H5352 — נָקָה (naqah)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5352
Original: נָקָה
Transliteration: naqah
Pronunciation: naw-kaw'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Occurrences: 33 unique verses (75 tokens)
Books: 15
First Occurrence: Gen 24:8 — "then thou shalt be clear from this my oath"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to be (or make) clean (literally or figuratively); by implication (in an adverse sense) to be bare, i.e. extirpated: — acquit at all, altogether, be blameless, cleanse, (be) clear(-ing), cut off, be desolate, be free, be (hold) guiltless, be (hold) innocent, by no means, be quit, be (leave) unpunished, utterly, wholly.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Tokens	Typical Meaning
Niphal	23	be clean, be innocent, be free from guilt/obligation
Piel	19	declare clean, hold guiltless, acquit; or refuse to acquit (with negation)
Qal	1	be clean (Jer 49:12, infinitive absolute)

The Niphal (passive/reflexive) dominates in Proverbs ("shall not be unpunished" formula, 7×) and in oath-release contexts (Genesis, Numbers). The Piel (intensive/declarative) dominates in divine attribute declarations ("will by no means clear the guilty" — Exo 34:7, Num 14:18, Nah 1:3) and in Job/Psalms petitions for acquittal.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
unpunished (be/go/leave)	9	27%
guiltless (be/hold)	4	12%
innocent (be/hold)	4	12%
clear (be/clearing)	3	9%
acquit	2	6%
free (be/shall be)	2	6%
quit (be)	1	3%
blameless	1	3%
cleanse/cleansed	2	6%
desolate	1	3%
cut off	1	3%
by no means	1	3%
Other (altogether, wholly, utterly)	3	9%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Nahum	1	2.1
Joel	1	1.4
Proverbs	7	0.8
Zechariah	1	0.5
Jeremiah	5	0.4
Numbers	4	0.3
Exodus	3	0.2
Judges	1	0.2
Job	2	0.2
Genesis	2	0.1
Deuteronomy	1	0.1
1 Kings	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1
Psalms	2	0.1
Isaiah	1	0.1

Concentrated in Proverbs (7v, 21% of all uses). Prophetic books (Jeremiah, Nahum, Joel, Zechariah, Isaiah) account for 9v (27%). Torah/legal contexts (Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) account for 8v (24%). Absent from all NT-era or post-exilic writings except Zechariah. No occurrences in Ezekiel, Daniel, or the Minor Prophets apart from Joel, Nahum, and Zechariah.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Release from Oath or Obligation¶

Gen 24:8 — "then thou shalt be clear from this my oath" (Niphal — Abraham's servant released from oath if the woman refuses)
Gen 24:41 — "then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred" (Niphal — conditions for oath-release)
Num 5:19 — "be thou free" (Niphal imperative — priest declares woman clean if innocent in jealousy ordeal)
Num 5:28 — "then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed" (Niphal — found innocent, released from suspicion)

2. Exemption from Punishment / Being Unpunished¶

Pro 11:21 — "the wicked shall not be unpunished" (Niphal — certainty of retribution)
Pro 16:5 — "he shall not be unpunished" (Niphal — the proud will face judgment)
Pro 19:5 — "A false witness shall not be unpunished" (Niphal — perjurers will be held accountable)
Pro 19:9 — "A false witness shall not be unpunished" (Niphal — parallel to 19:5)
Pro 6:29 — "whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent" (Niphal — adultery carries inescapable guilt)
Pro 28:20 — "he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent" (Niphal)

3. Divine Attribute: Refusing to Clear the Guilty¶

Exo 34:7 — "and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Piel infinitive absolute + Piel imperfect — emphatic negation; part of the divine self-revelation at Sinai)
Num 14:18 — "by no means clearing the guilty" (Piel — Moses quotes the Sinai formula)
Nah 1:3 — "will not at all acquit the wicked" (Piel — Nahum echoes the same formula)
Exo 20:7 / Deu 5:11 — "the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Piel — Third Commandment; misuse of divine name will not be cleared)

4. Petition for Acquittal / Declaration of Innocence¶

Psa 19:12 — "cleanse thou me from secret faults" (Piel imperative — prayer for divine acquittal)
Job 9:28 — "I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent" (Piel — Job's despair over finding acquittal)
Job 10:14 — "thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity" (Piel — Job protests God's refusal to clear him)
Jer 2:35 — "thou sayest, Because I am innocent" (Niphal — Judah falsely claims clean status)

5. Bearing Guilt for Another's Blood¶

1 Sam 26:9 — "who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?" (Niphal — David refuses to kill Saul)
Num 5:31 — "Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity" (Niphal — the accusing husband is cleared regardless of ordeal outcome)
1 Ki 2:9 — "hold him not guiltless" (Piel — David instructs Solomon regarding Shimei)

6. National Judgment: Emptied / Made Desolate¶

Isa 3:26 — "she being desolate shall sit upon the ground" (Niphal — Jerusalem emptied, cleaned out)
Jer 25:29 — "should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished" (Niphal — nations will not escape judgment)
Jer 49:12 — "art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished" (Niphal + Qal infinitive absolute — Edom)
Zec 5:3 — "every one that stealeth shall be cut off... every one that sweareth shall be cut off" (Niphal — the flying scroll purges thieves and perjurers)

7. Divine Cleansing¶

Joel 3:21 — "I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion" (Piel — God promises to purge unavenged bloodguilt)
Jer 30:11 / 46:28 — "I will not leave thee altogether unpunished" (Piel — disciplinary punishment tempered by mercy)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yehowah)	H3068	11× (33%)	"the LORD will not hold guiltless"; divine subject of acquittal/refusal
אִשָּׁה (ishshah)	H802	5× (15%)	Num 5 jealousy ordeal; Pro 6:29 adultery
נָשָׂא (nasa)	H5375	5× (15%)	"bearing iniquity" — complementary to naqah's acquittal
עָשָׂה (asah)	H6213	5× (15%)	"do/make" — the deeds that trigger guilt or acquittal
עָוֺן (avon)	H5771	4× (12%)	"iniquity" — the guilt from which one is (or isn't) cleared
פֶּשַׁע (pesha)	H6588	3× (9%)	"transgression" — paired with avon in divine attribute formula
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat)	H4941	3× (9%)	"judgment" — judicial context of acquittal

Synonyms¶

H8552 תָּמַם (tamam) — be complete, be finished, be blameless; overlaps in "blameless/innocent" semantic space but emphasizes wholeness/completeness rather than juridical clearing

Antonyms¶

(No curated antonyms in SDBH for this word. Contextual antonyms from usage include:) - H816 אָשַׁם (asham) — be guilty; the opposite state — bearing guilt rather than being cleared of it - H7561 רָשַׁע (rasha) — be wicked, act wickedly; declare guilty — the judicial opposite of naqah's Piel "declare innocent"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5355 נָקִי (naqiy) — adjective: clean, innocent, guiltless (from the same root; 37v)
H5356 נִקָּיוֹן (niqqayown) — noun: innocency, cleanness (5v)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
נָקִי (naqiy)	H5355	"guiltless," "innocent"	naqiy = adjective describing the state; naqah = verb process of being cleared/acquitted
טָהֵר (taher)	H2891	"cleanse," "clean"	taher = ritual/ceremonial purity; naqah = juridical/moral clearing from guilt
צָדַק (tsadaq)	H6663	"clear," "innocent"	tsadaq = positively righteous/justified; naqah = negatively cleared (absence of guilt)
זָכָה (zakah)	H2135	"clean," "innocent"	zakah = moral cleanness/purity; naqah = forensic acquittal/exemption from punishment

Semantic Domains (SDBH)¶

Non-Contain [002002001004] — emptied, made bare
Non-Exist [002002002006] — removed, extirpated
Innocent [002003003015] — juridically clean, free from guilt

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
ἄθωος (athoos)	G121	10	7.36	"innocent, unpunished" — primary juridical equivalent
καθαρίζω (katharizo)	G2511	7	5.72	"cleanse" — used when naqah carries purification sense
ἀδίκως (adikos)	G95	3	6.73	"unjustly" — renders the negated naqah (not be cleared)
ἀνομία (anomia)	G458	3	3.49	"lawlessness" — renders the guilt that is not cleared
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	4	2.95	"sin" — general sin term in contexts where naqah addresses guilt

The primary LXX bridge is ἄθωος (G121, 10× co-occurrences, PMI 7.36), an adjective meaning "unpunished, innocent." No single Greek verb fully captures naqah's range; the LXX splits it between ἄθωος (juridical) and καθαρίζω (purification).