נָפַל
to fall
also: lie, be cast down, fail fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘fall’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘cause to fall’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself). Here: ‘throw’
- Pilpel
- A reduplicated intensive stem of two-letter or hollow roots.
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- 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).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- 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”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
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).
21 verses where H5307 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of Psalms. 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.
Psalms
- Psalms 5:10 יִפְּלוּ֮ Qal impf 3mp Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, For they have rebelled against you.
- Psalms 7:15 וַ֝/יִּפֹּ֗ל conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He has dug a hole, And has fallen into the pit which he made.
- Psalms 10:10 וְ/נָפַ֥ל conj + Qal wpf 3ms The helpless are crushed, they collapse, They fall under his strength.
- Psalms 16:6 נָֽפְלוּ Qal pf 3cp The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
- Psalms 18:38 יִ֝פְּל֗וּ Qal impf 3mp I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
- Psalms 20:8 וְ/נָפָ֑לוּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp They are bowed down and fallen, But we rise up, and stand upright.
- Psalms 27:2 וְ/נָפָֽלוּ conj + Qal pf 3cp When evil-doers came at me to eat up my flesh, Even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
- Psalms 35:8 יִפָּל Qal impf 3ms Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction.
- Psalms 36:12 נָ֭פְלוּ Qal pf 3cp There the workers of iniquity are fallen. They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.
- Psalms 37:24 יִפֹּ֥ל Qal impf 3ms Though he stumble, he shall not fall, For Yahweh holds him up with his hand.
- Psalms 45:5 יִפְּל֑וּ Qal impf 3mp Your arrows are sharp. The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king's enemies.
- Psalms 55:4 נָפְל֥וּ Qal pf 3cp My heart is severely pained within me. The terrors of death have fallen on me.
- Psalms 57:6 נָפְל֖וּ Qal pf 3cp They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the midst of it themselves. Selah.
- Psalms 69:9 נָפְל֥וּ Qal pf 3cp For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
- Psalms 78:64 נָפָ֑לוּ Qal pf 3cp Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows couldn't weep.
- Psalms 82:7 תִּפֹּֽלוּ Qal impf 2mp Nevertheless you shall die like men, And fall like one of the rulers."
- Psalms 91:7 יִפֹּ֤ל Qal impf 3ms A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it will not come near you.
- Psalms 105:38 נָפַ֖ל Qal pf 3ms Egypt was glad when they departed, For the fear of them had fallen on them.
- Psalms 118:13 לִ/נְפֹּ֑ל prep + Qal inf.cs You pushed me back hard, to make me fall, But Yahweh helped me.
- Psalms 141:10 יִפְּל֣וּ Qal impf 3mp Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, While I pass by.
- Psalms 145:14 הַ/נֹּפְלִ֑ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp Yahweh upholds all who fall, And raises up all those who are bowed down.
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 verb נפל centers on the idea of “to fall.” Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 2:21. It appears 403 verses across 33 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its common vocabulary. Across 3 stems, its meaning turns on the binyan (Qal, Hiphil). It clusters with מפל, מפלה and מפלת under a shared root. Dig into 403-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H5307 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 →
- 403
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 403 distinct verses.
- 33 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 33 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #112
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 112 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 403 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 403 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 236 verses · 59%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 112 verses · 28%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 55 verses · 14%
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: Fell 65×, Shall fall 47×, Fall 46×
- American Standard Version: Fell 51×, Shall fall 40×, Fall 32×
- Berean Standard Bible: Fell 52×, Will fall 41×, Fall 29×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Fell 57×, Fall 52×, Will fall 45×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H5307 across 435 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 116 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 H5307 across 432 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 147 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 H5307 across 431 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 150 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 H5307 across 502 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 88 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
32 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 Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
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 32 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.
Qal
- Pf. נ׳ Ju 5:27 +, 3 fs. נָֽפְלָה Gn 15:12 +, etc.; Impf. יִפֹּל 1 S 14:45 +, וַיִּפֹּל Ju 4:16 +; 1 s. אֶפֹּל 1 Ch 21:13 (needless change from 1 pl. נִפְּלָה ‖ 2 S 24:14 We Dr); 3 mpl. יִפְּלוּ Ho 7:16 +, יִפֹּ֑לוּ Is 3:25 +, 3 fpl. תִּפֹּ֫לְנָה Ez 13:11; 30:25, etc.; Imv. mpl. נִפְלוּ Ho 10:8; Je 25:27; Inf. abs. נָפוֹל Est 6:13; cstr. נְפֹל Is 30:25 +; לִנְפֹּל Je 51:49 +; sf. נָפְלוֹ 1 S 29:3, נִפְלוֹ 2 S 1:10, נִפְלָם Je 49:21 (on these forms cf. Ba NB 104); Pt. נֹפֵל Ju 4:22 +; f. נֹפֶ֫לֶת Gn 15:12 +; pl. נֹפְלִים Jos 8:25 + (ins. also 1 S 28:19 b 𝔊 Th We Dr Kit Bu HPS; Klo כֹּרְעִים), etc.;— e.g. Judges 5:27
- 1. fall, by accident, וְנ׳־שָׁ֫מָּה Ex 21:33 (E) and there fall into it (a pit) an ox or an ass, cf. Dt 22:4 (בַּדֶּרֶךְ, on the way), bird עַל־פַּח Am 3:5; subj. pers., 1 S 4:18 (from seat, מֵעַל), Dt 22:8(×2) (from roof, מִן); often into (ב) pit (usually fig.) Pr 26:27; 28:10, also (abs.), 22:14, Ec 10:8 ψ 7:16; 57:7 (בְּתוֹךְ), cf. 35:8; 141:10 (net), also, c. אֶל, Is 24:18 = Je 48:44; fall בְּלֵב יַמִּים Ez 27:27 (of Tyrian people); abs. 2 S 4:4 Gn 14:10; Je 25:27; opp. קוּם Je 8:4 cf. Ec 4:10(×2); c. אָחוֹר fall backward Gn 49:17 (poem); c. בְּעַד through 2 K 1:2 cf. (of locusts) Jo 2:8; †נ׳ עַל־חֶרֶב causing death 1 S 31:4, 5 = 1 Ch 10:4, 5; †נ׳ עַל־פָּנָיו אַ֫רְצָה 1 S 17:49 (Goliath); subj. rei, 2 K 2:13, 14 (מֵעַל), 6:5 (אֶל־ into water); v 6 (abs.); c. עַל Lv 11:32, 35, 37, 38, אֶל־ v 33; abs. of tent Ju 7:13 + v 13 (gloss, GFM, Bu); of wall Jos 6:5 (JE), Je 51:44, fig. Ez 13:11 (del. 𝔊 𝔖 Sm Co Berthol), v 12, 14, לְאֶרֶץ Ez 38:20; + תַּחְתֶּיהָ i.e. flat Jos 6:20; נ׳ of bricks Is 9:9 (in fig.), פֶּרֶץ 30:13, towers v 25, foundations Je 50:15; wall fell upon (על) 1 K 20:30, so of house Ju 16:30; Jb 1:19, mts. Ho 10:8; mt. also abs. Jb 14:18 (cf. נָבֵל), height Ez 38:20; tree Ec 11:3(×2) (ב loc.), cf. Is 10:34 (בְ instr., in fig.), Zc 11:2 (abs.); branches Ez 31:12 (fig.); a grain Am 9:9 (אֶרֶץ = to earth); of dew 2 S 17:12 (c. על), hailstones Ez 13:11; blood (אַ֫רְצָה) 1 S 26:20; †hair of head (ארצה) 1 S 14:45 2 S 14:11; 1 K 1:52; horns of altar Am 3:14 (לָאָרֶץ); peg Is 22:25; fruit עַל־פֶּה Na 3:12; crown La 5:16; arm from (מִן) shoulder Jb 31:22; of sword (appar.) 2 S 20:8 (but on text v. Comm.); †fire from heaven, abs. 1 K 18:38 c. מִן Jb 1:16†; †hand of י׳ Ez 8:1 (c. עַל־; but read וַתְּהִי 𝔊 Co Berthol); spirit of י׳ Ez 11:5 (עַל־); of lot (גּוֹרָל) Ez 24:6; Jon 1:7 (both c. עַל), 1 Ch 26:14 (c. לְ; ‖ יָצָא), + Est 3:7 𝔊 Ry Wild (עַל); cf. Hiph. 3; hence (of share, inheritance) fall, be allotted, to (לְ) Ju 18:1 (ב = as: בְּ I 7 c; so Nu 34:2; Ez 47:14), ψ 16:6, abs. Jos 17:5.—On Ez 47:22 b v. Hiph. 3. e.g. Exodus 21:33
- 2.
- a. Especially of violent death (c. 96 times), Ju 5:27(×3) (+ שָׁדוּד), 1 S 4:10; 14:13 2 S 11:17; 21:9, 1 K 22:20 = 2 Ch 18:9, etc.; + וַיָּמָת, etc., 2 S 1:4; 2:23(×2); נ׳ חָלָל fall pierced (fatally) Ju 9:40 1 S 17:52; 31:1 = 1 Ch 10:1 +; חַלְלֵי חֶרֶב Ez 35:8; cf. בְּתוֹךְ חֲלָלִים 32:20; נ׳ תַּחַת הֲרוּגִים Is 10:4; נ׳ פְּגָרִים corpses fall Je 9:21; Nu 14:29 (P), v 32 (JE); by the sword, בַּחֶרֶב Am 7:17; Ho 7:16; 14:1; Is 3:25 2 S 1:12; Ez 5:12; 6:11; Nu 14:3, 43 (JE), (+ בָּרָעָב, בַּדֶּבֶר), etc.; נ׳ לְפִי חֶרֶב †Jos 8:24 (JE), Ju 4:16†; בְּיַד by the hand of †2 S 21:22; 24:14(×2) = 1 Ch 21:13(×2), 1 Ch 5:10; 20:8†; נ׳ תַּחַת רגלי fall under my feet 2 S 22:39 = ψ 18:39. e.g. Judges 5:27
- b. fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc. (c. 30 times); Am 5:2; 8:14 +; often ‖ כָּשַׁל Is 3:8; 8:15 (+ other words), 31:3; Je 8:12; 46:12; 50:32 ψ 5:11; 27:2; Pr 24:17; ‖ כָּרַע ψ 20:9; fig. of earth Is 24:20 (opp. קוּם); Haman falls before (לִפְנֵי) Mordecai Est 6:13(×2); cf. Is 14:12 (abs.); peculiar to Pr are נ׳ בְּרִשְׁעָה Pr 11:5, בְּרַע 13:17, בְּרָעָה 17:20; 28:14. e.g. Amos 5:2
- c. fig. = experience calamity Mi 7:8 (opp. קוּם), ψ 37:34; 145:14; Pr 24:16. e.g. Micah 7:8
- d. fall, of a city Je 51:8 (‖ וַתִּשָּׁבֵר). e.g. Jeremiah 51:8
- 3.
- a. Fall prostrate, Ju 19:26; 27, + אַ֫רְצָה Jb 1:20; fall at full length (in a faint) וַיִּפֹּל מְלֹא־קוֹמָתוֹ 1 S 28:20; sink down Nu 24:4, 16 (JE; supernat. influence); of arms of Pharaoh Ez 30:25 (opp. חָזַק). e.g. Judges 19:26
- b. fall = prostrate oneself before (לִפְנֵי) man Gn 50:18 (E), 2 S 19:19; Gn 44:14 (J; + אַ֫רְצָה); before י׳ 2 Ch 20:18; נ׳ אֶל־פָּנָיו אַ֫רְצָה before י׳ or his representative Jos 5:14; 7:6 (both JE); also (ארצה om.) Ez 43:3; 44:4; before man 2 S 14:22; more often נ׳ עַל־פָּנָיו, before man 2 S 9:6; 1 K 18:7, 39; Ru 2:10, before י׳ Gn 17:3, 17 + 6 times P, Ez 3:23; 9:8; 11:13; 1 Ch 21:16; Dn 8:17; + אַ֫רְצָה, before man 2 S 14:4, before י׳ Ju 13:20; לְאַפָּיו אַ֫רְצָה 1 S 20:41, לְאַפֵּי דָוִד עַל־פָּנֶיהָ 1 S 25:23, נ׳ ארצה 2 S 1:2 (all before man); נ׳ עַל־רַגְלָיו fall at one’s feet 1 S 25:24; 2 K 4:37, לִפְנֵי ר׳ Est 8:3. Vid. syn. sub קדד. e.g. Genesis 50:18
- c. fall upon (עַל) one’s neck, in embrace Gn 33:4; 46:29 (both J), 45:14 (E), עַל־פְּנֵי אָבִיו 50:1 (J). e.g. Genesis 33:4
- 4.
- a. Fall upon (עַל) = attack Je 48:32 (fig.), cf. Is 16:9; c. בְּ Jos 11:7 (D), abs. Jb 1:15; נ׳ אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ Je 46:16. e.g. Jeremiah 48:32
- b. †desert or fall away to, go over to, c. עַל־ 2 K 25:11(×2) = Je 52:15(×2), Je 21:9; 37:14; 39:9; 1 Ch 12:20, 21(×2) (van d. H. v 19, 20(×2)), 2 Ch 15:9, c. אֶל־ 2 K 7:4; Je 37:13; 38:19, abs. 1 S 29:3; Je 39:9. e.g. 2 Kings 25:11
- c. נ׳ בְּיַד fall into the hand (power) of Ju 15:18 La 1:7:—cf. also 2. a. supr. e.g. Judges 15:18
- 5. †Fig., of deep sleep, c. עַל Gn 15:12 (J), 1 S 26:12; Jb 4:13; 33:15; face, countenance (in displeasure) Gn 4:5, 6 (J); נ׳ לֵב אָדָם עָלָיו 1 S 17:32 (of sinking heart); וַיִּפְּלוּ בְעֵינֵיהֶם Ne 6:16 and they were cast down in their (own) eyes (cf. Be-Ry, Ryle); †of calamity sq. עַל־ Is 47:11; Ec 9:12; terror, etc., sq. עַל־ Gn 15:12 (J), Jos 2:9 (JE), Ex 15:16 (song), 1 S 11:7; Jb 13:11 ψ 55:5; 105:38; Est 8:17; 9:2, 3; Dn 10:7; reproach, sq. עַל־ ψ 69:10; † = fail to be accomplished Jos 21:45; 23:14(×2) (all D), 1 K 8:56; 2 K 10:10 (+ אַ֫רְצָה); = not to be reckoned Nu 6:12 (P); †of word (דָּבָר) falling into (ב) Isr. Is 9:7; † = fall out, turn out, result Ru 3:18 (subj. דָּבָר). e.g. Genesis 15:12
- 6. Other idiomatic uses are: נ׳ לְמִשְׁכָּב take to one’s bed Ex 21:18 (E); settle Gn 25:18 (J); = alight quickly, מֵעַל הַגָּמָל Gn 24:64 (J), מֵעַל הַמֶּרְכָּבָה 2 K 5:21; waste away Nu 5:21, 22, 27; = be born Is 26:18 (cf. Hiph. v 19); = be offered, of supplication (לִפְנֵי י׳) Je 36:7; 37:20; 42:2 (cf. Hiph. 6); c. מִן = be inferior to Jb 12:3; 13:2. e.g. Exodus 21:18
- 7. = lie, of Midianites, etc. (like locusts; ב loc.) Ju 7:12; = lie prostrate, 1 S 19:24; usually pt. Jos 7:10 (JE; עַל־פָּנֶיךָ), 1 S 5:3, 4 (לְפָנָיו), Am 9:11, עַל־הַמִּטָּה Est 7:8; of the dead 1 S 31:8 = 1 Ch 10:8; Dt 21:1; Ez 32:27 (Co conj. נְפִילִים [cf. Gn 6:4], v. also Berthol Toy Hpt); נֹפֵל אַ֫רְצָה מֵת Ju 3:25 cf. 4:22 (om. ארצה); פְּגָרִים נ׳ אַ֫רְצָה 2 Ch 20:24; cf. also Ez 32:22, 23, 24 (del. in v 22 Hi Co Berthol, in v 23 ToyHpt). e.g. Judges 7:12
Hiphil
- Pf. הִפִּיל 1 S 3:19 +; 2 ms. sf. הִפַּלְתָּם ψ 73:18; 3 pl. הִפִּילוּ Ju 2:19 +; 1 pl. הִפַּלְנוּ Ne 10:35, etc.; Impf. יַפִּיל Ex 21:27, וַיַּפֵּל Gn 2:21 +, sf. יַפִּלֵם ψ 140:11; 3 mpl. יַפִּילוּ 2 K 3:25 ψ 22:19, יַפִּיל֑וּן Jb 29:24, etc.; Imv. ms. sf. הַפִּלֶהָ Jos 13:6; mpl. הַפִּילוּ 1 S 14:42; Inf. cstr. לְהַפִּיל 1 S 18:25 +; לַנְפִּל Nu 5:22 read לִנְפֹּל (Di Ol§ 78 c Sta§ 114 a, 2 Kö i. 309 Ges§ 66, 2 R 1); Pt. מַפִּיל 2 K 6:5 + 2 times, pl. מַפִּילִים Dn 9:18;— e.g. 1 Samuel 3:19
- 1. cause to fall, c. acc., lit.:
- a. fell tree 2 K 3:19, 25 cf. 6:5. e.g. 2 Kings 3:19
- b. throw down wall 2 S 20:15. e.g. 2 Samuel 20:15
- c. knock out tooth Ex 21:27 (E). e.g. Exodus 21:27
- d. lay prostrate Dt 25:2 (for bastinado). e.g. Deuteronomy 25:2
- e. cast (cedar pillars) into (עַל־) fire Je 22:7; so (c. ב), wicked men ψ 140:11. e.g. Jeremiah 22:7
- f. make sword drop from (מִן) hand Ez 30:22 (fig.), cf. 39:3. e.g. Ezekiel 30:22
- g. cause stone to fall עַל Nu 35:23, flesh ψ 78:28 (בְּקֶרֶב), stars Dn 8:10 (in vision). e.g. Numbers 35:23
- 2. Of causing death בַּחֶרֶב 2 K 19:7 = Is 37:7, Je 19:7; Ez 32:12 (all י׳ subj.), 2 Ch 32:21 (human subj.); בְּיַד 1 S 18:25; + חֲלָלִים Ez 6:4; Pr 7:26; also ψ 106:26; Dn 11:12 = overthrow, bring to destruction, ψ 37:14; 73:18 (c. ל), 106:27. e.g. 2 Kings 19:7
- 3. Especially of casting lot (גּוֹרָל), Is 34:17 (c. לְ for), Ne 10:35 (c. עַל + inf.), 11:1 (c. inf.), 1 Ch 26:14 (c. לְ; so read Kit Hpt cf. 𝔊𝔙 Be Öt), ψ 22:19 (c. עַל), Est 9:24 (c. inf.); abs. Jon 1:7(×2) 1 Ch 24:31; 25:8; 26:13; Est 3:7; + בְּתוֹכֵנוּ Pr 1:14 (i.e. share with us); om. גּוֹרָל 1 S 14:42 (c. בֵּין), Jb 6:27 (c. עַל); hence הִפּ׳ = assign, apportion, by lot, usually c. לְ pers., Jos 13:6; 23:4 (both D), Ez 45:1; 47:22 a + v 22 b (read יַּפִּילוּ 𝔙 𝔗 Hi-Sm Co Berthol), 48:29 (read בְנַחֲלָה for מנ׳, 𝔊 𝔙 Hi-Sm, etc.), ψ 78:55 (cf. Qal 1 end; and בְּ I 7 c). e.g. Isaiah 34:17
- 4. Fig., let drop, cause to fail (cf. Qal 5), Ju 2:19; Est 6:10, + אַ֫רְצָה 1 S 3:19. e.g. Judges 2:19
- 5. Cause deep sleep to fall (עַל־) Gn 2:21 (J), Pr 19:15 (abs.), make countenance fall, look displeased at (ב), Je 3:12, cf. Jb 29:24 (obj. אוֹר פָּנַי); cause terror, etc., to fall (עַל־) Je 15:8. e.g. Genesis 2:21
- 6. Other idioms are: bring to life (proposes drop young) Is 26:19 (fig.); present supplication Je 38:26; 42:9; Dn 9:18, 20 (all c. לִפְנֵי);—on both cf. Qal 6. e.g. Isaiah 26:19
Hithpael
- throw, or prostrate oneself,
- 1. Inf. cstr. הִתְנַפֵּל throw himself upon (על) Gn 43:18 (J; i.e. attack). e.g. Genesis 43:18
- 2. Pf. 1 s. הִתְנַפָּ֑לְתִּי Dt 9:25; Impf. 1 s. וָאֶתְנַפַּל Dt 9:18, 25; Pt. מִתְנַפֵּל Ezr 10:1;—prostrate oneself and lie prostrate, לִפְנֵי י׳.—Piʿlēl. וְנִפְלַּל Ez 28:23, read וְנָפַל Hi-Sm Co Berthol. e.g. Deuteronomy 9:25
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. fall, lie (NH = BH, 𝔗 נְפַל, Syriac ܢܦܰܠ; cf. also Arabic نَفَلَ dedit praedam (NöZMG xl (1886), 725 Frä 153 f.), Min. נפל remove Hom Südar. Chrest. 128);—
— 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.
נָפַל
- (b. h.) to fall, lie down; to be dropped; to occur. Sabb. XVI, 2 נָפְלָה דליקה if a conflagration takes place. Pes. II, 3, v. מַפּוֹלֶת. Y. Sot. VII, 21ᵈ top (ref. to יקים, Deut. XXVII, 26) וכי יש תורה נוֹפֶלֶת is there a falling law (to need erection)? Ned. 65ᵇ כל הנוֹפֵל אינו נופל לידי וכ׳ he who falls (becomes poor) does not immediately fall into the hands of (become dependent on) the charities (but his friends support him for a time). B. Kam. IX, 11, a. fr. יִפְּלוּ דמיו לנדבה its equivalent must be surrendered as a donation to the Temple. B. Bath. IX, 4 האחין … שנ׳ אחד מהן לאומנות נ׳ לאמצע if one of two partner brothers (heirs) has been summoned to public service, his salary goes into the common fund. Y. Shek. V, 49ᵇ top בשביל ששמעתי שנפלה לך ירושה וכ׳ since I heard that an inheritance has fallen to thy share at a distant place, take (this as a loan) &c.; a. v. fr.—Imperat. פּוֹל. Tosef. Dem. VI, 4 ופול תחתיי וכ׳ (Var. טול, some ed. עול) and surrender thyself to public service in my place (v. supra). e.g. Deuteronomy 27:26
- to cause to fall; to throw down. Gen. R. s. 26, v. נָפִיל. B. Kam. III, 10 ה׳ את שינו struck out his tooth; Tosef. ib. IX, 23; a. fr.—Esp. to miscarry. Nidd. III, 1 המַפֶּלֶת וכ׳ if a woman loses a lump-shaped embryo; a. fr.
- to prostrate one’s self. Deut. R. s. 2, v. נִיפּוּל.
- (denom. of נִיפּוּל) to fall apart, be spoiled. Tosef. Sabb. VI (VII), 14 שלא תִינָּפֵל הפת, v. צָוַוח.
נְפַל
- Targ. II Sam. I, 4. Targ. Koh. XI, 3 למִנְפַּל; a. v. fr.—Imperat. פִּיל. Targ. Is. L, 11.—Part. נָפֵיל, part. pass. נְפִיל. Targ. Prov. XI, 5 (ed. Wil. נְפַל). Targ. Ps. CXLV, 14; a. e.—Ḥull. 51ᵃ אי נְפוּל לארעא if they were thrown down (violently). Ib.ᵇ, v. נְגִיחוּתָא. Ned. 65ᵇ כל דמעני לאו עלי נפיל not every one that becomes poor, falls on me (for support). B. Mets. 105ᵃ בזרא דנ׳ נ׳ a seed (of weeds) once fallen, has fallen (cannot be destroyed by the plough). Meg. 15ᵇ נַפְלָה ליה מילתא בדעתיה something (a suspicion) had entered his mind; a. fr.
- , as preced. Hif. Targ. Ps. LXXVIII, 28. Targ. Y. Ex. XXI, 22; a. fr.—Ḥull. 42ᵃ top אַפּוּלֵי אפיל (read אַפְּלָא) she may have miscarried. Snh. 109ᵇ ומַפְּלָא ליה and she miscarried through his fault; a. fr.
- to be upset, fall in. M. Kat. 2ᵃ דאתי לאִינְּפוּלֵי a caving in (of the ground through which the water makes a road) might occur; ib.ᵇ; a. e.
נָפִל
- , v. נָפִיל
נֵפֶל
- (preced. wds.)
- 1. capacity for seed, v. נְפִילָה.
- 2. (b. h.) abortion; premature, not viable birth. Tosef. Ohol. XVI, 13; Pes. 9ᵃ, a. e.—Y. Yeb. XI, end, 12ᵇ אינו נ׳ is not considered a non-viable birth (for legal purposes); a. v. fr.—Pl. נְפָלִים. Gen. R. s. 26 (play on הַנְּפִלִים, Gen. VI, 4) שמלאו את העולם נ׳ וכ׳ they filled the world with abortions by their lascivious life. Tosef. l. c.; a. fr. e.g. Genesis 6:4
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 257 distinct written forms H5307 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; 197 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H5307, 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
- מפל mappâl H4651 refuse
- מפלה mappâlâh H4654 ruin
- מפלת mappeleth H4658 carcass
- נפיל nᵉphîyl H5303 giants
- נפל nᵉphal H5308 to fall
- נפל nephel H5309 miscarriage
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 369 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 403 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 2:21
- Exodus 15:16
- Leviticus 9:24
- Numbers 5:21
- Deuteronomy 9:18
- Joshua 2:9
- Judges 2:19
- Ruth 2:10
- 1 Samuel 3:19
- 2 Samuel 1:2
- 1 Kings 1:52
- 2 Kings 1:2
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.
