H5079 — נִדָּה (niddah)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5079
Original: נִדָּה
Transliteration: niddah
Pronunciation: nid-daw'
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: נָדַד (nadad) — to flee, wander; by implication, rejection
Occurrences: 24 unique verses (31 tokens) across 7 books
First Occurrence: Lev 12:2 — "according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H5074 (nadad); properly, rejection; by implication, impurity, especially personal (menstruation) or moral (idolatry, incest): — far, filthiness, flowers, menstruous (woman), put apart, removed (woman), separation, set apart, unclean(-ness, thing, with filthiness).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
separation (of/her/the)	11	35.5%
unclean / unclean thing / uncleanness	4	12.9%
filthiness / with filthiness	3	9.7%
put apart / set apart	3	9.7%
flowers / her flowers	2	6.5%
menstruous (woman)	2	6.5%
removed / removed woman	2	6.5%
far	1	3.2%
Other ("the" alone)	3	9.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Leviticus	10	1.16
Lamentations	1	0.65
Zechariah	1	0.47
Numbers	5	0.39
Ezra	1	0.36
Ezekiel	5	0.39
2 Chronicles	1	0.12

Leviticus dominates with 10 of 24 occurrences, concentrated in chs. 12 and 15 (purity laws). The Numbers cluster (ch. 19) extends niddah to the red heifer purification rite. Ezekiel uses the word metaphorically for national/moral defilement. Absent from the Psalms, Prophets (except Ezekiel and Zechariah), and all wisdom literature.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Menstrual Impurity (Ritual)¶

The primary usage — a woman's bodily discharge rendering her ritually unclean for a set period. - Lev 12:2 — "according to the days of the separation (niddah) for her infirmity shall she be unclean" - Lev 15:19 — "she shall be put apart (niddah) seven days" - Lev 15:20 — "every thing that she lieth upon in her separation (niddah) shall be unclean" - Lev 15:25 — "out of the time of her separation (niddah)... all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation (niddah)"

2. Sexual Prohibition Linked to Menstruation¶

Niddah as the basis for prohibiting sexual contact during menstrual impurity. - Lev 15:24 — "if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers (niddah) be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days" - Lev 18:19 — "thou shalt not approach unto a woman... as long as she is put apart (niddah) for her uncleanness" - Eze 18:6 — "neither hath come near to a menstruous (niddah) woman" (mark of the righteous man) - Eze 22:10 — "in thee have they humbled her that was set apart (niddah) for pollution"

3. Purification Water (Red Heifer Rite)¶

Extended to the water mixed with ashes of the red heifer — "water of niddah" — used to cleanse corpse contamination. The impurity concept shifts from bodily to contact-with-death. - Num 19:9 — "it shall be kept... for a water of separation (niddah): it is a purification for sin" - Num 19:13 — "the water of separation (niddah) was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean" - Num 19:20 — "the water of separation (niddah) hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean" - Num 31:23 — "it shall be purified with the water of separation (niddah)"

4. Moral/National Defilement (Metaphorical)¶

Prophetic and post-exilic writers use niddah as a metaphor for the moral filth of idolatry, disobedience, and national sin. - 2Ch 29:5 — "carry forth the filthiness (niddah) out of the holy place" (Hezekiah's temple reform) - Ezr 9:11 — "an unclean land with the filthiness (niddah) of the people of the lands" - Eze 36:17 — "their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman (niddah)" - Zec 13:1 — "a fountain opened... for sin and for uncleanness (niddah)"

5. Metaphor for Abhorrence / Rejection¶

Used to express God's revulsion or the state of being cast off. - Lam 1:17 — "Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman (niddah) among them" - Eze 7:19 — "their gold shall be removed (niddah)" — wealth becomes loathsome - Eze 7:20 — "therefore have I set it far (niddah) from them"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
טָמֵא (tame')	H2930	10x (42%)	Verb "be/become unclean" — niddah causes or defines the state of uncleanness
אִשָּׁה ('ishshah)	H802	6x (25%)	"woman" as the subject experiencing niddah
טֻמְאָה (tum'ah)	H2932	6x (25%)	Paired noun — tum'ah (abstract uncleanness) used alongside niddah
טָמֵא (tame')	H2931	6x (25%)	Adjective "unclean" — describing result of niddah state
יוֹם (yom)	H3117	8x (33%)	"days of her niddah" — temporal duration of the impurity
מַיִם (mayim)	H4325	5x (21%)	"water of niddah" — the red heifer purification water
זוֹב (zob)	H2101	4x (17%)	"discharge/issue" — the bodily flow that triggers niddah
שָׁכַב (shakab)	H7901	4x (17%)	"lie with" — sexual contact during niddah state

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5074 נָדַד (nadad) — root verb: to flee, wander, be a fugitive
H5077 נָדָה (nadah) — to exclude, banish, drive away
H5080 נָדַח (nadach) — to drive away, thrust out (related root)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H5079.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H5079.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
טֻמְאָה (tum'ah)	H2932	"uncleanness," "filthiness"	tum'ah = abstract religious impurity in general; niddah = specifically impurity-through-separation (menstrual or requiring removal)
טָמֵא (tame')	H2931	"unclean"	tame' = adjective describing the unclean state; niddah = the noun naming the condition or period of impurity
נֶזֶר (nezer)	H5145	"separation"	nezer = consecrated separation (Nazirite vow, crown); niddah = separation due to impurity — opposite valuations
דָּוֶה (daveh)	H1739	"menstruous"	daveh = adjective meaning "sick/faint" (especially menstrually); niddah = the state/period of menstrual impurity itself

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
002001001062	Unclean	`search_relationships.py` places niddah squarely in the impurity field, matching its dominant ritual and metaphorical uses.
002001003020	Wrong	The tool also links it to the wrong/defilement field, reflecting Ezekiel, Ezra, and Zechariah where ritual impurity becomes a metaphor for moral pollution.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsia)	G167	11x	7.92	Primary — "impurity" as abstract quality
ἀκάθαρτος (akathartos)	G169	10x	6.26	"Unclean" — adjectival rendering
ῥαντισμός (rhantismos)	G4473	4x	9.88	"Sprinkling" — used for "water of niddah"
ῥύσις (rhusis)	G4511	4x	8.18	"Flow/flux" — used when niddah refers to the discharge
μιαίνω (miaino)	G3392	4x	5.24	"Defile" — verbal rendering in metaphorical contexts

The LXX translators chose different Greek words depending on which semantic dimension of niddah was in view: akatharsia/akathartos for the impurity concept, rhantismos for the purification rite, and rhusis for the physical discharge.