To inherit (as a (figurative) mode of descent), or (generally) to occupy ; causatively, to bequeath , or (generally) distribute , instate
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נָחַל (nachal) is a verb for inheriting, receiving or possessing an allotted inheritance, and in causative forms giving or causing another to inherit. Numbers 26:55 uses it for tribal allotment by lot, Deuteronomy 1:38 says Joshua will cause Israel to inherit the land, and Deuteronomy 19:14 protects boundaries within the inheritance Israel receives.
Reader summary
Full entry for נָחַל (H5157) · Open the biblical lexicon
נָחַל (nachal) is a verb for inheriting, receiving or possessing an allotted inheritance, and in causative forms giving or causing another to inherit. Numbers 26:55 uses it for tribal allotment by lot, Deuteronomy 1:38 says Joshua will cause Israel to inherit the land, and Deuteronomy 19:14 protects boundaries within the inheritance Israel receives.
The BSB source-word alignment has 59 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include as an inheritance (5), will inherit (4), inheritance (3), inherited (2), is giving you as an inheritance (2).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 23:30. Its strongest book concentrations include Numbers (13), Joshua (9), Deuteronomy (8), Proverbs (6).
נָחַל (nachal) is a verb for inheriting, receiving or possessing an allotted inheritance, and in causative forms giving or causing another to inherit. Numbers 26:55 uses it for tribal allotment by lot, Deuteronomy 1:38 says Joshua will cause Israel to inherit the land, and Deuteronomy 19:14 protects boundaries within the inheritance Israel receives.
Inheritance in these passages is gift and responsibility together. Israel receives land the Lord promised, yet allocation, boundaries, leadership, obedience, and neighbor rights remain concrete. The verb does not mean that every possession is a divine entitlement or that recipients may acquire or defend property through injustice. Numbers 18:20 also uses the verb negatively when Aaron is told he will not inherit land among Israel because the Lord is his portion and inheritance.
Wisdom extends the verb beyond land. Proverbs 3:35 says the wise inherit honor, and Proverbs 8:21 portrays Wisdom endowing those who love her with substance and filling their treasuries. Psalm 82:8 calls God to judge the earth because he inherits or possesses all nations. These uses broaden the semantic range without making Psalm 37:11 or Isaiah 54:3 direct H5157 evidence; those passages use H3423.
Nachal moves through tribal allotment, leadership that brings a people into inheritance, protected property boundaries, exclusion from land inheritance, wisdom's enduring goods, and God's claim over nations. Stem and object determine receiving versus assigning.
The land is divided by lot and inherited according to the names of the ancestral tribes.
Joshua is to be encouraged because he will cause Israel to inherit the land.
Israel must not move a neighbor's boundary within the inheritance received in the land.
The wise inherit honor, while fools receive disgrace.
The psalm calls God to judge the earth because all nations belong to his inheritance or possession.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Inheritance as covenantal possession: what God grants endures through generations as inalienable tribal birthright.
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 59 lexical occurrence verses.
נָחַל is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Nachal helps a congregation understand inheritance as received possession that carries boundaries, responsibility, and accountability. Israel's land is promised by God, apportioned among tribes, mediated through leadership, and protected from boundary theft. The Levites' different arrangement shows that inheritance cannot be reduced to land or wealth, while Proverbs applies the verb to honor and Wisdom's goods.
A sermon can emphasize grace without suggesting that everything a person currently owns is divinely guaranteed or beyond moral scrutiny. It can also trace broader New Testament inheritance themes, but should be transparent that Psalm 37:11 and Matthew 5:5 belong to the H3423 possession verb rather than direct H5157 usage. This lexical discipline prevents a beautiful canonical theme from becoming a pretext for false entitlement, prosperity promises, or careless claims about modern territory and property.
Deut.1.38
H5157 is the verb; H5159 is its related inheritance noun. Other Hebrew verbs, especially H3423, also carry inherit or possess senses and must remain distinct.
Kingdom and inheritance teaching in the New Testament provides thematic development. Direct quotation of Psalm 37:11 does not make that verse an H5157 occurrence.