H5103 H5103
River (Aramaic) — the Euphrates or a river in general, used in Ezra for the Trans-Euphrates region and in Daniel for a river of fire
This Aramaic noun (נְהַר) appears almost exclusively in the formulaic phrase 'beyond the River' (עֲבַר נַהֲרָה) in Ezra, designating the Persian satrapy west of the Euphrates — the administrative region that included Judah. The term functions as a political-geographic shorthand: Persian imperial correspondence repeatedly references governors and peoples 'beyond the River' (Ezra 4:10–20; 5:3, 6; 6:6, 13; 7:21, 25). Its sole non-Euphrates occurrence is Daniel 7:10, where a 'river of fire' (נְהַר דִּי נוּר) streams from before the Ancient of Days — a stunning apocalyptic image. Spanish 'Río' and French 'fleuve' capture the grandeur the term carries.
Senses
1. the River — An Aramaic noun for 'river,' used predominantly as a geographic-political designation for the Euphrates in the phrase 'beyond the River' (עֲבַר נַהֲרָה), referring to the Trans-Euphrates satrapy of the Persian Empire. This formulaic usage dominates Ezra's imperial correspondence (Ezra 4:10, 11, 16, 17, 20; 5:3, 6; 6:6, 8, 13; 7:21, 25; 8:36). In Daniel 7:10, the same noun takes on apocalyptic force as a 'river of fire' (נְהַר דִּי נוּר) flowing from the divine throne. German 'Strom' and Spanish 'Río' reflect the word's sense of a major, defining waterway. 15×
AR["النَّهْر", "النَّهْرِ", "نَهْرٌ"]·ben["ওপারের", "নদী", "নদীর"]·DE["Strom"]·EN["river-of", "the-River"]·FR["fleuve", "rivière"]·heb["נהר", "נהרא", "נהרה"]·HI["नदी", "नदी-के"]·ID["Sungai"]·IT["[נהר]", "fiume"]·jav["Lèpen", "boten", "kang-lepen", "lan-Setar-Boznai", "lan-pajeg", "lan-sapunika"]·KO["강이", "그-강"]·PT["Um-rio", "o-Rio", "rio"]·RU["Река", "Рекой", "река"]·ES["Naharáh", "Río", "el-río"]·SW["Mto"]·TR["Nehrin", "nehir"]·urd["دریا", "دریا-کے"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נְהַר14 n.m. Dn 7:10 river (v. BH I. נהר);—abs. נ׳ Dn 7:10; emph. נַהֲרָה Ezr 4:10 +, א—ָ 4:16;—river, usually of Euphr., in phr. עֲבַר נ׳ Ezr 4:10, 11, 16 + 10 times Ezr; נ׳ דִּי־נוּר Dn 7:10 a river of fire, in vision.