H5215 H5215
nir — fallow ground, untilled field; land that needs breaking up for cultivation
This noun denotes fallow ground or untilled land—soil that has been left unused and now requires breaking up before it can be productive. Hosea and Jeremiah use it metaphorically for spiritual renewal: just as hardened fallow ground must be broken and turned before planting, so hardened hearts require radical repentance before they can receive God's word. Proverbs uses it literally to describe poor people's land that could be productive if properly worked. The imagery emphasizes both the potential of uncultivated ground and the difficult work required to make it fruitful.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Fallow ground, untilled or unused land needing cultivation. Hosea 10:12 commands metaphorically: 'Break up your fallow ground (niru lakem nir),' urging Israel to renewed spiritual receptivity rather than continuing in hardened rebellion—internal transformation as thorough as plowing unused soil. Jeremiah 4:3 uses identical imagery: 'Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns'—prepare hearts properly for God's word. Proverbs 13:23 observes that 'the fallow ground of the poor (nir rashim) yields much food,' but it's swept away by injustice—even marginal land can be productive if given opportunity. Proverbs 21:4 is textually uncertain (some read 'lamp' ner rather than nir). 4×
AR["حَرثًا", "حَرْثًا", "حَقْلُ", "سِراجُ"]·ben["অপরিচিত-জমি", "চাষ", "চাষ-করা-জমি", "বাতি"]·DE["[ניר]", "[נר]"]·EN["fallow-ground", "is-the-fallow-ground-of", "lamp-of"]·FR["[ניר]", "labourer", "ניר", "נר"]·heb["ניר", "נר"]·HI["कुंआरी-भूमि", "जोतनी-भूमि", "दीपक", "परती"]·ID["di-ladang-yang-belum-dibuka", "pelita", "tanah-yang-belum-digarap"]·IT["[ניר]", "lamp-di", "è-il-fallow-ground-di"]·jav["babadan", "damar", "macula", "pategalan-saking"]·KO["개간된-땅을", "등불이니라", "뮻-에", "휴경지를"]·PT["campo-lavrado-de", "lâmpada-de", "terra-arada", "terra-nova"]·RU["на-новине", "светильник", "целину"]·ES["barbecho", "campo-de", "la-lámpara-de"]·SW["ardhi-mpya", "katika-shamba-la", "shamba", "taa-ya"]·TR["lambası", "nadas", "nadasa", "tarlasında"]·urd["بنجر-زمین", "چراغ", "کھیت"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. נִיר n.[m.] the tillable, untilled or fallow ground;—נ׳ abs. as acc. cogn. נִירוּ לָכֶם נִ֑יר Ho 10:12; Je 4:3 till you the untilled ground (fig. of unaccustomed moral action); cstr. only רָב־אֹכֶל נִיר רָאשִׁים Pr 13:23 abundant food (yields) the fallow ground of poor men (i.e. with י׳’s blessing).—i. נִיר v. נור.