What does נְבָלָה (nĕbālāh) mean in the Bible?
נְבָלָה (nĕbālāh): Moral senselessness that manifests as concrete wickedness; folly that inevitably incurs divine punishment.
Hebrew · H5039
נְבָלָה
Foolishness , i.e. (morally) wickedness ; concretely, a crime ; by extension, punishment
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
נְבָלָה H5039
Pronunciation nĕbālāh
What does נְבָלָה (nĕbālāh) mean in the Bible?
נְבָלָה (nĕbālāh): Moral senselessness that manifests as concrete wickedness; folly that inevitably incurs divine punishment.
Full entry for נְבָלָה (H5039) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5039?
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include an outrage (4), [according to your] folly (1), a vile (1), and disgraceful act (1), and folly (1).
Where does נְבָלָה (nĕbālāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 34:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Judges (4), Isaiah (2), 1 Samuel (1), 2 Samuel (1).
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 an outrage 4× Genesis 34:7, Deuteronomy 22:21, Joshua 7:15, Jeremiah 29:23
[according to your] folly 1× Job 42:8
a vile 1× Judges 19:24
and disgraceful act 1× Judges 20:6
and folly 1× 1 Samuel 25:25
disgraceful thing 1× 2 Samuel 13:12
folly 1× Isaiah 9:17
foolishness 1× Isaiah 32:6
for the atrocity 1× Judges 20:10
outrage 1× Judges 19:23
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 34:7 נְבָלָ֞ה to an outrage Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 22:21 נְבָלָה֙ to an outrage Noun - feminine singular Joshua 7:15 נְבָלָ֖ה to an outrage Noun - feminine singular Judges 19:23 הַנְּבָלָ֥ה to outrage Article | Noun - feminine singular Judges 19:24 הַנְּבָלָ֥ה to a vile Article | Noun - feminine singular Judges 20:6 וּנְבָלָ֖ה to and disgraceful act Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular Judges 20:10 הַ֨נְּבָלָ֔ה to for the atrocity Article | Noun - feminine singular 1 Samuel 25:25 וּנְבָלָ֖ה to and folly Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 2 Samuel 13:12 הַנְּבָלָ֥ה to disgraceful thing Article | Noun - feminine singular Job 42:8 נְבָלָ֔ה to [according to your] folly Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 34:7
Aligned rows 13
Books represented 9
Genesis 1 Deuteronomy 1 Joshua 1 Judges 4 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 1 Job 1 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 1
Source forms
הַנְּבָלָ֥ה 3x han·nə·ḇā·lāh Judges 19:23, Judges 19:24, 2 Samuel 13:12
וּנְבָלָ֖ה 2x ū·nə·ḇā·lāh Judges 20:6, 1 Samuel 25:25
הַ֨נְּבָלָ֔ה 1x han·nə·ḇā·lāh Judges 20:10
נְבָלָ֞ה 1x nə·ḇā·lāh Genesis 34:7
נְבָלָה֙ 1x nə·ḇā·lāh Deuteronomy 22:21
נְבָלָ֖ה 1x nə·ḇā·lāh Joshua 7:15
נְבָלָ֔ה 1x nə·ḇā·lāh Job 42:8
נְבָלָ֑ה 1x nə·ḇā·lāh Isaiah 9:17
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular 7x Genesis 34:7, Deuteronomy 22:21, Joshua 7:15, Job 42:8
Article | Noun - feminine singular 4x Judges 19:23, Judges 19:24, Judges 20:10, 2 Samuel 13:12
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 2x Judges 20:6, 1 Samuel 25:25
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Moral senselessness that manifests as concrete wickedness; folly that inevitably incurs divine punishment.
Source Gloss
foolishness , i.e. (morally) wickedness ; concretely, a crime ; by extension, punishment
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Moral senselessness that manifests as concrete wickedness; folly that inevitably incurs divine punishment.
foolishness, i.e. (morally) wickedness; concretely, a crime; by extension, punishment BDB: senselessness Usage: folly, vile, villany.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
moral wickedness and shameful crime, sexual violation bringing disgrace
Showing 1 selected witness from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
נְבָלָה is built from this root:
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