נָהָר120 H5104
River, stream — a perennial flowing watercourse; often 'the River' (the Euphrates) or poetic cosmic floods
Nahar denotes a substantial, continuously flowing watercourse — distinguished from nachal (seasonal wadi) by its permanence. When used with the article ('the River') it typically means the Euphrates, the great river that defined the northeastern boundary of the promised land (Gen 15:18; Deut 1:7; Josh 24:2). The compound Aram Naharayim ('Aram of the two rivers,' Gen 24:10) gives us Mesopotamia. In poetry, nahar takes on cosmic overtones: rivers that clap their hands (Ps 98:8), primordial floods that lift their voice against God (Ps 93:3), and eschatological streams flowing from the temple (Ezek 47:1-12). Spanish 'rio,' French 'fleuve,' and German 'Strom' capture the sense of a major watercourse.
Senses
1. river, stream — A perennial river or major stream, used for specific watercourses such as the Euphrates ('the River,' Gen 15:18; Deut 1:7), the rivers of Eden (Gen 2:10-14), and the Nile region streams (Isa 19:6). In poetic and prophetic texts nahar takes on cosmological and eschatological dimensions — primordial floods that challenge God's sovereignty (Ps 93:3), rivers that rejoice at his coming (Ps 98:8), and healing waters flowing from the future temple (Ezek 47:1-12). Spanish 'rio,' French 'fleuve,' and German 'Strom' convey the sense of a major permanent watercourse, distinct from the seasonal wadi (nachal). 119×
AR["أنْهاراً", "أَنهارًا", "أَنْهَارًا", "الأَنهارِ", "الأَنْهَارَ", "الأَنْهَارُ", "النَّهرِ", "النَّهْرِ", "الْ-نَّهْرَ", "الْأَنْهَارُ"]·ben["-নদী", "-নদীর", "নদী", "নদীগুলি", "নদীগুলিকে", "নদীগুলো", "নদীগুলোকে", "নদীর"]·DE["Stroeme", "Strom", "am-Strom", "den-Strom", "der-River", "der-Strom"]·EN["rivers", "the-River", "the-floods", "the-rivers"]·FR["fleuve", "le-Fleuve", "le-River"]·heb["ה-נהר", "נהרות"]·HI["नदियाँ", "नदियों", "नदियों-को", "नदियों-ने", "नदियोंने", "नदी", "नदी-के"]·ID["Sungai-sungai", "sungai", "sungai-sungai"]·IT["fiume", "fiumi", "il-River"]·jav["Lepen-lepen", "Lèpèn", "lepen-lepen", "lèpen-lèpen", "lèpen-punika;", "lèpèn", "lèpèn-lèpèn"]·KO["강-들-이", "강들-을", "강들을", "강들이", "그-강", "그-강을", "그-강의"]·PT["Os-rios", "dos-rios", "o-rio", "os-rios", "rios"]·RU["-реку", "Реки", "на-реке", "рек", "реке", "реки"]·ES["Ríos", "el-río", "los-ríos", "ríos"]·SW["Mto", "mito", "mto", "mto-ule"]·TR["-ırmağı", "-ırmağın", "irmaklar", "irmaklari", "nehir", "nehirler", "nehirleri", "nehrin", "ırmaklarını"]·urd["دریا", "دریا-کے", "دریاؤں-کو", "دریاؤں-کے", "ندیاں", "نہروں-کو", "نہریں"]
Gen 31:21, Gen 36:37, Exod 23:31, Num 22:5, Deut 1:7, Josh 24:2, Josh 24:3, Josh 24:14, Josh 24:15, 2 Sam 10:16, 1 Kgs 4:21, 1 Kgs 4:24 (+38 more)
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×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)H7760a 2. make into, turn into (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
נָהָר120 n.m. Gn 2:10 stream, river;—abs. נ׳ Gn 2:10 +; cstr. נְהַר Dt 1:7 +; pl. נְהָרִים Is 18:7 + 4 times, cstr. נַהֲרֵי Is 18:1 + 2 times; but oftener נְהָר(וֹ)ת Is 19:6 + 23 times; cstr. נַהֲרוֹת 2 K 5:12 + 2 times; sf. נַהֲרוֹתֶיךָ Ez 32:2, נַהֲרֹתַיִךְ Is 44:27, נַהֲרֹתֶיהָ Ez 31:4, 15, נַהֲרֹתָם Ex 7:19, נַהֲרוֹתָם Ez 32:2, 14; appar. du. נַהֲרַיִם Gn 24:10 + 2 times, נַהֲרָ֑יִם Ju 3:8…