Naka
Naka
According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) the Hebrew word naka is given at least the Strong's number 05221 and is said to mean "smite, strike, hit, beat, slay, kill". It is not used in the Qal stem but chiefly in the Hiphil.
The root seems to appear about five hundred times and might lead some to believe that Israel was a society "saturated with war and violence" but they may not be any more true than our modern translations and the interpretation of surely be put to death means that we should execute or kill people or that the society should punish misbehavior of people in their community with a macabre bloody and brutal stoning.
Smite vs establish
Yes, warfare and bloodshed did occur. But "the wide variety of ways in which the verb ‘‘to smite’ is used throughout the OT is fitting evidence to warrant a somewhat different conclusion."
The verb naka often means simply “‘hitting’’ or ‘*smiting an object with one, non-fatal strike."
They give the example of "A man may ‘“‘smite’’ an animal such as an ass".[1]
The word is even used to describe Moses using his ’ rod in Exodus 7:17
- Exodus 8:16"And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite <05221> the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt." Exodus 8:17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote <05221> the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 17:6 "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite <05221> the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."
Derivatives of nakéh stricken 2 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 9:3; Isaiah 66:2); or nékeh stricken Psalms 35:15[2]
Naken
We are also told in the the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) that the variation of nakén is said to mean blow and appears in Job 12:5 but only once.
Job 12:5 in the King James version it reads "He that is ready <03559> to slip with [his] feet [is as] a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease."
The word we see in the text is said to be kuwn[3] is normally spelledKufVavNun but appears in the text as NunKufVavNun (נָ֝כ֗וֹן nāḵōwn).
That word is not only found in Job in that form but also in thirty other locations and translated several ways.
Genesis 41:32 ... "[it is] because the thing [is] established by
Exodus 8:26... Moses said, It is not meet as in not right to do so
Exodus 34:2... And be ready in the morning, INT: become So be ready morning and come
Deuteronomy 13:14... [and] the thing certain, [that] such or in the INT: If is true established the matter has been done
Deuteronomy 17:4... [and] the thing certain, [that] such abomination
Judges 16:26... whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean
Judges 16:29... upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, as in house rested.
1 Samuel 23:23 ... himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go.
1 Samuel 26:4 ... that Saul was come in very deed. as in definitely
2 Samuel 7:16... thee: thy throne shall be established for.
2 Samuel 7:26... David be established before.
1 Kings 2:45... of David shall be established before
1 Chronicles 17:14 HEB: וְכִסְא֕וֹ יִהְיֶ֥ה נָכ֖וֹן עַד־ עוֹלָֽם׃ NAS: and his throne shall be established forever.' KJV: and his throne shall be established for INT: and his throne become shall be established against evermore
1 Chronicles 17:24 thy servant [be] established before
Nehemiah 8:10... portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for [this] day.
Job 12:5... He that is ready to slip.
Job 15:23... of darkness is ready at his hand. INT: knows for is ready hand A day
Job 18:12... and destruction [shall be] ready at his side.
Job 21:8... Their seed is established in their sight
Psalm 38:17... For I [am] ready to halt,
Psalm 51:10... O God; and renew a right spirit within
Psalm 57:7... My heart is fixed, O God, my heart
Psalm 57:7... my heart is fixed: I will sing
Psalm 78:37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast.
Psalm 93:2... Thy throne [is] established of old:
Psalm 108:1... my heart is fixed; I will sing Psalm 112:7... his heart is fixed, trusting
Isaiah 2:2... house shall be established in the top
Hosea 6:3... his going forth is prepared as the morning;
Micah 4:1.. of the LORD shall be established in the top
One may be the target of a flying object such as a stone from a sling (1 Sam 17:49), an arrow (I Kgs 22:34), ora spear (I Sam 19:10; cf. 26:8). The root nadkad may also refer to being ‘smitten in conscience’ (cf. David, when he cut off Saul's skirt, I Sam 24:5 (H 6]), and to the ‘‘clapping’* of hands before a king (IJ Kgs 11:12).
naka is also found in passages which describe the beating of some object. A man may receive a ‘‘beating’’ by another in a fight (Ex 2:11, 13: Deut 25:11). Nehemiah ‘‘beat’’ some of the Jews for
marrying foreign women (Neh 13:25). In Song of.
Solomon, the bride, searching for her lover through the streets of the city, is beaten by the watchmen (Song 5:7). The oT law apparently allowed scourging for certain offenses (Deut 25:2-3: cf. I] Cor 11:24). Jeremiah the prophet, however, was beaten by authorities although he was innocent (Jer 20:2; 37:15). So also was the Suffering Servant who gave his ‘back to the smiters”’ (Isa 50:6; cf. Mt. 26:67). Proverbs notes the importance of beating for the sake of acquir- ing wisdom and discipline (Prov 19:25; 23:13-14). The idea of ‘beating repetitiously”’ 1s likewise seen in the plague of hail in Egypt which ‘’struck down” everything in the open (Ex 9:25).
In a large number of passages ndkad means to ‘slay,’ ‘‘kill,° “‘strike dead** (cf. av “‘slay,”’ some ninety times). It is used of murdering another man (Ex 21:12: Josh 10:26 et al.) whether intentionally (1] Sam 2:23) or unintentionally (Deut 19:4): of a man killing a hon (I Sam 17:35); of a lion killing a man (I Kgs 20:36): and of a worm attacking a plant so as to kill it (Jon 4:7).
Another large group of passages uses the root in the sense of ‘‘attack’’ and/or “‘destroy,'* the object being a group of people (Gen 32:8 (H 9j, 11 [H 12]: Josh 8:21), a house (Amos 3:15), and a city (Josh 10:28 et al.).
This usage bears on the large numbers said to
p. 578
be “smitten” (naka) or fallen (ndpal) or
wounded (/dlal) in battle. Thus when in Gideon's
battle 120,000 men ‘‘fell’’ (Jud 7:10), it may only
mean that they were killed, wounded, or missing
in action; 15,000 only were left as a fighting force.
So also in the war of Abijah against Jeroboam,
‘They smote (nakd) them with a great smiting
(makka) and there fell (ndpal) wounded (halal)
500,000.°’ (Cf. R. L. Harris, Man—God's Eter-
nal Creation, Moody, 1971, pp. 155-56).
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) points out that it is God who smites (naka) people with blindness[4] and plagues [5] and brings judgment upon man for his sin [6], and even death [7].
To understand this context we would need to understand both Divine Will and the Wrath of God.
Makka
Another word makka[8] has been said to mean "Blow, wound, plague, slaughter, defeat".
We see the term makka, rendered as both “plague” or "affliction" more than 2/3 of its almost 50 occurrences. It is found three times in Deuteronomy 28:59[9] with the first occurrence containing two Kaf's, a letter meaning "To Actualize Potential power from spiritual to physical realm".
The interpretations that crept in to the doctrines of men as the Masses lost sight of the Love and Mercy of God's kingdom would see nuances of meaning where the unmoored the metaphor from the righteousness of God.
The term makka literally became a blow received in a whipping [10] and legislate elaborate rules about thirty-nine strokes [11] "thirteen across the breast and twenty-six across the back."
The Lord smote Midian[12]but the same could be said about what happens when countries follow policies that go contrary to what God has identified as righteous.
The term makkd included the sense of defeat, in 1 Samuel 4[13]). Sometimes makk is translated wound in the case of King Ahab's death and "blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot" [14]. other kings like Joram, received wounds from his battle with the Syrians.[15].
The prophets use this same word symbolically as a wound though the outcome is all two real and brought on by their self indulgent political practices.[16]
Like the story of Assyria and Nahum [17]
In the cause and effect universe created by God's spirit or breath we should expect to find both the spirit and flesh in unison establishing the wrath of God which may be set in motion sevenfold by your straying from the narrow path through continuous sins.[18]
Just one of the plagues (makka) which occurred in the wilderness through wantonness and gluttonously eating the quails [19]) was certainly not without cause.
God will also bring healing in his time if there is repentance and a returning to the way.[20]
Astonished
- ↑ Numbers 22:23, 25, 27).
- ↑ Psalms 35:15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: [yea], the abjects <05222> gathered themselves together against me, and I knew [it] not; they did tear [me], and ceased not:
- ↑ 03559 כּוּן kuwn [koon] a primitive root; v; [BDB-646b, BDB-465b] [{See TWOT on 964 }]
AV-prepare 85, establish 58, ready 17, stablish 5, provide 5, right 5, fixed 4, set 4, direct 3, order 3, fashion 3, variant 2, certain 2, confirmed 2, firm 2, preparation 2, misc 17; 219
- 1) to be firm, be stable, be established
- 1a) (Niphal)
- a1) to be set up, be established, be fixed
- 1a1a) to be firmly established
- 1a1b) to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring
- 1a1c) to be fixed, be securely determined
- 1a2) to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense)
- 1a3) to prepare, be ready
- 1a4) to be prepared, be arranged, be settled
- a1) to be set up, be established, be fixed
- 1b) (Hiphil)
- 1b1) to establish, set up, accomplish, do, make firm
- 1b2) to fix, make ready, prepare, provide, provide for, furnish
- 1b3) to direct toward (moral sense)
- 1b4) to arrange, order
- 1c) (Hophal)
- 1c1) to be established, be fastened
- 1c2) to be prepared, be ready
- 1d) (Polel)
- 1d1) to set up, establish
- 1d2) to constitute, make
- 1d3) to fix
- 1d4) to direct
- 1e) (Pulal) to be established, be prepared
- 1f) (Hithpolel) to be established, be restored
- 1a) (Niphal)
- 1) to be firm, be stable, be established
- ↑ 2 Kings 6:18)
- ↑ Deuteronomy 28:22, 27-28, 35)
- ↑ 1 Kings 14:15; Leviticus 26:24
- ↑ 2 Samuel 6:7
- ↑ Template:04347
- ↑ Deuteronomy 28:59 "Then the LORD will make thy plagues <04347 makkōṯəḵā, מַכֹּ֣תְךָ֔> wonderful, and the plagues <04347 makkōwṯ מַכּ֤וֹת> of thy seed, [even] great plagues <04347 makkōwṯ מַכּ֤וֹת>, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance."
- ↑ Deuteronomy 25:3; Proverbs 20:30
- ↑ 2 Corinthians 11:24
- ↑ Isaiah 10:26
- ↑ 1 Samuel 4:10; 1 Samuel 14:30
- ↑ (1 Kings 22:35
- ↑ 1 Kings 8:29: 1 Kings 9:15: 2 Chronicles 22:6
- ↑ Jeremiah 10:19; Jeremiah 14:17; Jeremiah 30:12-14; Isaiah 1:5-6
- ↑ Nahum 3:19; Jeremiah 15:18; Micah 1:9
- ↑ Leviticus 26:21
- ↑ Numbers 11:33
- ↑ Isaiah 30:26; Jeremiah 30:17