---
title: נָקַב — pierce · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נָקַב (5344), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 16 times: pierce. BDB 1906: vb. pierce Niph. 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/5344.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/1504-4.md)‎ / נָקַב‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# נָקַב

<!-- .meta -->
«נָקַב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **pierce** — 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:** 16 times · **Key:** 5344 · **BDB:** נָקַב

### Glosses

they.had.been.designated (6); it (3); designate (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

pierce [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5344/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. pierce Niph. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5344/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** vb. pierce (NH id.; SI 1.1.4 הנקבה the piercing, boring through; Aramaic נְקַב, ܢܩܰܒ id.; נֶקְבָּא hole, etc.; Sinait. n.pr.m. נקבו Eut 441, 2, נקיבו Eut 99, 2; 153, 2 (Lzb 325.326 Cook 83); Assyrian naḳbu, depth, spring of water; Arabic نَقَبَ perforate, pierce, scrutinize, etc., نَقِيبَةٌ sagacity, etc., نَقِيبٌ leader, chief (one who scrutinizes));— Pf. 3 fs. sf. נְקָבָהּ 2 K 18:21; Is 36:6; 2 ms. נָקַבְתָּ Hb 3:14; Impf. יִנְקָב־ Jb 40:24, וַיִּקֹּב 2 K 12:10; sf. יִקֳּבֶ֫נּוּ Is 62:2; 2 ms. תִּקֹּב Jb 40:26; Imv. ms. נָקְבָה Gn 30:28; Pt. pass. נָקוּב Hg 1:6; pl. cstr. נְקֻבֵי Am 6:1;— pierce, bore, c. acc. 2 K 18:21 = Is 36:6, Hb 3:14 (all in fig.), Jb 40:24, 26; c. acc. cogn. + ב, וְיִּקֹּב חֹר בְּדַלְתּוֹ 2 K 12:10 and he bored a hole in its lid; צְרוֹר נָקוּב Hg 1:6 a bag pierced, i.e. with a hole in it. prick off, designate, wages Gn 30:28 (J), name Is 62:2 (י׳ subj.; cf. Niph.); pt. pass. noted, distinguished Am 6:1. Pf. 3 pl. in phr. נִקְּבוּ בְשֵׁמוֹת (אֲשֶׁר) who were pricked off, designated, by name Nu 1:17; 1 Ch 12:32 (v 31 van d. H), 16:41; 2 Ch 28:15; 31:19, cf. Ezr 8:20.

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 16 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נָקַב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5344/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Job 40:24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.40.24/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
בְּעֵינָ֥יו יִקָּחֶ֑נּוּ בְּ֝מֽוֹקְשִׁ֗ים יִנְקָב־אָֽף׃

*Word for word:* by eyes its will anyone.take.it? with snares will.anyone.pierce? a.nose

*JPS 1917:* Shall any take him by his eyes, or pierce through his nose with a snare?

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Genesis 30:28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.30.28/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר נָקְבָ֧ה שְׂכָרְךָ֛ עָלַ֖י וְאֶתֵּֽנָה׃

*Word for word:* and he.said designate wage\[s\] your on me and I.will.give.\[it\]

*JPS 1917:* And he said: 'Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.'

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [נֵצֶר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5342.md)
- next →: [נֶקֶב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5345.md)
- ↑ back to [נ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1504-4.md)