neged · in front of, counterpart

What it means

neged (נֶגֶד) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “in front of, counterpart”.

In front of, opposite, before. The full phrase "as in front of him" means someone who corresponds to him, a counterpart.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. In someone's presence, before his eyes.
2. Opposite, at a distance.
3. What stands opposite another and matches it: a fitting helper.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

What is in front: before, opposite; also what corresponds to another. BDB: a front, the part opposite; specifically a counterpart or mate; usually, as an adverb, over against or before.

• “A helper corresponding to him” Genesis 2:18Genesis 2:20
• “A table in front of my adversaries” Psalms 23:5
• “I have set YHWH before me always” Psalms 16:8Psalms 51:3
• Sitting opposite, at a distance Genesis 21:16
• A man standing in front of Joshua Joshua 5:13

How we translate it

“Before” 72 times, “opposite” 32, “front of” 15, “presence” 5, “aloof” 3, “straight ahead” 3… In Genesis 2:18 and 20 the expression כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, literally “as in front of him”, is translated “corresponding to him”, as this edition's glossary sets: someone who matches him.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• before ×72
• opposite ×32
• front of ×15
• presence ×5
• aloof ×3
• straight ahead ×3
• across ×2
• against ×2
• against me ×2
• corresponding to him ×2
• others ×12

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×8
• Exodus×3
• Numbers×3
• Deuteronomy×3
• Joshua×7
• Judges×2
• Ruth×2
• 1 Samuel×6
• 2 Samuel×6
• 1 Kings×5
• 2 Kings×5
• 1 Chronicles×3
• 2 Chronicles×4
• Nehemiah×19
• Job×3
• Psalms×35
• Proverbs×4
• Ecclesiastes×2
• Song of Songs×1
• Isaiah×9
• Jeremiah×2
• Lamentations×1
• Ezekiel×7
• Daniel×3
• Hosea×1
• Joel×1
• Amos×2
• Obadiah×1
• Jonah×1
• Habakkuk×1

• Genesis 2:18

  And YHWH Elohim said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make for him a helper corresponding to him.”

• Genesis 2:20

  And the man gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the sky and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper corresponding to him.

• Genesis 21:16

  Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Let me not see the death of the child.” And she sat opposite him, lifted up her voice, and wept.

• Genesis 31:32

  Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our brothers, recognize for yourself what of yours is with me and take it for yourself.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

• Genesis 31:37

  Now that you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all the goods of your house? Put it here before my brothers and your brothers, and let them decide between the two of us.

• Genesis 33:12

  He said, “Let us set out and go, and I will go ahead of you.”

• Genesis 47:15

  When the silver was gone from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread! Why should we die before you? For our silver is gone.”

• Exodus 10:10

  He said to them, “So may YHWH be with you, as I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have evil in view.

• Exodus 19:2

  They had set out from Rephidim, and came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

• Exodus 34:10

  And he said, “Look, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do wonders that have not been created in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of YHWH, for it is fearsome, what I am doing with you.

• Numbers 2:2

  “The sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his banner, with the signs of their fathers’ houses; they shall camp around the tent of meeting, facing it.

• Numbers 22:32

  And the angel of YHWH said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I have come out as an opponent, because your way is reckless before me.

• Numbers 25:4

  YHWH said to Moses, “Take all the heads of the people and hang them for YHWH in front of the sun, and the burning anger of YHWH will turn away from Israel.”

• Deuteronomy 28:66

  And your life will hang in doubt before you, and you will be in dread night and day, and you will not be sure of your life.

• Deuteronomy 31:11

  when all Israel comes to appear before the face of YHWH your Elohim at the place that he chooses, you shall read this instruction before all Israel, in their ears.

• Deuteronomy 32:52

  For you will see the land from a distance, but there you shall not enter, into the land that I am giving to the sons of Israel.”

• Joshua 3:16

  the waters coming down from above stopped; they rose up in one heap, very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, came to an end, were cut off. And the people crossed opposite Jericho.

• Joshua 5:13

  And it came about, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and look, a man was standing in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

• Joshua 6:5

  And it shall be, when they make a long blast with the horn of the ram, when you hear the sound of the horn, that all the people shall raise a great acclamation, and the wall of the city will fall in its place, and the people shall go up, each man straight ahead.”

• Joshua 6:20

  So the people raised the acclamation, and they blew the horns. And it came about, when the people heard the sound of the horn, that the people raised a great acclamation, and the wall fell in its place; and the people went up into the city, each man straight ahead, and they took the city.

• Joshua 8:11

  And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near and came in front of the city and camped on the north of Ai, with the valley between him and Ai.

• Joshua 8:33

  And all Israel, with its elders and supervisors and its judges, were standing on this side and on that side of the ark, in front of the priests, the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of YHWH, the resident alien as well as the native, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of YHWH had commanded, to bless the people of Israel at the first.

• Joshua 8:35

  There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women and the little ones and the resident alien who walked among them.

• Judges 9:17

  for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian,

• Judges 20:34

  And there came opposite Gibeah ten thousand chosen men from all Israel, and the war was heavy; but they did not know that the evil was reaching them.

• Ruth 4:4

  And I said to myself: I will let you know, saying, ‘Acquire it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem, redeem; but if one does not redeem, tell me, so that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem.”

• 1 Samuel 12:3

  Here I am; answer against me before YHWH and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited, whom have I crushed, or from the hand of whom have I taken compensation to cover my eyes with it? And I will return it to you.”

• 1 Samuel 15:30

  He said, “I have sinned. Now honor me, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, and I will bow down to YHWH your Elohim.”

• 1 Samuel 16:6

  And it came about, when they came, that he saw Eliab and said, “Surely before YHWH is his anointed.”

• 1 Samuel 26:20

  Now do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of YHWH; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, as one pursues the partridge in the mountains.”

• 2 Samuel 12:12

  For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”

• 2 Samuel 18:13

  Or if I had dealt falsely against my life —and nothing is hidden from the king— you would have stood aloof.”

• 2 Samuel 22:13

  From the brightness before him coals of fire blazed.

• 2 Samuel 22:23

  For all his rules are before me, and from his statutes I do not turn aside.

• 2 Samuel 22:25

  So YHWH has returned it to me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness before his eyes.

• 1 Kings 8:22

  And Solomon stood before the altar of YHWH in front of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the heavens.

• 1 Kings 20:27

  The sons of Israel were counted and provisioned, and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel encamped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while Aram filled the land.

• 1 Kings 21:10

  and seat two men, perverse men, opposite him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You have cursed Elohim and the king’; then take him out and stone him, and let him die.”

• 1 Kings 21:13

  And the two men, perverse men, came in and sat opposite him; and the perverse men testified against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed Elohim and the king.” So they took him out outside the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.

• 2 Kings 1:13

  Again he sent a third commander of fifty with his fifty. The third commander of fifty went up and came and knelt on his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him and spoke to him, “Man of Elohim, please, let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your eyes.

And 110 more times.