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).
60 distinct verses where H5307 appears in the Hiphil stem, across 21 books. 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.
Genesis 1 verse
Exodus 1 verse
Numbers 2 verses
- Numbers 5:22 וְ/לַ/נְפִּ֣ל conj + prep + Hiphil inf.cs and this water that brings a curse will go into your bowels, and make your body swell, and your thigh fall away.' The woman shall say, 'Amen, Amen.'
- Numbers 35:23 וַ/יַּפֵּ֥ל conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and cast it on him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm;
Deuteronomy 1 verse
Joshua 2 verses
- Joshua 13:6 הַפִּלֶ֤/הָ Hiphil impv 2ms + sfx pers 3fs all the inhabitants of the hill-country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, even all the Sidonians; them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only allot you it to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.
- Joshua 23:4 הִפַּ֨לְתִּי Hiphil pf 1cs Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea toward the going down of the sun.
Judges 1 verse
1 Samuel 3 verses
- 1 Samuel 3:19 הִפִּ֥יל Hiphil pf 3ms Samuel grew, and Yahweh was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
- 1 Samuel 14:42 הַפִּ֕ילוּ Hiphil impv 2mp Saul said, Cast [lots] between me and Jonathan my son. Jonathan was taken.
- 1 Samuel 18:25 לְ/הַפִּ֥יל prep + Hiphil inf.cs Saul said, Thus shall you tell David, The king desires no dowry except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
2 Samuel 1 verse
2 Kings 4 verses
- 2 Kings 3:19 תַּפִּ֔ילוּ Hiphil impf 2mp You shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
- 2 Kings 3:25 יַפִּ֔ילוּ Hiphil impf 3mp They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the springs of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth [only] they left the stones of it; however the men armed with slings went about it, and struck it.
- 2 Kings 6:5 מַפִּ֣יל נָפַ֣ל Hiphil ptcp.act ms Qal pf 3ms But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! for it was borrowed.
- 2 Kings 19:7 וְ/הִפַּלְתִּ֥י/ו conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs + sfx pers 3ms Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear news, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
1 Chronicles 4 verses
- 1 Chronicles 24:31 וַ/יַּפִּילוּ֩ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp These likewise cast lots even as their brothers the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers' [houses] of the chief even as those of his younger brother.
- 1 Chronicles 25:8 וַ/יַּפִּ֜ילוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp They cast lots for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
- 1 Chronicles 26:13 וַ/יַּפִּ֨ילוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp They cast lots, the small as well as the great, according to their fathers' houses, for every gate.
- 1 Chronicles 26:14 וַ/יִּפֹּ֧ל הִפִּ֨ילוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hiphil pf 3cp The lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counselor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
2 Chronicles 1 verse
Nehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 10:34 הִפַּ֜לְנוּ Hiphil pf 1cp We cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood-offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of Yahweh our God, as it is written in the law;
- Nehemiah 11:1 הִפִּ֨ילוּ Hiphil pf 3cp The princes of the people lived in Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the [other] cities.
Esther 3 verses
- Esther 3:7 הִפִּ֣יל Hiphil pf 3ms In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, [to] the twelfth [month], which is the month Adar.
- Esther 6:10 תַּפֵּ֣ל Hiphil juss 2ms Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the clothing and the horse, as you have said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that you have spoken.
- Esther 9:24 וְ/הִפִּ֥יל conj + Hiphil pf 3ms because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
Job 2 verses
Psalms 8 verses
- Psalms 22:18 יַפִּ֥ילוּ Hiphil impf 3mp They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
- Psalms 37:14 לְ֭/הַפִּיל prep + Hiphil inf.cs The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To kill those who are upright in the way.
- Psalms 73:18 הִ֝פַּלְתָּ֗/ם Hiphil pf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp Surely you set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction.
- Psalms 78:28 וַ֭/יַּפֵּל conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Around their habitations.
- Psalms 78:55 וַֽ֭/יַּפִּילֵ/ם conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp He also drove out the nations before them, Allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
- Psalms 106:26 לְ/הַפִּ֥יל prep + Hiphil inf.cs Therefore he swore to them That he would overthrow them in the wilderness,
- Psalms 106:27 וּ/לְ/הַפִּ֣יל conj + prep + Hiphil inf.cs That he would overthrow their seed among the nations, And scatter them in the lands.
- Psalms 140:10 יַפִּלֵ֑/ם Hiphil impf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp Let burning coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, Into miry pits, from where they never rise.
Proverbs 3 verses
- Proverbs 1:14 תַּפִּ֣יל Hiphil impf 2ms You shall cast your lot among us. We'll all have one purse."
- Proverbs 7:26 הִפִּ֑ילָה Hiphil pf 3fs For she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty host.
- Proverbs 19:15 תַּפִּ֣יל Hiphil impf 3fs Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep. The idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Isaiah 3 verses
- Isaiah 26:19 תַּפִּֽיל Hiphil impf 3fs Your dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is [as] the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.
- Isaiah 34:17 הִפִּ֤יל Hiphil pf 3ms He has cast the lot for them, and his hand has divided it to them by line: they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
- Isaiah 37:7 וְ/הִפַּלְתִּ֥י/ו conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs + sfx pers 3ms Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear news, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
Jeremiah 6 verses
- Jeremiah 3:12 אַפִּ֥יל Hiphil impf 1cs Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, you backsliding Israel, says Yahweh; I will not look in anger on you; for I am merciful, says Yahweh, I will not keep [anger] forever.
- Jeremiah 15:8 הִפַּ֤לְתִּי Hiphil pf 1cs Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas; I have brought on them against the mother of the young men a destroyer at noonday: I have caused anguish and terrors to fall on her suddenly.
- Jeremiah 19:7 וְ/הִפַּלְתִּ֤י/ם conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs + sfx pers 3mp I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life: and their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the sky, and for the animals of the earth.
- Jeremiah 22:7 וְ/הִפִּ֖ילוּ conj + Hiphil wpf 3cp I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.
- Jeremiah 38:26 מַפִּיל Hiphil ptcp.act ms then you shall tell them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.
- Jeremiah 42:9 לְ/הַפִּ֥יל prep + Hiphil inf.cs and said to them, Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him:
Ezekiel 7 verses
- Ezekiel 6:4 וְ/הִפַּלְתִּי֙ conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs Your altars shall become desolate, and your sun-images shall be broken; and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
- Ezekiel 30:22 וְ/הִפַּלְתִּ֥י conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong [arm], and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.
- Ezekiel 32:12 אַפִּ֣יל Hiphil impf 1cs By the swords of the mighty will I cause your multitude to fall; the terrible of the nations are they all: and they shall bring to nothing the pride of Egypt, and all the multitude of it shall be destroyed.
- Ezekiel 39:3 אַפִּֽיל Hiphil impf 1cs and I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.
- Ezekiel 45:1 וּ/בְ/הַפִּֽילְ/כֶ֨ם conj + prep + Hiphil inf.cs + sfx pers 2mp Moreover, when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to Yahweh, a holy portion of the land; the length shall be the length of twenty-five thousand [reeds], and the breadth shall be ten thousand: it shall be holy in all the border of it round about.
- Ezekiel 47:22 תַּפִּ֣לוּ יִפְּל֣וּ Hiphil impf 2mp Qal impf 3mp It shall happen, that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the strangers who sojourn among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as the home-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
- Ezekiel 48:29 תַּפִּ֥ילוּ Hiphil impf 2mp This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord Yahweh.
Daniel 4 verses
- Daniel 8:10 וַ/תַּפֵּ֥ל conj + Hiphil wimpf 3fs It grew great, even to the host of the sky; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled on them.
- Daniel 9:18 מַפִּילִ֤ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies' sake.
- Daniel 9:20 וּ/מַפִּ֣יל conj + Hiphil ptcp.act ms While I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Yahweh my God for the holy mountain of my God;
- Daniel 11:12 וְ/הִפִּ֛יל conj + Hiphil pf 3ms The multitude shall be lifted up, and his heart shall be exalted; and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.
Jonah 1 verse
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.
