karov · near

What it means

karov (קָרוֹב) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “near”.

Close; also a close relative.

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. Close by, or having access to YHWH.
2. A very close relative, of the same blood.
3. Near in time, about to arrive.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Near: what is close in space or in time; and, of a person, a close relative. It comes from קָרַב, “come near” (H7126). BDB: near, of place, time or kinship.

• Near in space Genesis 19:20Exodus 13:17
• The nearest relative Leviticus 25:25Ruth 3:12
• “The word is very near you” Deuteronomy 30:14
• “Near {is} YHWH” Psalms 34:18Psalms 145:18Isaiah 55:6
• “The day of YHWH… is near” Joel 2:1

How we translate it

“Near” 62 times, “nearest” 4, “close” 2, “nearby” 2; for kinship, “the one who is near to him” (Leviticus 25:25), “closer” (Ruth 3:12), “relative” 1. It is the opposite of רָחוֹק, “far” (H7350).

How it is translated

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

• near ×62
• nearest ×4
• close ×2
• nearby ×2
• closer ×1
• neighbors ×1
• relative ×1
• relatives ×1
• short ×1
• soon ×1
• others ×2

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Exodus×3
• Leviticus×4
• Numbers×2
• Deuteronomy×8
• Joshua×1
• Ruth×2
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×3
• 1 Chronicles×1
• 2 Chronicles×1
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×2
• Job×3
• Psalms×9
• Proverbs×2
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Isaiah×8
• Jeremiah×5
• Ezekiel×11
• Daniel×1
• Joel×3
• Obadiah×1
• Zephaniah×3

• Genesis 19:20

  Look, this city is near to flee there, and it is small. Please let me escape there (is it not small?) and I will stay alive.”

• Genesis 45:10

  You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your sons and the sons of your sons, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.

• Exodus 12:4

  If the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house shall take one according to the number of persons; you shall make your count for the lamb each according to what he eats.

• Exodus 13:17

  When Pharaoh let the people go, Elohim did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although it was near; for Elohim said, “Lest the people relent when they see war and return to Egypt.”

• Exodus 32:27

  And he said to them, “Thus says YHWH, Elohim of Israel: ‘Each man, put his sword on his side; pass through and return from gate to gate in the camp, and kill, each man, his brother, and each man his companion, and each man his relative.’”

• Leviticus 10:3

  Moses said to Aaron, “This is what YHWH spoke, saying, ‘Among those who come near me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.’” And Aaron was silent.

• Leviticus 21:2

  except for his close relative who is near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, and for his brother,

• Leviticus 21:3

  and for his virgin sister, who is near to him, who has not belonged to a husband; for her he may make himself unclean.

• Leviticus 25:25

  If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his possession, then his redeemer, the one who is near to him, shall come and redeem what his brother sold.

• Numbers 24:17

  I see him, but not now; I gaze on him, but not near. A star shall march forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall shatter the temples of Moab and tear down all the sons of Sheth.

• Numbers 27:11

  And if there are no brothers of his father, you shall give his inheritance to his relative who is nearest to him from his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the sons of Israel a statute of justice, as YHWH commanded Moses.”

• Deuteronomy 4:7

  For what great nation is there that has gods so near to it as YHWH our Elohim is whenever we call on him?

• Deuteronomy 13:7

  some of the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near to you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,

• Deuteronomy 21:3

  And the city that is nearest to the slain one, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked and that has not pulled in a yoke.

• Deuteronomy 21:6

  And all the elders of that city who are nearest to the slain one shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the stream,

• Deuteronomy 22:2

  And if your brother is not near you, or you do not know him, then you shall gather it into your house, and it shall be with you until your brother seeks it, and you shall return it to him.

• Deuteronomy 30:14

  For the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it.

• Deuteronomy 32:17

  They sacrificed to demons, who are not Eloah, to gods they had not known, new ones who came from nearby, whom your fathers did not dread.

• Deuteronomy 32:35

  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot slips; for near is the day of their calamity, and what is prepared for them hurries on.’

• Joshua 9:16

  And it came about, at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they were living among them.

• Ruth 2:20

  And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by YHWH, who has not abandoned his loyal love with the living and with the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is close to us; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

• Ruth 3:12

  And now, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer; but also there is a kinsman-redeemer closer than I.

• 2 Samuel 19:42

  All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is near to me. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we really eaten anything from the king, or has any gift been given to us?”

• 1 Kings 8:46

  When they sin against you — for there is no human being who does not sin — and you are angry with them and give them over before the enemy, and their captors carry them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near;

• 1 Kings 8:59

  And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before YHWH, be near to YHWH our Elohim day and night, that he may do justice for his servant and justice for his people Israel, the matter of each day in its day,

• 1 Kings 21:2

  Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, so that it may be mine for a garden of vegetables, for it is near, beside my house; and I will give you in its place a vineyard better than it; or, if it is good in your eyes, I will give you silver, the price of it.”

• 1 Chronicles 12:40

  And also those near to them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing bread on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on cattle: food of flour, cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, and wine and oil, and cattle and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.

• 2 Chronicles 6:36

  When they sin against you —for there is no human being who does not sin— and you are angry with them and give them over before an enemy, and their captors carry them captive to a land far or near,

• Nehemiah 13:4

  Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was placed in the chamber of the house of our Elohim, and was related to Tobiah,

• Esther 1:14

  and those closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the face of the king, who sat first in the kingdom):

• Esther 9:20

  And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, those near and those far,

• Job 17:12

  Night they turn into day: ‘Light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness.

• Job 19:14

  My relatives have ceased, and my intimates have forgotten me.

• Job 20:5

  the shout of joy of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless is for a moment?

• Psalms 15:3

  who does not slander with his tongue, does not do evil to his neighbor, nor lift up reproach against the one near him;

• Psalms 22:11

  Do not be far from me, for distress is near, for there is no helper.

• Psalms 34:18

  Near is YHWH to the broken in heart, and the crushed in spirit he saves.

• Psalms 38:11

  Those who love me and my companions stand aloof from my plague, and my near ones stand far off.

• Psalms 75:1

  For the director. Do Not Destroy. A psalm of Asaph. A song. We give you thanks, Elohim, we give thanks, and near is your name; they recount your wonders.

• Psalms 85:9

  Surely near to those who fear him is his salvation, so that glory may dwell in our land.

And 38 more times.