---
title: נָגַן — touch · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נָגַן (5059), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 15 times: touch. BDB 1906: vb. touch play. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5059.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [נ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1504.md)‎ / נָגַן‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# נָגַן

<!-- .meta -->
«נָגַן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **touch** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 15 times · **Key:** 5059 · **BDB:** נָגַן

### Glosses

to.play (4); \[was\].playing (2); a.musician (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

touch [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5059/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. touch play [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5059/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** vb. touch (strings), play a stringed instrument (NH Pi.; Aramaic נְגַן Pa.);— Pt. נֹגְנִים ψ 68:26 players (‖ שָׁרִים, עֲלָמוֹת תּוֹפֵפוֹת). Pf. וְנִגֵּן 1 S 16:16 (consec.), v 23; Impf. 1 pl. נְנַגֵּן Is 38:20; Inf. cstr. נַגֵּן 1 S 16:17 + 5 times; Pt. מְנַגֵּן 1 S 16:16 + 4 times;—play בַּכִּנּוֹר 1 S 16:16; בְּיָדוֹ v 16, 23 (כִּנּוֹר in context), 18:10; 19:9; c. acc. cogn. Is 38:20; in sim. מֵטִב נַגֵּן Ez 33:32 (‖ שִׁיר עֲגָבִים יְפֵה־קוֹל); אִישׁ מֵיטִיב לְנ׳ 1 S 16:17, cf. ψ 33:3 Is 23:16 (both ‖ שִׁיר), יָדַע נ׳ 1 S 16:18; also 2 K 3:15; Pt. = player, minstrel (cf. Qal) 2 K 3:15(×2); cf. also אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ מְנַגֵּן בַּכִּנּוֹר 1 S 16:16 (Ges§ 120 b).

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 12 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נָגַן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5059/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Psalms 68:26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.68.26/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
קִדְּמ֣וּ שָׁ֭רִים אַחַ֣ר נֹגְנִ֑ים בְּת֥וֹךְ עֲ֝לָמ֗וֹת תּוֹפֵפֽוֹת׃

*Word for word:* they.went.in.front singers \[were\].behind musicians among young.women \[who.were\].playing.tambourines

*JPS 1917:* The singers go before, the minstrels follow after, in the midst of damsels playing upon timbrels.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Psalms 33:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.33.3/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
שִֽׁירוּ־ל֭וֹשִׁ֣יר חָדָ֑שׁ הֵיטִ֥יבוּ נַ֝גֵּ֗ן בִּתְרוּעָֽה׃

*Word for word:* sing to him a.song new do.well to.play with a.shout.of.joy

*JPS 1917:* Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully amid shouts of joy.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [נְגִינָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5058.md)
- next →: [נָגַע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5060.md)
- ↑ back to [נ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1504.md)