נְבֵלָה (ne.ve.lah)
ne.ve.lah
carcass
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 38 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun nevelah refers to a carcass or corpse, specifically emphasizing the lifeless, decaying state of a body. Derived from a root meaning to wither or become flabby, it describes the physical reality of death rather than the dignity of the deceased. In Scripture, this term appears frequently in Leviticus regarding ritual purity, where contact with the nevelah of animals rendered a person unclean (Leviticus 11:24-28). It also denotes the remains of humans, as seen in the account of the prophet who was killed and left by the roadside (1 Kings 13:25).
While most often applied to animals or human bodies, the word carries a striking figurative weight when used for idols. Jeremiah employs nevelah to describe false gods as mere lifeless objects, devoid of power or spirit (Jeremiah 16:18). This usage strips away any illusion of divinity, reducing idols to the same status as rotting flesh. The term thus serves as a stark reminder of mortality and the emptiness of anything that does not possess the breath of God.
The word appears in contexts of judgment and desolation, such as Psalm 79:2, where the bodies of God’s servants are given to birds. It also features in Deuteronomy 21:23, which commands that the body of an executed criminal must not remain on a tree overnight but be buried, highlighting a tension between ritual defilement and human dignity. Translators typically render nevelah as "carcass" or "corpse," preserving the raw, unvarnished nature of the Hebrew concept.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word nevelah describes a lifeless body, stripped of breath and vitality. In the Old Testament laws, touching such remains brought ritual impurity, not because the dead person was sinful, but because death stood in stark contrast to the holy, life-giving presence of God. This distinction helped Israel understand that holiness requires active life, while death represents a separation from that divine source.
Yet this raw reality also points to our need for resurrection. When Jeremiah calls idols nevelah, he strips away their false power, showing that anything without God’s breath is merely dead weight. We find hope in Deuteronomy 21:23, where even the body of a cursed criminal must be buried with dignity. This command protects the land and honors the image of God, reminding us that life belongs to the Lord alone.
Your faith rests not in dead things or human effort, but in the God who gives breath. When you face mortality or emptiness, remember that Christ holds life in His hands. He conquered death so that we might walk in newness of life, free from the fear of what is merely temporary.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 38 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- corpse/ his6×
- the/ corpse5×
- any of/ carcass/ their4×
- a carcass3×
- <in>/ carcass/ their3×
- <in>/ a carcass of3×
- corpse[s]/ their2×
- corpse/ your2×
- corpse/ their2×
- carcass/ their2×
- and/ <in>/ carcass/ their2×
- [the] corpse[s] of2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִבְלָתָ/ם֙3×
- בְּ/נִבְלָתָ֖/ם3×
- נִבְלָת/וֹ֙2×
- נְבֵלָה֙2×
- וּ/בְ/נִבְלָתָ֖/ם2×
- הַ/נְּבֵלָ֑ה2×
- נִבְלָתָ֛/ם1×
- נִבְלָתָ֖/ם1×
- נִבְלָתָ֔/ם1×
- נִבְלָתָ֔/הּ1×
- נִבְלָתְ/ךָ֖1×
- נִבְלָת֣/וֹ1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 11:8
You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
This verse establishes the boundary between clean and unclean by forbidding contact with the carcass, highlighting how death disrupts ritual purity.
-
Deuteronomy 21:23
his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
Here the law commands burial to prevent defilement of the land, showing that even in judgment, human dignity and God’s holiness are respected.
-
I Kings 13:25
Behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the path, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.
The prophet’s body left on the path illustrates the tragic consequence of disobedience, yet the lion’s restraint suggests God’s sovereign control over death.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does nevelah mean in the Bible?
Why was touching a nevelah considered unclean?
How is nevelah used metaphorically?
Every Occurrence (38 verses across 8 books)
Leviticus 16 verses
“‘Or if anyone touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of unclean…
Leviticus 7:24The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service,…
Leviticus 11:8You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:11and you shall detest them. You shall not eat of their meat, and you shall detest their carcasses.
Leviticus 11:24“‘By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
Leviticus 11:25Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
Leviticus 11:27Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their…
Leviticus 11:28He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:35Everything whereupon part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken…
Leviticus 11:36Nevertheless a spring or a cistern in which water is gathered shall be clean, but that which touches their carcass…
Leviticus 11:37If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.
Leviticus 11:38But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:39“‘If any animal of which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
Leviticus 11:40He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass…
Leviticus 17:15“‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a…
Leviticus 22:8He shall not eat that which dies of itself or is torn by animals, defiling himself by it. I am Yahweh.