נָקַר (na.qar)
na.qar
to dig
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb naqar describes the physical act of boring, picking, or digging into a surface. It appears in six verses across the Old Testament, often depicting laborious work such as quarrying stone or excavating earth. The basic sense is one of forceful removal, creating a hole or cavity through repeated strikes.
Its range includes both literal excavation and metaphorical destruction. In Judges 9:53, a woman drops a millstone on Abimelech’s head to bore out his brain, illustrating the word’s violent potential. Conversely, in Proverbs 26:6, folly is described as being cut off or dug out from a fool’s mouth, using the image of extracting something unwanted.
The root conveys precision and effort. It is not merely moving dirt but penetrating a solid medium. This specificity gives it weight in contexts where damage or careful extraction is central to the narrative.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word naqar captures the physical reality of digging or boring into a surface. It is not a gentle action but one that requires force and persistence to penetrate solid ground. In ancient Israel, this verb often described the laborious work of quarrying stone or excavating earth, highlighting the effort involved in creating something new from hard rock.
While the word can appear in contexts of violence, such as gouging eyes or piercing bones, its most hopeful usage appears in Isaiah 51:1. There, the prophet invites the people to look back at the "quarry" from which they were dug. This metaphor reminds us that our origins are rooted in God’s deliberate and powerful work.
For your faith life, this word offers a comforting perspective on your history with God. Just as stone is shaped by persistent effort, you have been formed by His purposeful hand. When you feel worn down or tested, remember that the same power that carved the rock also holds your future. You are not an accident of nature but a deliberate creation.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- will you put out1×
- they will pluck out/ it1×
- he has pierced1×
- by/ gouging out1×
- and/ they gouged out1×
- [which] you were dug out1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תְּנַקֵּ֖ר1×
- נֻקַּרְתֶּֽם\׃1×
- נִקַּ֣ר1×
- יִקְּר֥וּ/הָ1×
- וַֽ/יְנַקְּר֖וּ1×
- בִּ/נְק֥וֹר1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 51:1
“Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh. Look to the rock you were cut from, and to the quarry you were dug from.
This verse uses the word metaphorically to describe the origin of Israel, comparing their ancestors to stone dug from a quarry by God.
-
Judges 16:21
The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
Here the term describes the brutal act of putting out Samson's eyes, illustrating the word's capacity for violent destruction.
-
I Samuel 11:2
Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make it with you, that all your right eyes be gouged out. I will make this dishonor all Israel.”
Nahash threatens to gouge out the right eyes of the people of Jabesh-gilead, showing the word's use in contexts of humiliation and war.