H5234b H5234b
To disguise oneself, feign identity; to misconstrue or misattribute; to deliver over as foreign; to profane, treat as alien
Built on the root נכר ('foreign, strange'), this denominative verb explores what happens when familiar things are treated as alien — or alien things as familiar. Joseph 'made himself strange' to his brothers (Gen 42:7), and Jeroboam's wife disguised herself before the prophet (1 Kgs 14:5-6), both in the Hitpael reflexive. Spanish disfrazándose and the recurring idea of 'feigning' capture the deliberate deception. The Piel extends the root into darker territory: enemies who 'misconstrue' God's acts (Deut 32:27) and those who 'profane' sacred space by treating it as foreign (Jer 19:4). Each sense orbits the same axis — the dangerous blurring of what is known and what is strange.
Senses
1. disguise oneself, feign to be a stranger — To disguise oneself or feign to be a stranger (Hitpael reflexive). Joseph deliberately makes himself unrecognizable to his brothers (Gen 42:7), and Jeroboam's wife disguises herself before Ahijah (1 Kgs 14:5-6). Spanish disfrazándose and te disfrazas ('you disguise yourself') capture the intentional self-concealment. In Prov 26:24 a hater 'disguises himself' with his lips — the deception moves from physical costume to verbal camouflage. 4×
AR["مُتَنَكِّرَةٌ","وَ-تَنَكَّرَ","يُخْفِي"]·ben["আর-অপরিচিতের-মতো-আচরণ-করল","চেনা-যায়","ছদ্মবেশ-করছ","ছদ্মবেশ-করছে"]·DE["[ינכר]","pretending-zu-sein-ein-stranger","und-stellte-sich-fremd"]·EN["and-he-made-himself-strange","disguises-himself","pretending-to-be-a-stranger"]·FR["et-il-fit-lui-même-strange","feignant-à-être-un-stranger","reconnaître"]·heb["ו-יתנכר","יינכר","מתנכרה"]·HI["और-अजनबी-बना","छिपाता","भेस-बदलती-है"]·ID["dan-ia-menyamar","menyamar","menyamarkan-diri"]·IT["disguises-himself","e-egli-fece-se-stesso-strange","pretending-a-essere-un-straniero"]·jav["lan-nyamar","nyamar"]·KO["그리고-낯선-체했다","변장하고-있느냐","변장하고-있었다","알리는니라-자기를-"]·PT["disfarçada","e-fez-se-estranho","se-disfargança"]·RU["и-притворился-чужим","притворяется","притворяешься"]·ES["disfrazándose","finge","te-disfrazas","y-se-hizo-extraño"]·SW["amejificha","hujulikana","na-akamnyamaa","unajificha"]·TR["gizlenir","tanınmaz-yapıyor","tanınmaz-yapıyorsun","ve-yabancı-gibi-davrandı"]·urd["اور-اجنبی-بنا","بھیس-بدل-رہی-ہے","چھپاتا-ہے"]
2. misconstrue, misattribute — To misconstrue or misattribute, treating what is familiar as if it were foreign (Piel). In Deut 32:27 Moses warns that Israel's enemies might 'misconstrue' their victory, attributing to their own power what was actually God's judgment. Spanish entiendan mal ('misunderstand') preserves the cognitive distortion — a failure of recognition that inverts the truth of events. 1×
AR["يُنْكِرَ"]·ben["ভুল-বুঝুক"]·DE["misunderstand"]·EN["misunderstand"]·FR["misunderstand"]·heb["ינכרו"]·HI["पहचानें"]·ID["salah-mengerti"]·IT["misunderstand"]·jav["salah-mangertos"]·KO["오해하리라"]·PT["desconheçam"]·RU["превратно-поняли"]·ES["entiendan-mal"]·SW["wakaelewa-vibaya"]·TR["yanlış-anlarlar"]·urd["غلط-سمجھیں"]
3. deliver over, hand over to a stranger — To deliver over or hand someone to a stranger, estranging them from their proper place (Piel). In 1 Sam 23:7 Saul declares God has 'delivered' David into his hand — though the Hebrew text is debated (LXX reads mākar, 'sold'). Spanish lo rechazó ('rejected him') and French a délivra capture the sense of cutting someone off from divine protection, treating a covenant member as an outsider. 1×
AR["أَسْلَمَهُ"]·ben["বিক্রি-করেছে"]·DE["hat-befreite"]·EN["has-delivered"]·FR["a-délivra"]·heb["ניכר"]·HI["बेच-दिया"]·ID["menjual"]·IT["ha-liberò"]·jav["sampun-masrahaken"]·KO["넘겼다"]·PT["alienou"]·RU["отдал"]·ES["lo-rechazó"]·SW["kujulikana"]·TR["teslim-etti"]·urd["دے-دیا"]
4. make foreign, profane — To make foreign or profane, rendering sacred space alien (Piel). In Jer 19:4 the people have 'made this place foreign' by introducing alien worship. Spanish profanaron ('they profaned') highlights the sacrilege: the familiar holy ground of the Temple precincts is treated as though it belonged to foreign gods, erasing its identity as the dwelling place of YHWH. 1×
AR["وَ-نَجَّسُوا"]·ben["ও-তারা-বিদেশী-করেছে"]·DE["[וינכרו]"]·EN["and-they-made-foreign"]·FR["[וינכרו]"]·heb["ו-ניכרו"]·HI["और-पराया-बनाया-उन्होंने"]·ID["dan-menajiskan"]·IT["[וינכרו]"]·jav["lan-najisaken"]·KO["그리고-낯설게-했다"]·PT["e-fizeram-estranho"]·RU["и-осквернили"]·ES["y-profanaron"]·SW["na-wakainajisi"]·TR["ve-yabancılaştırdılar"]·urd["اور-بیگانہ-کیا"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [נכר] vb.denom. act or treat as foreign, or strange; disguise, misconstrue;— Niph. Impf. יִנָּכֵר Pr 26:24 with his lips a hater disguiseth himself (dissembles, speaks what is foreign to his thought). Pi. Pf. נִכַּר 1 S 23:7, but v. infr.; Impf. וַיְנַכְּרוּ Je 19:4 and they have treated this place as foreign (profane); יְנַכְּרוּ צָרֵימוֹ Dt 32:27 lest their adversaries should misconstrue…