נָכָה
to strike
also: smite, hit, beat, slay fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Hiphil verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
- Preposition
- A relational word (e.g. “in,” “to,” “from”) governing a noun.
Stem
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘smite’
- Hophal
- The passive counterpart of the Hiphil (“he was caused to…”). Here: ‘receive a blow Is 1’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
45 verses where H5221 appears in the Hiphil stem in the Book of 2 Samuel. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Samuel
- 2 Samuel 1:1 מֵ/הַכּ֖וֹת prep + Hiphil inf.cs It happened after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
- 2 Samuel 1:15 וַ/יַּכֵּ֖/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall on him. He struck him, so that he died.
- 2 Samuel 2:22 אַכֶּ֨/כָּה֙ Hiphil impf 1cs + sfx pers 2ms Abner said again to Asahel, Turn you aside from following me: why should I strike you to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?
- 2 Samuel 2:23 וַ/יַּכֵּ֣/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms However he refused to turn aside: therefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it happened, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
- 2 Samuel 2:31 הִכּוּ֙ Hiphil pf 3cp But the servants of David had struck of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, [so that] three hundred sixty men died.
- 2 Samuel 3:27 וַ/יַּכֵּ֤/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms When Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
- 2 Samuel 4:6 וַ/יַּכֻּ֖/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms They came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
- 2 Samuel 4:7 וַ/יַּכֻּ֨/הוּ֙ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they struck him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
- 2 Samuel 5:8 מַכֵּ֤ה Hiphil ptcp.act ms cs David said on that day, Whoever strikes the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and [strike] the lame and the blind, who are hated of David's soul. Therefore they say, There are the blind and the lame; he can't come into the house.
- 2 Samuel 5:20 וַ/יַּכֵּ֣/ם conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp David came to Baal Perazim, and David struck them there; and he said, Yahweh has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.
- 2 Samuel 5:24 לְ/הַכּ֖וֹת prep + Hiphil inf.cs It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then you shall bestir yourself; for then is Yahweh gone out before you to strike the host of the Philistines.
- 2 Samuel 5:25 וַ/יַּךְ֙ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms David did so, as Yahweh commanded him, and struck the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer.
- 2 Samuel 6:7 וַ/יַּכֵּ֥/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
- 2 Samuel 8:1 וַ/יַּ֥ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms After this it happened that David struck the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.
- 2 Samuel 8:2 וַ/יַּ֣ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms He struck Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.
- 2 Samuel 8:3 וַ/יַּ֣ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms David struck also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River.
- 2 Samuel 8:5 וַ/יַּ֤ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.
- 2 Samuel 8:9 הִכָּ֣ה Hiphil pf 3ms When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the host of Hadadezer,
- 2 Samuel 8:10 וַ/יַּכֵּ֔/הוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms then Toi sent Joram his son to king David, to Greet him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. [Joram] brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:
- 2 Samuel 8:13 מֵ/הַכּוֹת֥/וֹ prep + Hiphil inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms David got him a name when he returned from smiting the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men.
- 2 Samuel 10:18 הִכָּ֖ה Hiphil pf 3ms The Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed of the Syrians [the men of] seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and struck Shobach the captain of their host, so that he died there.
- 2 Samuel 11:21 הִכָּ֞ה Hiphil pf 3ms who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn't a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then shall you say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"
- 2 Samuel 12:9 הִכִּ֣יתָ Hiphil pf 2ms Why have you despised the word of Yahweh, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
- 2 Samuel 13:28 הַכּ֧וּ Hiphil impv 2mp Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Mark you now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I tell you, Smite Amnon, then kill him; don't be afraid; haven't I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
- 2 Samuel 13:30 הִכָּ֤ה Hiphil pf 3ms It happened, while they were in the way, that the news came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.
- 2 Samuel 14:6 וַ/יַּכּ֧/וֹ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms Your handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one struck the other, and killed him.
- 2 Samuel 14:7 מַכֵּ֣ה Hiphil ptcp.act ms cs Behold, the whole family is risen against your handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder on the surface of the earth.
- 2 Samuel 15:14 וְ/הִכָּ֥ה conj + Hiphil wpf 3ms David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for else none of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.
- 2 Samuel 17:2 וְ/הִכֵּיתִ֥י conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs and I will come on him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people who are with him shall flee; and I will strike the king only;
- 2 Samuel 18:11 הִכִּית֥/וֹ Hiphil pf 2ms + sfx pers 3ms Joab said to the man who told him, Behold, you saw it, and why didn't you strike him there to the ground? and I would have given you ten [pieces of] silver, and a sash.
- 2 Samuel 18:15 וַ/יַּכּ֥וּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp Ten young men who bore Joab's armor compassed about and struck Absalom, and killed him.
- 2 Samuel 20:10 וַ/יַּכֵּ/הוּ֩ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he struck him therewith in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn't strike him again; and he died. Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.
- 2 Samuel 21:2 לְ/הַכֹּתָ֔/ם prep + Hiphil inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp The king called the Gibeonites, and said to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them: and Saul sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);
- 2 Samuel 21:12 הַכּ֧וֹת Hiphil inf.cs David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa;
- 2 Samuel 21:16 לְ/הַכּ֥וֹת prep + Hiphil inf.cs and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred [shekels] of brass in weight, he being girded with a new [sword], thought to have slain David.
- 2 Samuel 21:17 וַ/יַּ֥ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, You shall go no more out with us to battle, that you don't quench the lamp of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 21:18 הִכָּ֗ה Hiphil pf 3ms It came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.
- 2 Samuel 21:19 וַ/יַּ֡ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms There was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite's brother, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
- 2 Samuel 21:21 וַ/יַּכֵּ֨/הוּ֙ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him.
- 2 Samuel 23:10 וַ/יַּ֨ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms He arose, and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and Yahweh worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.
- 2 Samuel 23:12 וַ/יַּ֖ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and Yahweh worked a great victory.
- 2 Samuel 23:20 הִכָּ֗ה וְ/הִכָּ֧ה Hiphil pf 3ms conj + Hiphil pf 3ms Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he killed the two [sons of] Ariel of Moab: he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.
- 2 Samuel 23:21 הִכָּה֩ Hiphil pf 3ms He killed an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.
- 2 Samuel 24:10 וַ/יַּ֤ךְ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms David's heart struck him after that he had numbered the people. David said to Yahweh, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, Yahweh, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.
- 2 Samuel 24:17 הַ/מַּכֶּ֣ה ptcl def.art + Hiphil ptcp.act ms David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father's house.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, נכה (nâkâh) means “to strike.” The King James Version usually renders it “smote,” while modern versions prefer “struck down” (Berean Standard Bible) and “struck” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) — see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 461 verses in 31 books, it ranks among the common words of the Hebrew Bible. Scripture first uses it in Genesis 4:15. The verb spans 4 stems, from Niphal to Pual. Dig into 461-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H5221 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 461
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 461 distinct verses.
- 31 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 31 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #100
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 100 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 461 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 461 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 297 verses · 64%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 92 verses · 20%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 72 verses · 16%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Smote 130×, Slew 41×, Smite 38×
- American Standard Version: Smote 124×, Smite 32×, He smote 25×
- Berean Standard Bible: Struck down 33×, Struck 22×, Strike 18×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Struck 68×, He struck 61×, And 50×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H5221 across 501 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 103 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H5221 across 498 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 109 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H5221 across 496 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 166 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 3 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H5221 across 565 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 105 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
26 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel) and Hophal (the passive of Hiphil).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 26 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Niphal
- Pf. וְנִכָּה וָמֵת consec. 2 S 11:15 and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die. e.g. 2 Samuel 11:15
Pual
- Pf. 3 fs. נֻכָּ֑תָה Ex 9:31; 3 pl. נֻכּוּ v 32 (J), both be smitten down by the hail. e.g. Exodus 9:31
Hiphil
- Pf. 3 ms. הִכָּה Ex 9:25 +; sf. וְהִכַּ֫נִי consec. Gn 32:12, הִכָּם Je 5:6; 2 ms. הִכִּ֫יתָ Ex 17:5 +; 1 s. הִכֵּיתִי Ju 15:16 +, וְהִכֵּיתִ֫י Ex 3:20 +; 3 pl. הִכּוּ Gn 19:11 +; 2 mpl. הִכִּיתֶם Je 37:10 + 3 times consec.; etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יַכֶּה Ex 21:20 +, יַךְ Ho 6:1 (but read וַיַּךְ We Now GASm); וְיַךְ Ho 14:6 (v. infr.); וַיַּכֶּה Jos 10:40 +, usually וַיַּךְ Ex 2:12 +; sf. 2 ms. יַכֶּ֫כָּה Je 40:15 + 2 times, 3 ms. וַיַּכּוֹ 2 S 14:6 (but read וַיַּךְ 𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 Th We Dr Klo Kit Bu HPS), יַכֶּ֫נּוּ 1 S 17:25 + 2 times; usually וַיַּכֵּ֫הוּ Nu 21:24 +; 3 fs. וַתַּךְ Jon 4:7.8; 2 ms. תַּכֶּה Ex 2:13 +; sf. 3 ms. תַּכֶּ֫נּוּ Pr 23:13, 14; 1 s. אַכֶּה 1 S 18:11 +; וָאַכֶּה Ne 13:25, וָאַךְ Ex 9:15; 3 mpl. יַכּוּ Mi 4:14; usually וַיַּכּוּ Gn 14:5 + (1 S 4:2 read prob. Hoph. q.v.); 1 pl. נַכֶּה־ Nu 22:6; וַנַּךְ Dt 2:33, etc.; Imv. הַכֵּה Ez 6:11; הַךְ Am 9:1 +; mpl. הַכּוּ 2 S 13:28, etc.; Inf. abs. הַכֵּה Dt 3:16 +; הַכּוֹת 2 K 3:24 (Ges§ 75 ff); cstr. הַכּוֹת Gn 4:15 +, etc.; Pt. מַכֶּה Ex 2:11 +; cstr. מַכֵּת Ex 21:12 +; pl. מַכִּים 1 S 4:8 +, etc.;— e.g. Exodus 9:25
- 1.
- a. lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike, sq. acc., ass Nu 22:23, 25, 27 (בְּמַקֵּל), v 28, 32 (all J); man Ex 21:15, 19 (E); cheeks Jb 16:10; man (on) cheek (2 acc.) La 3:30 ψ 3:8; man עַל־לְחִי Mi 4:14 (ב instr.), 1 K 22:24 = 2 Ch 18:23; eye Ex 21:26 (E); שֵׁבֶט מַכֵּךְ Is 14:26; with ב obj. Ex 17:6; with (ב) stone or fist Ex 21:18 (E), cf. (fig.) Is 58:4 (abs.); smite lion or bear 1 S 17:35; strike river (with rod מַטֶּה) 7:17 (c. עַל obj., + ב instr.), v 20 Ex 17:5 (E; ב instr.), also (with mantle) 2 K 2:8, 14(×2), cf. י׳ smiting Euphrates into (ל) seven streams Is 11:15; dust Ex 8:12, 13 (P); rock 17:6 (E), Nu 20:11 (P; ב instr.), ψ 78:20; fig. smite earth בְּשֵׁבֶט פִּיו Is 11:4 (of future Davidic kg.); strike on ground (אַ֫רְצָה; with arrows) 2 K 13:18, also (abs.) v 18, 19; strike weapons out of (מִן) hands, Ez 39:3 (י׳; fig. of making powerless); lintel of door Am 9:1; barley-loaf strikes tent Ju 7:13 (in dream); in fig. of regret, remorse וַיַּךְ לֵב דָּוִד אֹתוֹ 2 S 24:10 and David’s heart smote him, so 1 S 24:6 (+ עַל־אֲשֶׁר because); of goat smiting (butting with horn) the ram, so as to break its horns Dn 8:7 (in vision); smite = hit with missile, sling-stone 1 S 17:49 (c. acc. pers. + אֶל־מִצְחוֹ), cf. 2 K 3:25 (but text perhaps corrupt, v. Benz); arrow, 1 K 22:34 = 2 Ch 18:33 (c. acc. pers. + בֵּין), 2 K 9:24 (c. id.); of piercing, הַכּוֹת בַּחֲנִית בְּדָוִד וּבַקִּיר 1 S 19:10 smite with the dart into D. and into the wall, pin D. to the wall, וַיַּךְ אֶת־הַח׳ בַּקִּיר v 10, cf. 18:11, אַכֶּנּוּ בַחֲנִית וּבָאָרֶץ 26:8. e.g. Numbers 22:23
- b. smite repeatedly, beat, a man Ex 2:11, 13 (E), 5:16 (J), Ne 13:25 (מִן partit.), cf. Dt 25:11; here prob. also 1 K 20:35(×2), 37(×2) (הַכֵּה וּפָצֹעַ beating and bruising him); of Assyrian under fig. of task-master Is 10:24; beat a woman so as to bruise her (פָּצַע) Ct 5:7; beat by authority, scourge Je 20:2; 37:15 Dt 25:2, 3 (c. acc. pers. + acc. cogn. מַכָּה רַבָּה), v 3 cf. בִּן הַכּוֹת v 2 i.e. worthy of scourging, bastinado, (cf. Dr); 2 Ch 25:16; Pr 17:10; 19:25; 23:13, 14 (ב instr.); cf. גֵּוִי נָתַתִּי לְמַכִּים Is 50:6; of hail, beat down herbage etc. Ex 9:25(×2) (cf. Pu.). e.g. Exodus 2:11
- c. וַיַּכּוּ כַף 2 K 11:12 and they clapped hands (in applause); elsewhere only Ezek., in mockery; כַּף אֶל־כַּף Ez 21:19, 22; בְּכַפְּךָ 6:11 (‖ רְקַע בְּרַגְלְךָ); acc. כַּפִּי 22:13. e.g. 2 Kings 11:12
- d. give a thrust (with fork) into (ב) pot 1 S 2:14; strike roots Ho 14:6 (in fig., but וַיֵּלְכוּ We Now). e.g. 1 Samuel 2:14
- e. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound 2 K 8:28, so (+ acc. cogn. מַכָּה) v 29; 9:15 = 2 Ch 22:6; fig. of י׳’s wounding Isr. Ho 6:1 (opp. חָבַשׁ, bind up), Je 30:14 (c. acc. cogn.). Cf. smite with (ב) the tongue Je 18:18. e.g. 2 Kings 8:28
- f. smite, of sun, etc., c. acc. pers. Is 49:10 ψ 121:6; c. עַל Jon 4:8. e.g. Isaiah 49:10
- 2. Smite fatally:
- a. (subj. man) smite, c. acc., + word of killing (dying):—obj. lion and bear 1 S 17:35; man Ex 21:12, 20 (E), Jos 10:26 (JE), 11:17 (D), 1 S 17:50; 2 S 1:15; 2:31 (מִן partit. + ב among), 4:7; 14:6; 18:15; 21:17; 1 K 16:10; 2 K 12:22; 15:30; 25:21 = Je 52:27, 2 K 25:25 Je 41:2; Nu 35:16, 17, 18, 21 (P; all c. ב instr.); c. acc. + אֶל־חֹמֶשׁ + ב instr. 2 S 2:23 smote him (fatally) in the belly with (v. HPS), 20:10, cf. 3:27 (+ 2 acc.) 4:6 (but del. 𝔊 Ew Th We Dr Bu HPS); וְהִכָּהוּ נֶפֶשׁ Dt 19:11 and he smite him in his life (mortally), and he die, cf. (without word of dying) v 6 Gn 37:21 (J), Je 40:14, 15 [otherwise Lv 24:17.18 Nu 35:11, 15, 30; Dt 27:25; Jos 20:3, 9]; with prolepsis לְהַכּוֹת חֲלָלִים smite the slain Ju 20:31, 39; + אַ֫רְצָה smite to the ground i.e. kill 2 S 2:22; 18:11. e.g. 1 Samuel 17:35
- b. smite, of worm gnawing or boring so as to kill plant Jon 4:7. e.g. Jonah 4:7
- c. very often = kill, slay, man or beast (c. 150 times): Gn 4:15; 8:21 (exterminate; both J), Ex 2:12; Nu 21:35 (E), Jos 7:5 (מִן partit.), v 5 (JE), Dt 19:6; 21:1; 27:24, 25; Jos 11:10 (ב instr.; all D), Lv 24:17, 18, 21(×2) (H), Nu 35:11, 15, 21, 24, 30; Jos 9:18; 20:3, 9 (all P), Ju 15:16; 1 S 17:9(×2), 36; 2 S 12:9 (ב instr.), 2 K 9:7 (exterminate), etc.; c. ב among 1 S 6:19; 23:5, מִן partit. Ju 14:19; 20:45; c. ב partit. slay at, work slaughter among 2 S 23:10 (ins. also in ‖ 1 Ch 11:13 v Bead loc. Dr 2 S 23:10), but also ב of dir. obj. 1 S 18:7; 21:12 = 29:5; subj. lion 1 K 20:36(×2) cf. Je 5:6 (fig. of judgment); י׳ subj. 1 S 6:19b (ב among, + acc. cogn.; 1 S 6:19a וַיַּךְ crpt. v. 𝔊 Th We Dr Kl Kit Bu HPS); slay firstborn Ex 12:12 (J), v 29 Nu 3:13; 8:17; 33:4 (all P), ψ 78:51; 105:36; 135:8; God slays for (עַל) sin 2 S 6:7 = 1 Ch 13:10 (עַל־אֲשֶׁר); slay לְפִי־חֶרֶב Dt 13:16; 20:13 Jos 11:11, 12, 14 (all D), Ju 18:27; 21:10; 1 S 22:9; 2 K 10:25 Je 21:7 Jb 1:15, 17; kill, slay, c. acc. cogn. (מַכָּה) 1 S 14:14; 1 K 20:21 (ב among), 2 Ch 13:17 (בָּחֶם), 25:13 (מֵהֶם); c. acc. pers. + acc. cogn. Jos 10:20 (JE), Est 9:5, etc.; kill unwittingly, unintentionally הִכָּה בִבְלִי דַ֫עַת Dt 19:4; Jos 20:5 (both D). e.g. Genesis 4:15
- 3. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company Gn 32:9, 12; 34:30; Jos 8:21 Ju 8:11; 9:43; 2 K 8:21; 2 Ch 21:9; attack and capture a city Ju 1:8 v 12 = Jos 15:16 (JE), Jos 7:3; 10:4 (JE), 1 S 30:1; 1 K 15:20 = 2 Ch 16:4, 2 K 15:16(×2) 1 Ch 20:1; 2 Ch 14:13; Je 47:1; tents 1 Ch 4:41; 2 Ch 14:14; = sack a city לְפִי־חֶרֶב (slaying inhab.), Jos 8:24; 19:47 (both JE), 10:28, 30, 32, 35, 37 cf. v 39 (all D), Ju 1:25; 20:37; 2 S 15:14; especially defeat kg. or army (involving often overthrow, pursuit and slaughter),—c. 95 times,—Gn 14:5, 15, 17; Nu 14:45; 21:24 (JE), Jos 8:12; 10:10 (+ acc. cogn.), v 10 (עַד loc.), 11:8(×2) (all JE), Dt 1:4; 2:33; 3:3; 4:46; 7:2; 29:6; Jos 10:33, 40 (ועד—מִן loc.), 12:1, 6, 12; 13:12 (all D); Ju 1:5, 17; 1 S 11:11 (עד temp.), 2 K 13:17 (עַד־כְּלֵּה), 2 K 3:24a + v 24b (where read וַיָּבֹאוּ בוֹא וְהַכּוֹת and they went on defeating), Is 10:20; Je 37:10, etc.; ins. וַיַּךְ or הִכָּה in 2 S 8:13 Th Ke Kit Bu cf. Dr, after 𝔊; c. ב obj. 1 S 14:31; 23:2(×2) (ה loc.—מִן); + לְפִי חֶרֶב Ju 20:48, etc.; of gods causing defeat 2 Ch 28:23; smite land = conquer, subjugate, sometimes ravage, Gn 14:7; Jos 10:40 (D), 1 S 27:9; Je 43:11; 46:13, cf. Is 14:6 (acc. cogn.); subj. י׳ Nu 32:4 (P); of י׳ smiting sea וְהִכָּה בַיָּם גַּלִּים Zc 10:11 (BevJPh. xviii. 35 (1889), 88 proposes גבלים). e.g. Genesis 32:9
- 4. Of God,
- a. smite with (ב) a plague, disease, etc.:—blindness Gn 19:11 (J), 2 K 6:18(×2) cf. Zc 12:4(×2) (symbol.); of Egyptian plagues Ex 3:20; 9:15 (both J), 1 S 4:8, without ב Ex 7:25 (J), 12:13 (P), ψ 136:10 (acc. + בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶם); other plagues Nu 14:12 (JE), Dt 28:22, 27, 28, 35; 1 S 5:6; 2 S 24:17; Jb 2:7; Am 4:9; Hg 2:17; Mal 3:24; 1 S 5:6, 9; 2 K 19:35 = Is 37:36 (+ ב in); Nu 11:33 (JE; בָּעָם + acc. cogn.); smite vines with (ב) blight ψ 105:33. e.g. Genesis 19:11
- b. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon, usually c. acc., 1 K 14:15; 1 Ch 21:7; Is 5:25; 9:12; 27:7 (הַכְּמַכַּת מַכֵּהוּ הִכָּהוּ), 30:31 (ב instr.) 57:17; 60:10 (opp. רִחַם) Je 2:30; 5:3; 14:9; Ez 32:15 (𝔊 Co זֵרָה scatter); c. עַל punish for, (sin) Lv 26:24 (H). e.g. 1 Kings 14:15
- c. of God’s destroying palaces Am 3:15; 6:11 (2 acc.), cf. Zc 9:4. e.g. Amos 3:15
Hophal
- Pf. הֻכָּה Ho 9:16; Nu 25:14. הוּכָּה ψ 102:5; וְהֻכָּת consec. Ex 22:1; 3 fs. הֻכְּתָה Ez 33:21; 40:1; 1 s. הֻכֵּ֫יתִי Zc 13:6; 3 pl. הֻכּוּ 1 S 5:12; Impf. 3 mpl. וַיּכֻּוּ Ex 5:14; 2 mpl. תֻּכּוּ Is 1:5; Pt. מֻכֶּה Nu 25:14, cstr. מֻכֵּה Is 53:4; f. מֻכָּה Nu 25:15, 18; pl. מֻפִּים Ex 5:16, cstr. מֻכֵּי־ Je 18:21;—be smitten: e.g. Hosea 9:16
- 1. = receive a blow Is 1:5 (Judah under fig. of man). e.g. Isaiah 1:5
- 2. be wounded Zc 13:6. e.g. Zechariah 13:6
- 3. be beaten Ex 5:14, 16 (J). e.g. Exodus 5:14
- 4. be (fatally) smitten + vb. of dying Ex 22:1 (E); be killed, slain Nu 25:14(×2), 15, 18 (c. עַל, for), מֻכֵּי־חֶרֶב Je 18:21 (‖ הֲרֻגֵי מָ֑וֶת); so also (abs.) prob. 1 S 4:2 (read וַיֻּכּוּ 𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 Th Dr Klo Kit, for MT וַיַּכּוּ). e.g. Exodus 22:1
- 5. be attacked and captured, of city Ez 33:21; 40:1. e.g. Ezekiel 33:21
- 6. be smitten with disease (by God) 1 S 5:12; abs., of י׳’s servant Is 53:4. e.g. 1 Samuel 5:12
- 7. be blighted, of plant (in fig.) Ho 9:16 (Ephr.), ψ 102:5 (heart, כָּעֵשֶׂב; both + יָבַשׁ). e.g. Hosea 9:16
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. smite (not in Qal) (NH Hiph. id.; Pf. 3 pl. הכו SI 4, Inf. להך[ת] ib. 2; Syriac ܢܟܳܐ, laesit, nocuit, repugnavit; Aph. laesit, vulneravit; Ethiopic ነከየ laesit, nocuit; cf. Arabic نَكَى be defeated, نِكَايَةٌ the inflicting of injury on an enemy Lane3038);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
נָכָה
- , v. נכי
נֵכֶה
- crippled, נְכֵה רגלים paralyzed, lame. Yalk. Deut. 933. משל לנ׳ ר׳ וכ׳ like a lame person that disturbed the peace of &c., opp. שָׁלֵם.—Pl. נֵכִים. Pesik. R. s. 13, v. צָלַע.
נְכֹה
- (b. h.) pr. n. m. Pharaoh Necho (II), King of Egypt. Sot. 9ᵃ; a. e.
נכי
- (b. h.) to be lessened.—[Lev. R. s. 33 אלא נכה, some ed., v. אָנָךְ.]
- to deduct. Ḥull. X, 3 ואינו מְנַכֶּה לו וכ׳ and the seller is not bound to allow him a reduction for the priest’s share. B. Bath. VII, 2, sq. יְנַכֶּה he must make an allowance for what there is less than specified in the contract. Num. R. s. 20 (ref. to נכה, ib. XXII, 6) כמי שמְנַכֶּה אחד מכ"ד לסאה as one (purchasing grain) is prepared for a deficiency of one twenty-fourth for each S’ah (allowance for chaff, v. טִינֹּופֶת); Tanḥ. Balak 4 (not למאה); ed. Bub. 6; a. fr.—[Cant. R. to III, 4 שנכה מסנחריב some ed., read שנָכַת, v. נְכִיתָה.]
- 1. to injure, knock, strike. B. Kam. VIII, 1 הִכָּהוּ חייב וכ׳ if he hit him (created a sore), he must pay for curing him. Ib. 3 המַכֶּה את וכ׳ if a person strikes his father &c. Snh. IX, 2 נתכוין להַכֹּותוֹ וכ׳ if he intended to hit him on his loins. Y. Peah I, 16ᵃ bot. (ref. to Ps. CXX, 3, sq.) כל כלי זיין מַכִּין וכ׳ all weapons strike in their place, but this (calumny) strikes at a distance; a. v. fr.—Part. pass. מוּכֶּה; f. מוּכָּה; pl. מוּכִּים, מוּכִּין; מוּכֹּות. Keth. VII, 10, a. fr. מוּכֵּה שהין afflicted with leprosy. Ib. I, 3, a. fr. מוּכַּת עץ one who lost her hymen through an accidentallesion. Par. VIII, 9; Mikv. I, 8, v. מַיִם. e.g. Psalms 120:3
- 2. (trnsf.) to strike, produce sound, play. Yoma I, 7 מַכִּין לפניו באצבע וכ׳ snap their middle-fingers. Arakh. II, 3, v. חָלִיל; a. fr.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 289 distinct written forms H5221 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 229 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H5221, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 431 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 461 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 4:15
- Exodus 2:11
- Leviticus 24:17
- Numbers 3:13
- Deuteronomy 1:4
- Joshua 7:3
- Judges 1:4
- 1 Samuel 2:14
- 2 Samuel 1:1
- 1 Kings 11:15
- 2 Kings 2:8
- 1 Chronicles 4:41
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
