ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA HEBREA
Nâthan (H5414) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Nâthan (H5414) is the common Hebrew verb 'to give,' applied very broadly to placing, setting, granting, delivering, appointing, and constituting.
Significado de la palabra
Nâthan is one of the most frequently used verbs in the Hebrew Bible (903 occurrences across 823 verses). At its core it means 'to give,' but the lexicon entry stresses that it is employed 'with the greatest latitude of application,' covering everything from bestowing and granting to placing, setting, assigning, and constituting. The same root therefore moves easily between physical actions (laying something on or against something) and relational actions (handing over, entrusting, delivering).
In the Qal stem nâthan covers the widest semantic range: to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, devote, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, hand over, deliver up, yield produce, report, utter, and extend. The same stem also covers setting and placing (laying a hand on, setting in a position, appointing, designating) and 'making' in the sense of constituting something to be a certain thing. The Niphal stem is passive/reflexive: to be given, bestowed, entrusted, granted, permitted, published, uttered, assigned, set, put, made, or inflicted. The Hophal stem mirrors this passive sense: to be given, bestowed, given up, delivered up, or put upon.
Because the same root carries so many English equivalents, the KJV lists dozens of renderings — add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, avenge, bestow, bring, cast, cause, charge, commit, deliver, direct, distribute, do, fasten, frame, grant, hang, lay, lend, let, lift up, make, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, put, recompense, render, requite, restore, send, set, shew, shoot forth, submit, suffer, take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, withdraw, yield. This breadth, not narrowness, is the defining feature of nâthan.
Uso en las Escrituras
The provided verses already show the semantic spread of nâthan within the opening chapters of Genesis. In Gen 1:17 the verb is glossed 'placed' (יִּתֵּ֥ן), where God sets the lights in the firmament — a 'putting/setting' use of the root. Gen 1:29 and Gen 9:3 use the Qal 1cs perfect נָתַ֨תִּי for God's act of giving every green plant as food; Gen 3:6 and 3:12 use related forms for the woman giving fruit to Adam; and Gen 4:12 uses the infinitive תֵּת of the ground refusing to 'yield' its strength. Gen 9:13 (נָתַ֖תִּי) again applies the verb to setting the bow in the cloud, while Gen 9:2 (נִתָּֽנוּ, Niphal) describes creatures 'given/delivered' into human hands. Gen 12:7 and 13:15 (both from the אֶתֵּן cohortative family) show the classic promissory use: 'Unto your seed I will give this land.'
Reading these passages together, nâthan in Genesis already performs creation (placing lights), provision (giving food), covenant signs (setting the bow), grant of land (giving to the seed), curse (ground ceasing to yield), and the ordinary human act of handing fruit to another. This breadth — physical placement alongside relational giving, divine act alongside human act — is exactly what the lexicon entry describes and is the main thing a reader should keep in mind when encountering the verb.
La palabra en detalle
- H5414 The root נָתַן (nâthan) functions as a generic, high-frequency verb of transfer and placement. Its meaning is determined by context and by the stem (Qal active, Niphal passive/reflexive, Hophal passive) rather than by a single narrow sense. Translators therefore choose from a wide set of English equivalents ('give,' 'set,' 'put,' 'place,' 'deliver,' 'appoint,' 'make,' 'yield,' etc.) depending on what fits the passage.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Genesis 1:17 Nâthan here is glossed 'placed': God puts the lights in the firmament. This shows the 'set/put' sense of the root, distinct from its 'bestow' sense, even in the very first narrative where the verb appears in the provided material.
- Genesis 9:3 נָתַ֥תִּי ('I have given') is the classic Qal 1cs perfect of God's granting. Pairing with Gen 1:29 it frames every green plant as a divine gift, exemplifying nâthan as covenant provision.
- Genesis 9:13 נָתַ֖תִּי is again translated 'I do set' rather than 'I do give.' The same Hebrew form shifts between 'set' (the bow) and 'give' (food/land) purely by context, illustrating the root's semantic flexibility.
- Genesis 13:15 The cohortative-style אֶתְּנֶ֑ '(I will give)' expresses God's promise of land to Abram and his seed forever — the promissory use of nâthan that underwrites much of the patriarchal narrative.
Preguntas frecuentes
Why does one Hebrew root translate into so many English words?
Because nâthan is a general-purpose verb covering transfer (give, grant, deliver, hand over), placement (put, set, lay, place), and even constitution (make, appoint, designate). Translators pick whichever English verb best fits the context, which is why the KJV lists dozens of renderings for this single root.
What is the difference between the Qal, Niphal, and Hophal stems of nâthan?
Qal is the basic active stem with the widest meaning ('give,' 'put,' 'set,' 'make,' etc.). Niphal is the passive/reflexive stem ('be given,' 'be put,' 'be made,' 'be inflicted'). Hophal is a causative-passive stem ('be given up,' 'be delivered up,' 'be put upon'). The root's meaning shifts by context and stem rather than by separate vocabulary.
How can a reader tell whether nâthan means 'give' or 'place' in a given verse?
Look at the direct object and surrounding context. If something is handed to a person or assigned to them ('give the land,' 'give food'), nâthan reads as 'give.' If something is positioned in a location or on a surface ('set in the firmament,' 'set the bow in the cloud'), nâthan reads as 'place' or 'set.' The Hebrew root itself does not change; English translation disambiguates by context.