H5088 — נֶדֶר (neder)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5088
Original: נֶדֶר (also spelled נֵדֶר)
Transliteration: neder
Pronunciation: neh'-der
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: נָדַר (nadar, H5087) — to vow, make a vow
Occurrences: 64 tokens in 57 unique verses, across 15 books
First Occurrence: Gen 28:20 — "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go..."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From נָדַר (H5087); a promise (to God); also (concretely) a thing promised — vow(-ed).

Neder is a concrete noun denoting either the verbal act of vowing to God or, metonymically, the thing (offering, animal, person, or consecrated property) promised. It is built on the cognate verb H5087 (nadar) and frequently appears with it in the figura etymologica "to vow a vow" (נָדַר נֶדֶר).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
vow / a vow / the vow	22	38.6%
vows (plural absolute/definite)	8	14.0%
my vow(s)	8	14.0%
her vow(s) / concerning her vows	7	12.3%
thy vow(s) / Thy vows	4	7.0%
your vow(s)	4	7.0%
his vow(s) / to his vow	3	5.3%
our vows	1	1.8%
"when she vowed" (verbal render)	1	1.8%

Essentially every occurrence translates as some form of "vow." The possessive spread reflects the legal-personal character of the word: a vow always belongs to a named vower.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Numbers	19	1.5
Psalms	9	0.4
Leviticus	6	0.7
Deuteronomy	6	0.6
Proverbs	3	0.3
Judges	2	0.3
1 Samuel	2	0.2
2 Samuel	2	0.3
Genesis	2	0.1
Jonah	1	2.1
Nahum	1	2.1
Ecclesiastes	1	0.5
Isaiah	1	0.1
Jeremiah	1	0.1
Job	1	0.1

Patterns: Heavy legal concentration in the Torah (33 of 57 verses = 58%, with Numbers alone holding a third — driven by the Nazirite law of Num 6 and the women's-vows legislation of Num 30). In the Writings it shifts to a psalmic idiom of "paying vows" in the sanctuary (Ps 22, 50, 56, 61, 65, 66, 116). The narrative attestations (Jacob, Jephthah, Hannah, Absalom, Jonah's sailors) form a thin but theologically weighty strand.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Conditional "If–Then" Vow to God¶

A promise offered in distress or petition, obligating the vower to a specific return if God acts. - Gen 28:20 — "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me..." - Num 21:2 — "And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD... If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand..." - Judg 11:30 — "And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD..." - 1 Sam 1:11 — "And she [Hannah] vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look..."

2. The Vow as Sacrificial Offering¶

Neder designates a class of voluntary offering alongside burnt, peace, and freewill offerings. - Lev 7:16 — "if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering" - Lev 22:21 — "a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow" - Num 15:3, 8 — "in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering" - Deut 12:6, 11, 17, 26 — vows brought to the central sanctuary

3. The Nazirite Vow (Personal Consecration)¶

A self-dedicatory separation to the LORD. - Num 6:2 — "When either man or woman shall separate themselves... to vow a vow of a Nazarite" - Num 6:5 — "All the days of the vow of his separation" - Num 6:21 — "This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed"

4. The Woman's Vow Under Authority (Num 30)¶

Extensive legal treatment of who may ratify or annul a woman's vow — father or husband. - Num 30:3 — "If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond" - Num 30:5 — "if her father disallow her... not any of her vows... shall stand" - Num 30:9 — "But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced... shall stand" - Num 30:13 — "Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul"

5. Paying / Fulfilling Vows (Liturgical Idiom)¶

Vows are "paid" (שָׁלַם, H7999) to the LORD, usually in the sanctuary. - Deut 23:21 — "thou shalt not slack to pay it" - 2 Sam 15:7 — "let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed" - Ps 50:14 — "pay thy vows unto the most High" - Ps 116:14, 18 — "I will pay my vows unto the LORD" - Ecc 5:4 — "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it"

6. The Danger of Rash Vowing¶

Wisdom and prophetic warnings about careless or defiling vows. - Pro 20:25 — "It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry" - Ecc 5:4 — "he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed" - Deut 23:18 — "Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore... for any vow" - Jer 44:25 — vows to the queen of heaven condemned

7. Gentile / Non-Israelite Vows¶

Neder used for sincere vows by outsiders. - Jon 1:16 — the sailors "offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows" - Isa 19:21 — "the Egyptians... shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	30x (53%)	"vow unto the LORD" — vows are directed to God alone
נָדַר (nadar)	H5087	19x (33%)	figura etymologica "to vow a vow"
כֹּל (kol)	H3605	19x (33%)	"all her vows," "every vow" — totalizing legal formulae
שָׁלַם (shalam)	H7999	15x (26%)	"to pay / fulfill a vow"
אִישׁ (ish)	H376	16x (28%)	"if a man vow" — legal case formulation
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	11x (19%)	"bind her soul with a bond" (Num 30); vows bind the person
אֱלֹהִים (elohim)	H430	10x (18%)	vows made "unto God" (non-YHWH contexts)
זֶבַח (zebach)	H2077	10x (18%)	"sacrifice and vow" — liturgical pair
קוּם (qum)	H6965	10x (18%)	vow shall "stand" or be "established"
שָׁמַע (shama)	H8085	10x (18%)	father/husband "hears" a woman's vow (Num 30)
אָסַר (asar)	H631	9x (16%)	"to bind" oneself — vow as self-imposed obligation
אֱסָר (esar)	H632	9x (16%)	"bond" — technical partner-term in Num 30
נְדָבָה (nedabah)	H5071	9x (16%)	"freewill offering" — standard pair with neder

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5087 נָדַר (nadar) — the cognate verb "to vow"; shares 19 verses with neder
H5071 נְדָבָה (nedabah) — "freewill offering"; the standard contrastive companion (a vow is elicited, a nedabah is spontaneous)

Synonyms¶

No synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H5088.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H5088.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
נָדַר (nadar)	H5087	"vow"	nadar = the verbal act; neder = the promise/thing promised
אֱסָר (esar)	H632	"bond" (paired with vow in Num 30)	esar = a self-imposed binding prohibition; neder = a positive promise to give
שְׁבוּעָה (shebuah)	H7621	sometimes rendered "oath" alongside vow	shebuah appeals to a witness/curse; neder obligates toward God
נְדָבָה (nedabah)	H5071	freewill offering	nedabah is wholly spontaneous; neder is conditional/promised

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002004001009013] Vow — search_relationships.py places neder in the vow field, with neighbors such as אָלָה (H423), אסר (H631), אִסָּר (H632), בוא (H935), and בְּרִית (H1285/H1286).

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occurrence	PMI	Notes
εὐχή (euche)	G2171	52	8.21	Primary noun equivalent — "vow / prayer-vow"
εὔχομαι (euchomai)	G2172	23	7.48	The cognate verb, often rendering nadar in the same verses
ὁρίζω (horizo)	G3724	8	7.57	Used where "binding / marking out" is in view (Num 30)
ἀποδίδωμι (apodidomi)	G591	13	5.21	"pay / render" — the shalam-neder idiom
ἑκούσιον (hekousion)	G1595	5	7.28	"voluntary" — where neder pairs with nedabah
ὁμολογία (homologia)	G3671	3	7.92	"confession / pledge" — later NT usage echoes this
θυσία (thysia)	G2378	10	3.80	"sacrifice" — when the vowed thing is the victim
ὁλοκαύτωμα (holokautoma)	G3646	7	3.99	"whole burnt offering" — overlap via Lev/Num ritual texts

Primary bridge: G2171 εὐχή (euche) — a strong, nearly one-to-one LXX equivalent.