נׇכְרִי
foreign
‘foreign’ is one of 5 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H5237 appears in the Book of 2 Chronicles — 2 distinct verses. 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 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles 6:32 הַ/נָּכְרִ֗י ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Moreover concerning the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, when he shall come from a far country for your great name's sake, and your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm; when they shall come and pray toward this house:
- 2 Chronicles 6:33 הַ/נָּכְרִ֑י ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms then hear from heaven, even from your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, and fear you, as does your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.
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.
The Hebrew adjective נכרי centers on the idea of “foreign.” Older and newer Bibles part ways — “strange” in the King James Version, “foreign” (Berean Standard Bible) in modern versions. See the renderings breakdown. It appears 45 verses across 19 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its moderately common vocabulary. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 31:15. Its meaning spans more than one sense — see its full sense range. Dig into 45-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H5237 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 →
- 45
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 45 distinct verses.
- 19 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 19 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #796
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 796 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 45 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Proverbs 9 verses 20%
- Ezra 7 verses 16%
- Deuteronomy 5 verses 11%
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 45 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 25 verses · 56%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 11 verses · 24%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 9 verses · 20%
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: Strange 15×, Stranger 8×, Strange woman 4×
- American Standard Version: Foreign 14×, Foreigner 8×, Foreigners 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: Foreign 14×, Foreigner 12×, Foreigners 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Foreign 17×, Foreigner 14×, Foreign woman 7×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H5237 across 44 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 11 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 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H5237 across 44 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 13 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 H5237 across 42 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 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 H5237 across 45 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
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 4 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.
- 1.
- a. foreign: עַם נָכְרִי Ex 21:8 (E) a foreign (non-Isr.) people, אִישׁ נ׳ Dt 17:15 (‖ לֹא אָחִיךָ); מַלְבּוּשׁ נ׳ Zp 1:8; אֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה Ex 2:22 (J) foreign land, so 18:3 (E); especially נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת foreign (non-Isr.) women 1 K 11:1, 8; Ezr 10:2, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 44; Ne 13:26, 27. e.g. Exodus 21:8
- b. as subst. נָכְרִי foreigner (non-Isr.) Ju 19:12 (+ אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל), 1 K 8:41 (+ אֲשֶׁר לֹא מֵעַמְּךָ), = 2 Ch 6:32 (+ id.), 1 K 8:43 = 2 Ch 6:33, Dt 14:21 (‖ גֵּר), 15:3; 23:21 (opp. אָחִיךָ), 29:21 (+ אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא מֵאֶרֶץ רְהוֹקָה); as predicate, 2 S 15:19 (‖ גֹּלָה), נָכְרִיָּה Ru 2:10; pl. נָכְרִים foreigners La 5:2 (‖ זָרִים), Ob 11 (‖ id.); cf. יַלְדֵי נָכְרִים Is 2:6; fpl. alien women Gn 31:15 (E; i.e. not of one’s father’s family). e.g. Judges 19:12
- 2. נָכְרִיָּה foreign woman, as term. techn., in Pr, for harlot (perhaps because harlots were orig. chiefly foreigners): Pr 2:16 (‖ אִשָּׁה זָרָה), 7:5 (‖ id.), 5:20 (‖ זָרָה), 6:24 (‖ אֵשֶׁת רָ֑ע), 23:27 (‖ זוֹנָה).—On 20:16; 27:13 v. infr. e.g. Proverbs 2:16
- 3. fig. unknown, unfamiliar: נָכְרִי הָיִיתִי בְּעֵינֵיהֶם Jb 19:15 an alien am I become in their eyes; נ׳ לִבְנֵי אִמִּי ψ 69:9 (‖ מוּזָר הָיִיתִי לְאֶחָ֑י); אִישׁ נ׳ Ec 6:2; of י׳’s judgment, נָכְרִיָּה עֲבֹדָתוֹ Is 28:21 strange is his task! (‖ זָר מַעֲשֵׂהוּ); גֶּפֶן נָכְרִיָּה Je 2:21 an alien vine (opp. זֶרַע אֱמֶת), fig. of degenerate Israel; as subst., נָכְרִים Pr 20:16 Kt (> Qr נָכְרִיָּה), aliens, persons unknown to him (‖ זָר), so read also (for MT נָכְרִיָּה) ‖ 27:13; cf. 5:10; 27:2. e.g. Job 19:15
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
adj. foreign, alien (NH נָכְרִי = Gentile);—נ׳ abs. m. Zp 1:8 +; f. נָכְרִיָּה Ex 2:22 +; mpl. נָכְרִים Is 2:6 + 2 times + Pr 20:16 Kt (> Qr נָכְרִיָּה), + 27:13 (so read for MT נָכְרִיָּה); fpl. נָכְרִיּוֹת Gn 31:15 +;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from נכר (neker) (H5235) — calamity.
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.
נָכְרִי
- preced. wds.) stranger, gentile. [In editions published under the censor’s supervision, our w. is frequently changed into עכו"ם, גּוֹי, כּוּשִׁי, כּוּתִי &c.] Ab. Zar. IV, 4 (51ᵇ; 52ᵇ; Mish. ed. עכו"ם). Sabb. 31ᵃ; a. v. fr.—Pl. נָכְרִים. Ḥull. 13ᵇ נ׳ שבחוצה לארץ לאו עובדי ע"ז וכ׳ gentiles outside of Palestine are not to be considered as idolaters, they only continue their fathers’ customs. Gitt. 61ᵃ מפרנסין עניי נ׳ וכ׳ we must support the poor of the gentiles &c.; (Tosef. ib. V (III), 4 גוים). Gitt. V, 9 (61ᵃ) מספידין מתי נ׳ וכ׳ (Mish. ed. עכו"ם) we must lament for the dead of the gentiles &c.; a. v. fr.—Fem. נָכְרִית. Yeb. 17ᵃ. Ib. III, 7 שלשה אחים … ואחד נשוי נ׳ in the case of three brothers, two of whom married two sisters, and one a stranger; 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 30 distinct written forms H5237 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| נָכְרִיָּֽה | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute | Exodus 2:22 | 7 |
| נָכְרִיּ֑וֹת | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | Ezra 10:10 | 4 |
| הַ/נָּכְרִ֑י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 1 Kings 8:43 | 2 |
| הַ/נָּכְרִיּֽוֹת | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | Ezra 10:11 | 2 |
| מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute | Proverbs 2:16 | 2 |
| נָ֝כְרִ֗י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Job 19:15 | 2 |
| נָכְרִ֔י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Deuteronomy 17:15 | 2 |
| נָכְרִיּ֛וֹת | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | Genesis 31:15 | 2 |
| נָכְרִיָּ֣ה | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute | Proverbs 20:16 | 2 |
| הַ/נָּכְרִ֔י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 1 Kings 8:41 | 1 |
| הַ/נָּכְרִ֖י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Deuteronomy 15:3 | 1 |
| הַ/נָּכְרִ֗י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 2 Chronicles 6:32 | 1 |
| הַ/נָּכְרִיּ֑וֹת | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | 1 Kings 11:8 | 1 |
| וְ/הַ֨/נָּכְרִ֔י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Deuteronomy 29:22 | 1 |
| וְ/נָכְרִ֞ים | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Obadiah 1:11 | 1 |
| וְ֝/נָכְרִ֗י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Psalms 69:8 | 1 |
| לְ/נָכְרִ֔י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Deuteronomy 14:21 | 1 |
| לְ/נָכְרִֽים | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Lamentations 5:2 | 1 |
| לַ/נָּכְרִ֣י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Deuteronomy 23:20 | 1 |
| נָכְרִ֖י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Ecclesiastes 6:2 | 1 |
| נָכְרִ֖ים | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Isaiah 2:6 | 1 |
| נָכְרִ֛י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Exodus 21:8 | 1 |
| נָכְרִ֣י | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 2 Samuel 15:19 | 1 |
| נָכְרִֽי | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Zephaniah 1:8 | 1 |
| נָכְרִיּ֖וֹת | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | Ezra 10:2 | 1 |
| נָכְרִיָּ֖ה | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute | Isaiah 28:21 | 1 |
| נָכְרִיּֽוֹת | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | Nehemiah 13:27 | 1 |
| נָכְרִיּוֹת֙ | Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute | Ezra 10:14 | 1 |
| נָכְרִֽי | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Proverbs 5:10 | 1 |
| נכרים | Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Proverbs 20:16 | 1 |
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 42 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 45 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 31:15
- Exodus 2:22
- Deuteronomy 14:21
- Judges 19:12
- Ruth 2:10
- 2 Samuel 15:19
- 1 Kings 8:41
- 2 Chronicles 6:32
- Ezra 10:2
- Job 19:15
- Proverbs 2:16
- Ecclesiastes 6:2
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.
