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נָקָה

naka · be free, go unpunished

Hebrew word · Strong’s number H5352 · appears 44 times in the Bible

What is the Strong number?Strong’s number identifies this word: use it to find the same word in other study tools.

What it means

naka (נָקָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “be free, go unpunished”.

Be free of an obligation or of guilt; be held innocent, go unpunished. With God, leave the guilty unpunished.

How to say it

na·ka

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. To find oneself free of the burden of a promise or a guilt.
  2. Not to receive the punishment one deserved.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To be clean: free of guilt or of an obligation; to be held innocent. In the intensive form, to leave unpunished, to declare innocent. BDB also records the sense of being emptied, stripped.

How we translate it

The rendering follows what is affirmed: “go unpunished” (9 times) or “be free” (“you will be free from this oath of mine”, Genesis 24:8); “leave unpunished” with YHWH as subject (Exodus 20:7), and “will by no means leave {the guilty} unpunished” when the Hebrew doubles the verb (Exodus 34:7). “I am innocent” and “Hold me innocent” when it is a person before another or before God. In Joel 3:21, “I will cleanse”, in a phrase whose sense a note calls uncertain.

How it is translated

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

  • unpunished ×11
  • go unpunished ×9
  • leave the guilty unpunished ×4
  • be free ×3
  • I am innocent ×2
  • I will by no means ×2
  • innocent ×2
  • will by no means ×2
  • you will be free ×2
  • I will cleanse ×1
  • others ×6

Related words

Words that come from it

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

Where it appears

  • Genesis 24:8

    But if the woman is not willing to come after you, you will be free from this oath of mine; only do not take back my son there.”

  • Genesis 24:41

    Then you will be free from my imprecation, when you come to my family; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my imprecation.’

  • Exodus 20:7

    You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain, for YHWH will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

  • Exodus 21:19

    if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, the one who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for his lost time and have him thoroughly healed.

  • Exodus 34:7

    keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, calling to account the iniquity of fathers on sons and on sons’ sons, to the third and to the fourth generation.”

  • Numbers 5:19

    And the priest shall make her swear and say to the woman, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness while under the authority of your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.

  • Numbers 5:28

    But if the woman has not made herself unclean, and she is clean, she shall be free and shall conceive offspring.

  • Numbers 5:31

    And the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her iniquity.”

  • Numbers 14:18

    ‘YHWH is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on children, on the third and on the fourth generation.’

  • Deuteronomy 5:11

    You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain, for YHWH will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

  • Judges 15:3

    And Samson said to them, “This time I am innocent toward the Philistines, when I do them harm.”

  • 1 Samuel 26:9

    David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the anointed of YHWH and be without guilt?”

  • 1 Kings 2:9

    But now do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him, and you shall bring down his gray hair with blood to Sheol.”

  • Job 9:28

    I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that you will not leave me unpunished.

  • Job 10:14

    if I sinned, you would watch me, and you would not leave me unpunished for my iniquity.

  • Psalms 19:12

    Errors —who can discern them? Hold me innocent of hidden ones.

  • Psalms 19:13

    Also from the insolent hold back your servant; let them not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.

  • Proverbs 6:29

    So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.

  • Proverbs 11:21

    Hand to hand, the evil man will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

  • Proverbs 16:5

    An abomination to YHWH is everyone haughty of heart; hand to hand, he will not go unpunished.

  • Proverbs 17:5

    Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; whoever rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

  • Proverbs 19:5

    A witness of lies will not go unpunished, and whoever utters lies will not escape.

  • Proverbs 19:9

    A witness of lies will not go unpunished, and whoever utters lies will perish.

  • Proverbs 28:20

    A man of faithfulness is rich in blessings, but whoever hurries to get rich will not go unpunished.

  • Isaiah 3:26

    And her gates will lament and mourn, and stripped bare, she will sit on the ground.

  • Jeremiah 2:35

    And you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Look, I will enter into judgment with you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’

  • Jeremiah 25:29

    For look, in the city over which my name is called, I am beginning to bring evil; and you, will you go entirely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for a sword I am summoning against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares YHWH Tsevaot.’

  • Jeremiah 30:11

    For I am with you, declares YHWH, to save you; for I will make an extermination among all the nations among which I have scattered you; but of you I will not make an extermination, but I will correct you with judgment, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

  • Jeremiah 46:28

    You, do not fear, my servant Jacob, declares YHWH, for I am with you; for I will make an extermination among all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make an extermination, and I will correct you with judgment, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

  • Jeremiah 49:12

    For thus says YHWH: Look, those whose judgment was not to drink the cup will certainly drink it; and you, are you the one who will go entirely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you will certainly drink.

  • Joel 3:21

    And I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed; and YHWH dwells in Zion.

  • Nahum 1:3

    YHWH is slow to anger and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. YHWH, in the whirlwind and in the storm is his way, and clouds are the dust of his feet.

  • Zechariah 5:3

    And he said to me, “This is the imprecation that goes out over the face of all the land; for everyone who steals, from here, according to it, has gone unpunished; and everyone who swears, from here, according to it, has gone unpunished.

And 11 more times.