H5355a H5355a
Innocent, guiltless; free from guilt, obligation, or duty; clean and pure in hands or conscience.
An adjective describing one who is clean — whether morally, legally, or ritually. Its most frequent and weighty use is in the phrase dam naqi, 'innocent blood,' which echoes through Deuteronomy's legal codes (Deut 19:10, 13; 27:25) into the prophetic indictments of Jeremiah (7:6; 22:3, 17) and the historical horror of Manasseh's reign (2 Kgs 21:16; 24:4). The French and German glosses both gravitate toward 'innocent,' while Spanish 'inocente' and 'libre' capture the split between guiltlessness and freedom from obligation. Psalm 24:4's 'clean of hands' (neqi khappayim) adds a ritual and ethical purity dimension, asking who may ascend the Lord's hill.
Senses
1. innocent, guiltless — Free from guilt or blame, not deserving punishment — the dominant sense covering the vast majority of occurrences. Central to the Deuteronomic concern with 'innocent blood' (dam naqi), which must not be shed in the land (Deut 19:10). Job's friends and enemies debate his innocence using this very word (Job 4:7; 9:23; 22:19). French 'innocent' and Spanish 'inocente' uniformly confirm this forensic, moral meaning. Proverbs 6:17 lists 'hands that shed innocent blood' among the things the Lord hates. 37×
AR["البَريءُ", "البَرِيءِ", "الْبَرِيءِ", "بَريءٌ", "بَريئًا", "بَرِيءٌ", "بَرِيءٍ", "بَرِيئًا"]·ben["নির্দোষ", "নির্দোষ।", "নির্দোষকে", "নির্দোষের", "সেই-নির্দোষের"]·DE["[נקי]", "der-innocent", "innocent", "sind-innocent", "unschuldig"]·EN["are-innocent", "innocent", "the-innocent"]·FR["innocent", "le-innocent", "sont-innocent"]·heb["ה-נקי", "נקי"]·HI["निरदोश-के", "निर्दोष", "निर्दोष-का", "निर्दोष-को"]·ID["orang-tak-bersalah", "orang-yang-tidak-bersalah", "tak-bersalah", "tidak bersalah", "tidak-bersalah", "yang-tak-bersalah", "yang-tidak-bersalah"]·IT["il-innocent", "innocent", "innocente", "sono-innocente"]·jav["Resik", "ingkang-boten-lepat", "ingkang-tanpa-dosa", "kang-tanpa-dosa", "mboten-salah", "resik", "resik-saking-salah.", "tanpa-dosa", "tiyang-tanpa-dosa"]·KO["결백합니다", "깨끗하다", "무고한", "무죄하니라", "무죄한", "무죄한-자가", "무죄한-자를", "순결한-자가"]·PT["inocente", "o-inocente"]·RU["-невинную", "невинная", "невинного", "невинной", "невинную", "невинную;", "невинный", "чист"]·ES["el-inocente", "inocente"]·SW["asiye-na-hatia", "hana-hatia", "isiyo-na-hatia", "na-hatia", "sina-hatia", "wasio-na-hatia"]·TR["masum", "masumun", "suçsuz", "temiz"]·urd["بے گناہ", "بے گناہ-کا", "بے-قصور", "بے-گناہ", "بے-گناہ-کا", "بےگُناہ"]
Gen 44:10, Exod 21:28, Exod 23:7, Num 32:22, Deut 19:10, Deut 19:13, Deut 21:8, Deut 21:9, Deut 27:25, Josh 2:17, Josh 2:19, Josh 2:20 (+25 more)
2. free from obligation — Released or free from a binding obligation, oath, or penalty. In Genesis 24:41, Abraham's servant will be 'free' (naqi) from his oath if the woman refuses to come. Deuteronomy 24:5 exempts a newly married man — he shall be 'free' (naqi) for his household for one year. Spanish 'libre' and German 'frei' capture this juridical release, distinct from the moral innocence of sense 1. 2×
AR["بَرِيئًا", "حُرًّا"]·ben["নির্দোষ", "মুক্ত"]·DE["befreien", "frei"]·EN["free"]·FR["libérer"]·heb["נקי"]·HI["मुक्त"]·ID["bebas"]·IT["liberare"]·jav["bebas", "uwal"]·KO["자유로운", "풀린-자"]·PT["livre"]·RU["свободным"]·ES["libre"]·SW["huru"]·TR["serbest", "özgür"]·urd["آزاد", "بری"]
3. exempt from duty — Exempt from a required civic or military duty. First Kings 15:22 records Asa's decree that 'none was exempt' (en naqi) from conscripted labor to build Geba and Mizpah. Spanish 'exento' and French 'exempt' mirror this administrative, civic sense — freedom not from guilt but from compulsory service. 1×
AR["مُعْفىً"]·ben["মুক্ত"]·DE["exempt"]·EN["exempt"]·FR["exempt"]·heb["נקי"]·HI["छूट"]·ID["yang-dikecualikan"]·IT["exempt"]·jav["kelonggaran"]·KO["면제"]·PT["isento"]·RU["изъятого"]·ES["exento"]·SW["aliyeachwa"]·TR["muaf"]·urd["معاف"]
4. clean, pure — Clean and pure, whether physically, ritually, or ethically. Psalm 24:4 asks 'Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?' and answers: the one who has 'clean hands and a pure heart' (neqi khappayim uvar levav). German 'der rein von' (the clean/pure of) and Spanish 'limpio de' (clean of) highlight the purity aspect. This sense overlaps with innocence but emphasizes internal and ritual cleanness rather than forensic guiltlessness. 1×
AR["نَقِيُّ"]·ben["শুদ্ধ"]·DE["der-rein-von"]·EN["the-clean-of"]·FR["innocent"]·heb["נקי"]·HI["शुद्ध"]·IT["innocente"]·jav["Ingkang-resik"]·KO["깨끗한-자-라"]·PT["O-limpo"]·RU["чистый"]·ES["limpio-de"]·SW["Mwenye-usafi-wa"]·TR["temiz"]·urd["صاف"]
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×)G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נָקִי adj. clean, free from, exempt;—נ׳ Gn 24:41 + 31 times; cstr. נְקִי ψ 24:4; pl. נְקִיִּים Je 2:34; נְקִיִּם Gn 44:10 + 6 times;— 1. free from guilt, clean, innocent, ‖ צַדִּיק: נָקִי וְצַדִּיק Ex 23:7 (E), נָקִי innocent person Jb 4:7; 17:8; 22:19, 30; 27:17 ψ 10:8; 15:5; Pr 1:11; נקיים Jb 9:23; דם נקי innocent blood, first used in D, Dt 19:10; 27:25; 1 S 19:5; 2 K 21:16; 24:4 ψ 94:21;…