 'please.' It often appears attached to verbs in the imperative or future forms, and can also modify interjections, adverbs, or conjunctions. The entries consistently emphasize its role in expressing a plea or request.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָא part. of entreaty or exhortation, I (we) pray, now (enclitic)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4994 נָא I (we) pray, now (enclitic)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4994 na' naw

a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may

usually be rendered: "I pray," "now," or "then"; added mostly

to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections,

occasionally to an adverb or conjunction:--I beseech (pray)

thee (you), go to, now, oh.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָא (na) — please.

1) I (we) pray, now, please

1a) used in entreaty or exhortation

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Particle
HTj
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
וַיַּכֵּ֥הוּvai.ya.Ke.hu and he struck him H5221 Verb hiphil sequential imperfect third person masculine singular · suffix
500× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to strike or hit something, and it's used in many different ways, like in Exodus when God strikes down the Egyptians. It can also mean to punish or destroy, as seen in Isaiah. The word is used to describe God's judgment.
Amplified meaning
hit, smote
Tyndale gloss
to smite
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָכָה (nakah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to strike or smite, encompassing a range of actions from lightly hitting to fatal blows. It appears in various forms, indicating actions like attacking, punishing, or causing disease. The entries suggest its use in both literal and figurative contexts, including divine judgment and applause. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[נָכָה] 501 vb. smite (not in Qal)

Niph. and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

Pu. both be smitten down by the hail

Hiph.

lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

smite repeatedly, beat a man

and they clapped hands (in applause)

give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

smite, of sun

Smite fatally

Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

Of God

smite with a plague, disease, etc.

smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

of God’s destroying palaces

Hoph. be smitten

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5221 נָכָה smite (not in Qal) . and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

. both be smitten down by the hail

. . . lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

. smite repeatedly, beat a man

. and they clapped hands (in applause)

. give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

. smite, of sun

. Smite fatally

. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

. Of God . smite with a plague, disease, etc.

. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

. of God’s destroying palaces

. be smitten

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5221 nakah naw-kaw'

a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally

or figuratively):--beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), X

go forward, X indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer,

punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike,

be stricken, (give) stripes, X surely, wound.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָכָה (na.khah) — to smite.

1) to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill

1a)(Niphal) to be stricken or smitten

1b) (Pual) to be stricken or smitten

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust

1c2) to smite, kill, slay (man or beast)

1c3) to smite, attack, attack and destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage

1c4) to smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy

1d) (Hophal) to be smitten

1d1) to receive a blow

1d2) to be wounded

1d3) to be beaten

1d4) to be (fatally) smitten, be killed, be slain

1d5) to be attacked and captured

1d6) to be smitten (with disease)

1d7) to be blighted (of plants)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3ms | Suff — Verb hiphil sequential imperfect third person masculine singular · suffix
Hc/Vhw3ms/Sp3ms
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
הָאִ֖ישׁha.'Ish the man H376 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
1,664× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for man, referring to a male person or individual, is used in the Bible to describe humans in contrast to God or animals, as seen in Genesis and Psalms. It can also mean husband or servant. In the KJV, it is translated as man or male.
Amplified meaning
the individual, person
Tyndale gloss
man
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אִישׁ (iysh) means 'man' and can refer to an individual male, a husband, or a human being in general. It encompasses various meanings, including champion and great man, and can also imply 'whosoever' or 'each.' The word is built from a root suggesting existence and is used throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִישׁ 2166 n.m. man (= vir)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H376 אִישׁ man (= vir)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

376 'iysh eesh

contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root

meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male

person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and

in such cases frequently not expressed in

translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, +

champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-,

husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree),

him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people,

person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.

Compare 802.

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0802

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִישׁ (ish) — man.

: man

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: husband.

: husband

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: anyone.

: anyone/someone

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See ANTHROPOLOGY.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Man

(1.) Heb. ‘Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning “to be red,” and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of the human race (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:2; 8:21; Deut. 8:3). Its equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Matt. 5:13, 16). It denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen. 3:12; Matt. 19:10).

(2.) Heb. ‘ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in opposition to a woman (1 Sam. 17:33;

→ CREATED Ge 1:26,27; 2:7; 5:1,2; De 4:32; Job 4:17; 10:2,3,8,9; 31:15; 33:4; 35:10; Ps 8:5; 100:3; 119:73; 138:8; 139:14; Ec 7:29; Isa 17:7; 42:5; 43:7; 45:12; 64:8; Jer 27:5; Zec 12:1; Mal 2:10; Mr 10:6; Heb 2:7

See CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, below

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
הַכֵּ֥הha.Keh completely H5221 Verb · Hiphil · infinitive absolute
500× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to strike or hit something, and it's used in many different ways, like in Exodus when God strikes down the Egyptians. It can also mean to punish or destroy, as seen in Isaiah. The word is used to describe God's judgment.
Amplified meaning
hurt, injured
Tyndale gloss
to smite
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָכָה (nakah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to strike or smite, encompassing a range of actions from lightly hitting to fatal blows. It appears in various forms, indicating actions like attacking, punishing, or causing disease. The entries suggest its use in both literal and figurative contexts, including divine judgment and applause. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[נָכָה] 501 vb. smite (not in Qal)

Niph. and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

Pu. both be smitten down by the hail

Hiph.

lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

smite repeatedly, beat a man

and they clapped hands (in applause)

give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

smite, of sun

Smite fatally

Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

Of God

smite with a plague, disease, etc.

smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

of God’s destroying palaces

Hoph. be smitten

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5221 נָכָה smite (not in Qal) . and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die

. both be smitten down by the hail

. . . lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike

. smite repeatedly, beat a man

. and they clapped hands (in applause)

. give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots

. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound

. smite, of sun

. Smite fatally

. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company

. Of God . smite with a plague, disease, etc.

. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon

. of God’s destroying palaces

. be smitten

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5221 nakah naw-kaw'

a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally

or figuratively):--beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), X

go forward, X indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer,

punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike,

be stricken, (give) stripes, X surely, wound.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָכָה (na.khah) — to smite.

1) to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill

1a)(Niphal) to be stricken or smitten

1b) (Pual) to be stricken or smitten

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust

1c2) to smite, kill, slay (man or beast)

1c3) to smite, attack, attack and destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage

1c4) to smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy

1d) (Hophal) to be smitten

1d1) to receive a blow

1d2) to be wounded

1d3) to be beaten

1d4) to be (fatally) smitten, be killed, be slain

1d5) to be attacked and captured

1d6) to be smitten (with disease)

1d7) to be blighted (of plants)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Ptc — Verb · Hiphil · infinitive absolute
HVhaa
and he found a man another and he said strike me please and he struck him the man completely and wounded
וּפָצֹֽעַ׃u.fa.Tzo.a' and wounded H6481 Conjunction · verb qal infinitive absolute
3× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to hurt or injure someone, often by crushing or bruising. It is used in the Bible to describe physical harm or violence, like wounding someone in a fight.
Tyndale gloss
to wound
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פָּצַע (patsa`) is a primitive root meaning to bruise or wound, specifically through crushing. The entries consistently describe it as a verb associated with the act of wounding, particularly by bruising.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[פָּצַע] vb. bruise, wound by bruising;

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6481 [פָּצַע] bruise, wound by bruising

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6481 patsa` paw-tsah'

a primitive root; to split, i.e. wound:--wound.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פָּצַע (pa.tsa) — to wound.

1) to bruise, wound, wound by bruising

1a) (Qal) to wound by crushing

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/Vqaa — Conjunction · verb qal infinitive absolute
HC/Vqaa
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate