נְטַל (ne.tal)
ne.tal
to lift
A:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb netal means simply to lift or lift up. It appears only once in the entire Old Testament, in Daniel 4:20, where it describes the action of raising one’s eyes to see a great tree. In this context, the word conveys a physical act of looking upward, emphasizing visibility and perspective.
While netal is rare, its basic sense aligns with other Hebrew words for lifting. It does not carry the heavy theological weight of terms like "exalt" or "glorify," but rather denotes a straightforward movement. The single occurrence in Daniel highlights a moment of observation, where the king sees the tree he had previously ignored.
This limited usage reminds readers that not every word in Scripture is complex. Sometimes, the biblical text uses simple language to describe clear actions. In Daniel 4, netal serves as a bridge between the physical act of looking and the spiritual reality being revealed, showing how ordinary words can point to divine truth.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word netal simply means to lift or raise up. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Daniel 4:20. There, King Nebuchadnezzar lifts his eyes to see a great tree. This is not a complex theological term. It describes a basic physical action of looking upward.
Even simple words in Scripture carry weight. When we lift our gaze, we often see things we missed before. The king’s act of looking up revealed a reality he had ignored. In our own lives, lifting our eyes can mean shifting focus from immediate worries to God’s larger plan.
This word reminds us that perspective matters. Sometimes the most profound spiritual insights come from simple acts of attention. By lifting our eyes, we invite clarity into our confusion and hope into our uncertainty.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ it was lifted1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וּ/נְטִ֣ילַת1×
Key Verses
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Daniel 7:4
“The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet as a man. A man’s heart was given to it.
This verse uses a related concept where the beast is lifted up from the earth, mirroring the physical raising action described by netal in Daniel 4.