What does נָא (nāʾ) mean in the Bible?
נָא (nāʾ): Softens imperatives into polite requests; transforms commands into supplications through modal particles.
Hebrew · H4994
נָא
'I pray' , 'now' , or 'then' ; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
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נָא H4994
Pronunciation nāʾ
What does נָא (nāʾ) mean in the Bible?
נָא (nāʾ): Softens imperatives into polite requests; transforms commands into supplications through modal particles.
Full entry for נָא (H4994) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4994?
The BSB source-word alignment has 404 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Please (158), . . . (147), Now (58), I pray (7), So please (4).
Where does נָא (nāʾ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 12:11. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (74), 2 Samuel (36), 1 Samuel (35), 2 Kings (34).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Please 158× Genesis 12:13, Genesis 13:8, Genesis 16:2, Genesis 18:3
. . . 147× Genesis 12:11, Genesis 18:3, Genesis 18:4, Genesis 18:21
Now 58× Genesis 13:9, Genesis 13:14, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 16:2
I pray 7× Numbers 14:17, Numbers 14:19, Nehemiah 1:8, Nehemiah 1:11
So please 4× Numbers 22:6, Numbers 22:17, 1 Kings 22:13, 2 Chronicles 18:12
- 3× Numbers 12:13, Judges 19:24, 1 Samuel 10:15
I beg You 2× 2 Samuel 24:10, 1 Chronicles 21:8
O 2× Psalms 7:9, Psalms 119:108
Therefore 2× 1 Chronicles 22:5, Jeremiah 18:11
we pray 2× Psalms 80:14, Isaiah 64:9
but please 1× 1 Samuel 25:24
carefully 1× Haggai 2:15
I am now 1× Genesis 27:2
I exhort 1× Isaiah 5:3
I urge you 1× Joshua 7:19
if you please 1× Job 5:1
indeed 1× Exodus 33:13
let them now 1× Jeremiah 27:18
may 1× 2 Chronicles 6:40
now, I plead 1× Job 4:7
Please allow me 1× Judges 6:39
please stay 1× Genesis 30:27
Then 1× Job 40:10
This time 1× Judges 6:39
to see whether 1× Genesis 37:32
until 1× 2 Samuel 13:28
We beseech You 1× Psalms 118:25
Would you please 1× 1 Samuel 9:18
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 12:11 נָ֣א to . . . Interjection Genesis 12:13 נָ֖א to Please Interjection Genesis 13:8 נָ֨א to Please Interjection Genesis 13:9 נָ֖א to Now Interjection Genesis 13:14 נָ֤א to Now Interjection Genesis 15:5 נָ֣א to Now Interjection Genesis 16:2 נָ֞א to now Interjection Genesis 16:2 נָא֙ to Please Interjection Genesis 18:3 נָ֨א to please Interjection Genesis 18:3 נָ֥א to . . . Interjection
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 12:11
Aligned rows 404
Books represented 30
Genesis 74 Exodus 15 Numbers 19 Deuteronomy 2 Joshua 4 Judges 32 Ruth 2 1 Samuel 35 2 Samuel 36 1 Kings 19 2 Kings 34 1 Chronicles 5 2 Chronicles 3 Ezra 1 Nehemiah 6 Job 23 Psalms 16 Ecclesiastes 1 Song Of Solomon 2 Isaiah 17 Jeremiah 30 Lamentations 2 Ezekiel 5 Daniel 2 Amos 2 Jonah 3 Micah 4 Haggai 4 Zechariah 3 Malachi 3
Source forms
נָ֣א 65x nā Genesis 12:11, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 18:4, Genesis 27:3
נָ֥א 48x nā Genesis 18:3, Genesis 19:7, Genesis 24:2, Genesis 24:12
נָ֤א 33x nā Genesis 13:14, Genesis 18:27, Genesis 18:31, Genesis 24:14
נָא֙ 33x nā Genesis 16:2, Genesis 25:30, Genesis 27:9, Genesis 33:10
נָ֖א 31x nā Genesis 12:13, Genesis 13:9, Genesis 19:18, Genesis 24:23
נָּ֣א 20x nā Genesis 18:21, Genesis 32:29, Genesis 33:15, Genesis 37:16
נָ֨א 19x nā Genesis 13:8, Genesis 18:3, Genesis 19:8, Genesis 31:12
נָ֞א 19x nā Genesis 16:2, Genesis 18:30, Genesis 18:32, Judges 9:2
Parsing patterns
Interjection 404x Genesis 12:11, Genesis 12:13, Genesis 13:8, Genesis 13:9
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Softens imperatives into polite requests; transforms commands into supplications through modal particles.
Source Gloss
'I pray' , 'now' , or 'then' ; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Softens imperatives into polite requests; transforms commands into supplications through modal particles.
'I pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction Usage: I beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Cross-Language Connections
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain