---
title: נָטַף — drop · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נָטַף (5197), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 18 times: drop. BDB 1906: vb. drop, drip discourse Qal. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נָטַף

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«נָטַף» in the Tanakh dictionary: **drop** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 18 times · **Key:** 5197 · **BDB:** נָטַף

### Glosses

prophesy (3); they.dropped (3); they.drip (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

drop [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5197/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. drop, drip discourse Qal [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5197/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. drop, drip, fig. (especially of prophet) discourse (NH id.; 𝔗 נְטַף drop, drip; Syriac ܢܛܰܦ drip, ܛܘܽܦܬܳܐ drop (NöSyriac Gr. § 105) etc.; Arabic نَطَفَ id.; Ethiopic ነጥበ id., ነጠፈ colare (stillando), expercolare);— Pf. 3 mpl. נָֽטְפוּ Ju 5:4 + 2 times; נָטָ֑פוּ Ju 5:4; Impf. 3 fs. תִּטֹּף Jb 29:22; 3 mpl. יִטְּפוּ Jo 4:18; 3 fpl. תִּטֹּפְנָה Pr 5:3 Ct 4:11; Pt. נֹטְפוֹת Ct 5:13;—drop, drip, usually trans., c. acc., of clouds dropping water (מַיִם), in storm Ju 5:4, ‖ heavens v 4 (obj. om.), ψ 68:9 (id.; all theoph); of hands dripping myrrh (מוֹר) Ct 5:5; in predict. יִטְּפוּ עָסִיס Jo 4:18 the mts. shall drip must; fig. of (seductive) speech נֹפֶת תִּטּ׳ Pr 5:3 the lips of the strange woman drop honey, so perhaps Ct 4:11 (Bu of kisses); שִׂפְתוֹתָיו נ׳ מוֹר 5:13 his lips drip myrrh (perhaps of sweet breath). Intrans. only עָלֵימוֹ תִּטֹּף מִלָּתִי Jb 29:22 upon them my speech used to drop. Pf. 3 mpl. וְהִטִּיפוּ consec. Am 9:13; Impf. 2 ms. תַּטִּיף Am 7:16; 1 s. אַטִּף Mi 2:11; 3 mpl. יַטִּיפ֑וּן v 6; 2 mpl. תַּטִּיפוּ v 6, תַּטִּפוּ v 6; Pt. מַטִּיף Mi 2:11; Inf. הַטֵּף Ez 21:2;— drip, וְהִטּ׳ עָסִיס Am 9:13 shall drip must (= Qal Jo 4:18). of speech, especially prophecy, discourse: c. עַל against, Am 7:16 (‖ הִנָּבֵא), c. אֶל־ toward, Ez 21:2 (‖ id.), v 7 (‖ id.); c. ל concerning Mi 2:11 cf. v 11;—אַל־תַּטִּפוּ יַטִּיפ֑וּן לֹא־יַטִּפוּ לָאֵלֶּה Mi 2:6 ‘talk not’—so they talk—‘they (read ye?) shall not talk of these things’ (where תַּטּ׳, יַטִּפוּ ref. to prophets).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 14 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נָטַף» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5197/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 29:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.29.22/)

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אַחֲרֵ֣י דְ֭בָרִי לֹ֣א יִשְׁנ֑וּ וְ֝עָלֵ֗ימוֹ תִּטֹּ֥ף מִלָּתִֽי׃

*Word for word:* after word my not they.did.\[it\].again and on them it.dropped speech my

*JPS 1917:* After my words they spoke not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

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[Proverbs 5:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.5.3/)

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כִּ֤י נֹ֣פֶת תִּ֭טֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵ֣י זָרָ֑ה וְחָלָ֖ק מִשֶּׁ֣מֶן חִכָּֽהּ׃

*Word for word:* (dm) honey they.drip \[the\].lips of.a.strange.\[woman\] and.\[is\] smooth more than.oil mouth her

*JPS 1917:* For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil;

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