H5236 H5236
Foreignness; what is alien — used of foreign gods (אֱלֹהֵי נֵכָר) and of foreign persons (בֶּן־נֵכָר)
A noun denoting what belongs to another people or nation, capturing both the abstract quality of foreignness and the concrete person who embodies it. In its attributive use it most often modifies 'gods' — Jacob commands his household to put away the 'gods of foreignness' (Gen 35:2), and Deuteronomy warns against the 'foreign god of the land' (Deut 31:16). As a substantive it designates a non-Israelite: a 'son of foreignness' barred from the Passover (Exod 12:43) yet welcomed in Isaiah's eschatological vision (Isa 56:3). Spanish and French translations split cleanly between 'ajeno/extraño' for the attribute and 'extranjero/étranger' for the person, confirming the two semantic poles.
Senses
1. foreigner, foreign person — Substantive use referring to a person of foreign origin — an outsider, alien, or non-Israelite. The multilingual glosses consistently choose person-nouns (eng 'foreigner', spa 'extranjero', fra 'étranger'). Key construct phrase: בֶּן־הַנֵּכָר 'son of foreignness' = foreigner (Gen 17:12; Exod 12:43; Isa 56:3). In 2 Sam 22:45 the plural 'sons of foreignness' denotes subjugated nations. 18×
AR["-الْغَرِيبِ","أَجْنَبِيٍ","أَجْنَبِيٍّ","الغُرَبَاءِ","الْغُرَبَاءِ","غَرِيبٍ"]·ben["বিজাতীয়দের","বিদেশীত্ব","বিদেশীদের","বিদেশীর"]·DE["Auslaender","[הנכר]","[נכר]","ein-Auslaender","eines-Fremden","foreigner","foreigners"]·EN["a-foreigner","foreigner","foreigners","the-foreigner"]·FR["[נכר]","foreigner","l'étranger","un-étranger","étranger"]·heb["ה-נכר","נכר"]·HI["अजनबी","परदेशियों-के","परदेशी","परदेशी-का","परदेशी-के","परदेशीका","परदेशीके","पराए-के","विदेशि","विदेशी"]·ID["asing","orang-asing"]·IT["[נכר]","foreigner","forestiero","straniero","un-straniero"]·jav["bangsa-liya","bangsa-manca","manca","tiyang-manca"]·KO["낯선-의","낯선-자","낯선-자의","외국의","이방의","이방인","이방인으로부터","이방인의"]·PT["-do-estrangeiro","estrangeiro","o-estrangeiro"]·RU["иноземного","иноземцев","чужеземца","чужеземцев"]·ES["el-extranjero","extranjero"]·SW["kigeni","mgeni","ugeni","wa-wageni","wageni"]·TR["yabancinin","yabancıların","yabancılıktan","yabancının"]·urd["اجنبی","اجنبی-کا","اجنبی-کے","اجنبیوں-کے","غیر","غیر-ملکی-کے","پردیسی","پردیسی-کے","پردیسیوں-کے"]
Gen 17:12, Gen 17:27, Exod 12:43, Lev 22:25, 2 Sam 22:45, 2 Sam 22:46, Neh 9:2, Neh 13:30, Ps 18:44, Ps 18:45, Isa 56:3, Isa 56:6 (+6 more)
2. foreign, foreignness (attribute) — Abstract or attributive sense: the quality of being foreign or strange, typically modifying another noun. Most prominent in the phrase אֱלֹהֵי (הַ)נֵּכָר 'gods of foreignness' = foreign gods (Gen 35:2, 4; Josh 24:20, 23; Judg 10:16). Spanish and German translations use adjectives ('ajeno', 'fremd') rather than person-nouns here. The singular אֵל נֵכָר 'a foreign god' appears in Deut 32:12; Ps 81:10; Mal 2:11, always in contexts contrasting Yahweh with other deities. 18×
AR["أَجْنَبِيٍّ","الغَريبِ","الغُرَبَاءِ","الـ-غَريبَةِ","الـ-غَرِيبَةِ","الـ-نَّاكَارِ","الْغَرِيبَةِ","الْغُرَبَاءِ","غَرِيبٌ","غَرِيبٍ","غَرِيبَةٍ","غُرَبَاءِ","نَاكَارَ"]·ben["-বিদেশীর","আশের","এবং-তিনি-ফিরে-আসবেন","বিদেশী","বিদেশী-","বিদেশীদের","বিদেশীর,","বিদেশীর।","বিদেশে?"]·DE["[הנכר]","[נכר]","der-Fremde","der-foreign","der-foreignness","der-fremd","foreign","foreignness","fremd"]·EN["foreign","foreignness","the-foreign","the-foreignness"]·FR["[הנכר]","foreignness","le-foreign","le-foreignness","le-étranger","étranger"]·heb["ה-נכר","נוכרי","נכר","נכר-"]·HI["के-परदेसी","परदेश-की","परदेश-के","पराए","पराए-","पराए-की","पराए-के","पराया","पराया।","पराये","पराये-के","विदेशी"]·ID["asing","asing-","negeri-lain"]·IT["[הנכר]","foreignness","il-foreign","il-foreignness","il-straniero","straniero"]·jav["asing","asing-punika","manca","para-dewata-manca"]·KO["그-이방의","그-이방인의","낯선-것의","이방-의","이방의","이방인-","이방인의"]·PT["de-estranhos","estrangeiro","estrangeiro-de","estranho","estranhos","o-estrangeiro"]·RU["чуждым","чужеземному","чужие","чужим","чужими","чужими-","чужих","чужого","чужой"]·ES["ajeno","el-extranjero","el-extraño","extranjero","extraño","lo-extraño-de"]·SW["haneּkar","kigeni","kigeni-ya","kumbe","mgeni","migeni","miungu-ya-kigeni","mkono","ugeni","wa-kigeni","ya-kigeni"]·TR["-yabancı","yabancı","yabancı-","yabancının"]·urd["اجنبی","اجنبی-","غیر","غیر-ملکی","غیر-کے","غیروں-کے","پرایے","پردیسی-کی","پردیسیوں-کے"]
Gen 35:2, Gen 35:4, Deut 31:16, Deut 32:12, Josh 24:20, Josh 24:23, Judg 10:16, 1 Sam 7:3, 2 Chr 14:3, 2 Chr 33:15, Ps 81:9, Ps 137:4 (+6 more)
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נֵכָר n.[m.] that which is foreign, foreignness (on format. cf. LagBN 51, 154);—abs. נ׳ Ju 10:16 +, cstr. נֵכַר־ Dt 31:16;—foreignness (of another family, tribe, or nation), especially 1. אֱלֹהֵי (הַ)נֵּכָר = foreign gods Gn 35:2, 4; Jos 24:20, 23 (all E, = א׳ אֲחֵרִים of D, cf. אַחֵר), Ju 10:16; 1 S 7:3; Je 5:19; 2 Ch 33:15; א׳ נֵכַר־הָאָרֶץ Dt 31:16 = foreign gods of the land; sg. אֵל נֵכָר…