H5197 H5197
To drip or drop (of liquid); figuratively, to prophesy or preach (letting words flow forth)
Nataf begins with the concrete image of liquid falling in drops: rain dripping from storm clouds at Sinai (Judg 5:4), myrrh dropping from a lover's hands (Song 5:5), honeyed words dripping from lips (Prov 5:3). The prophets then commandeered this vivid image for speech itself. In the Hifil stem, nataf means to let words drop or flow forth, that is, to prophesy or preach. Remarkably, this metaphor nearly always carries negative connotations: in Amos 7:16 and Micah 2:6, opponents tell the prophets to stop 'dripping' their unwanted messages. Spanish captures the split neatly, using 'destilar' (to distill) for the physical and 'profetizar' (to prophesy) for the figurative. French similarly distinguishes 'distiller' from 'prophetiser.'
Senses
1. to drip, drop (Qal) — Intransitive physical dripping of liquid in the Qal stem: rain from clouds, myrrh from hands, honey from lips. Judges 5:4 describes clouds dripping water during the Sinai theophany, while Song of Solomon 4:11 and 5:13 use it for myrrh and honeycomb. French 'distiller' and Spanish 'destilar/gotear' consistently render the slow, drop-by-drop quality. 9×
AR["تَقطُرُ","تَقْطُرُ","تِطُّوفْنَه","قَطَرَتْ","نَطْفُو-","نُوطْفُوت"]·ben["ঝরছিল-","ঝরছে","ঝরে","ঝরেছে","টপকিয়ে-পড়ল","টপকে-পড়বে","ফোঁটা-ফোঁটা-পড়ত"]·DE["[יטפו]","[נטפו]","[נטפות]","[תטף]","[תטפנה]","dripped"]·EN["drip","dripped","dripped-","dripping","dropped","will-drip"]·FR["distillant","distillent","distiller","dripped","ont-distillé","prophétiser","תטף","תטפנה"]·heb["יטפוּ","נוטפות","נטפו","תטופנה","תיטוף","תיטופנה"]·HI["टपकता-है","टपकती-हुई","टपकती-हैं","टपका","टपके","टपके-","टपकेंगे"]·ID["akan-meneteskan","menetes","meneteskan","meneteslah"]·IT["dripped","gocciolare","profetizzare","stillo'"]·jav["badhé-netes","kang-netesaken","netes","netesaken","netesaken-"]·KO["떨어뜨렸네","떨어뜨리네","떨어뜨리는","떨어뜨리리라","떨어뜨린다","떨어졌는데","떨어졌다","떨어졌도다"]·PT["gotejam","gotejando","gotejaram","gotejarão","gotejava"]·RU["будут-капать","капала","капали","капали-","капают","капающие","кропили"]·ES["destilan","destilarán","goteaba","gotean","gotearon","gotearon-","que-gotean"]·SW["i-na-dondosha","ilidondoka","ilidondosha","inadondoka","yalidondosha","yanayodondosha","zilidondosha","zilidondosha-mvua","zitadondosha"]·TR["damladi","damladı","damladılar","damlardı","damlatiyor","damlatır","damlayacak","damlayan"]·urd["ٹپکا","ٹپکا-مُر","ٹپکتی تھی","ٹپکتی-ہے","ٹپکتے-ہیں","ٹپکنے-والے","ٹپکیں-گے","ٹپکے"]
2. to prophesy, preach (Hifil) — Hifil figurative sense meaning to prophesy or preach, literally to cause words to drip forth. This metaphor nearly always carries hostile overtones: Amos 7:16 records the priest Amaziah ordering Amos not to 'drip' against Israel, and Micah 2:6 quotes opponents saying 'do not preach.' Spanish shifts to 'profetizar' and 'predicar,' while French uses 'prophetiser,' marking the clear semantic leap from liquid to speech. 8×
AR["أُقَطِّرُ","تُقَطِّرُوا","تُقَطِّرْ","مُقَطِّرُ","وَأَقْطِرْ","يُقَطِّرُونَ"]·ben["-দিকে","আমি-ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী-করব","এবং-বর্ষণ-কর","কথা-বলো","তারা-ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী-করবে","তারা-ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী-করে","ভবিষ্যদ্বক্তা-","ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী"]·DE["[אטף]","[והטף]","[יטיפון]","[יטפו]","[מטיף]","[תטיף]","[תטפו]"]·EN["I-will-preach","and-drip","preach","preacher","they-preach","they-will-preach","you-will-preach"]·FR["et-prophétiser","prophétiser"]·heb["אטיף","ו-הטף","יטיפו","יטיפון","מטיף","תטיף","תטיפו"]·HI["और-टपका","टपकाएं","टपकाओ","टपकाने-वाला","बोल","मैं-टपकाऊंगा","वे-टपकाते-हैं"]·ID["aku-akan-bernubuat","bernubuat","boleh-mereka-bernubuat","dan-bicaralah","mereka-bernubuat","nabi"]·IT["e-profetizzare","profetizzare"]·jav["badhé-medhar-wangsit","kula-badhé-medhar-wangsit","lan-ngendikakna","lan-tetesna","medhar-wangsit","nabi","netesaken","piyambakipun-medhar-wangsit"]·KO["그리고-떨어뜨려라","말을-떨어뜨리지","예언자-가","예언하겠다","예언하지","예언한다-그들이","예언해야-한다"]·PT["Profetizarei","e-derrama","e-profetiza","goteje","profeta-de","profetizam","profetizeis","profetizem"]·RU["Буду-пророчествовать","и-излей-слово","проливай","пророком","пророчествуйте","пророчествуют-они"]·ES["prediques","profeta-de","profeticéis","profetizan","profetizarán","profetizaré","y-profetiza"]·SW["hubiri","kudondosha","mhubiri","na-hubiri","nitahubiri","wanahubiri"]·TR["damla-damla-söyle","küçücmesinler","küçücmserler","küçümsemeyin","küçümsesem","küçümseyen","ve-damla"]·urd["اور-ٹپکا","نبوت-کرتے-ہیں-وہ","نبوت-کرنے-والا","نبوت-کرو","نبوت-کروں-گا","نبوت-کریں","ٹپکا"]
3. to cause to flow (Hifil causative) — A single Hifil occurrence retaining the literal physical sense in a causative frame: mountains causing sweet wine to drip in the eschatological abundance of Amos 9:13. Though grammatically Hifil like sense 2, the meaning is not prophetic speech but agricultural superabundance, the hills themselves becoming agents of liquid flow. This bridges the physical and figurative uses of the root. 1×
AR["وَ-تَقْطُرُ"]·ben["ও-ঝরবে"]·DE["[והטיפו]"]·EN["and-will-drip"]·FR["et-prophétiser"]·heb["ו-הטיפוּ"]·HI["और-टपकेंगे"]·IT["e-profetizzare"]·jav["kang-nyebar"]·KO["그리고-떨어지리라"]·PT["e-gotejarão"]·RU["и-будут-капать"]·ES["y-destilarán"]·SW["na-yatadondosha"]·TR["ve-damlayacak"]·urd["اور-ٹپکائیں-گے"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H3701 1. silver (the metal) (391×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H0216 1. light (general / metaphorical) (116×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [נָטַף] vb. drop, drip, fig. (especially of prophet) discourse (NH id.; 𝔗 נְטַף drop, drip; Syriac ܢܛܰܦ drip, ܛܘܽܦܬܳܐ drop (NöSyriac Gr. § 105) etc.; Arabic نَطَفَ id.; Ethiopic ነጥበ id., ነጠፈ colare (stillando), expercolare);— Qal Pf. 3 mpl. נָֽטְפוּ Ju 5:4 + 2 times; נָטָ֑פוּ Ju 5:4; Impf. 3 fs. תִּטֹּף Jb 29:22; 3 mpl. יִטְּפוּ Jo 4:18; 3 fpl. תִּטֹּפְנָה Pr 5:3 Ct 4:11; Pt. נֹטְפוֹת Ct…