What does נָגַשׂ (nāgaś) mean in the Bible?
נָגַשׂ (nāgaś): Coercive subjugation: driving animals to labor, then humans under oppressive authority or forced taxation
Hebrew · H5065
נָגַשׂ
To drive (an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication, to tax , harass , tyrannize
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נָגַשׂ H5065
Pronunciation nāgaś
What does נָגַשׂ (nāgaś) mean in the Bible?
נָגַשׂ (nāgaś): Coercive subjugation: driving animals to labor, then humans under oppressive authority or forced taxation
Full entry for נָגַשׂ (H5065) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5065?
The BSB source-word alignment has 23 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the taskmasters (2), a tax collector (1), and exacted (1), and you oppress (1), as your ruler (1).
Where does נָגַשׂ (nāgaś) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 3:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (8), Exodus (5), 1 Samuel (2), Deuteronomy (2).
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 the taskmasters 2× Exodus 5:6, Exodus 5:13
a tax collector 1× Daniel 11:20
and exacted 1× 2 Kings 23:35
and you oppress 1× Isaiah 58:3
as your ruler 1× Isaiah 60:17
He was oppressed 1× Isaiah 53:7
of a driver 1× Job 39:7
of the oppressor 1× Job 3:18
of their oppressor 1× Isaiah 9:4
oppress 1× Isaiah 3:12
over their oppressors 1× Isaiah 14:2
ruler 1× Zechariah 10:4
So the taskmasters 1× Exodus 5:10
taskmasters 1× Exodus 5:14
the oppressor 1× Isaiah 14:4
their oppressors 1× Exodus 3:7
to collect 1× Deuteronomy 15:2
were hard-pressed 1× 1 Samuel 13:6
were in distress 1× 1 Samuel 14:24
will an oppressor 1× Zechariah 9:8
will oppress one another 1× Isaiah 3:5
You may collect 1× Deuteronomy 15:3
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 3:7 נֹֽגְשָׂ֔יו to their oppressors Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular Exodus 5:6 הַנֹּגְשִׂ֣ים to the taskmasters Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Exodus 5:10 נֹגְשֵׂ֤י to So the taskmasters Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Exodus 5:13 וְהַנֹּגְשִׂ֖ים to The taskmasters Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Exodus 5:14 נֹגְשֵׂ֥י to taskmasters Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Deuteronomy 15:2 יִגֹּ֤שׂ to to collect Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 15:3 תִּגֹּ֑שׂ to You may collect Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular 1 Samuel 13:6 נִגַּ֖שׂ to were hard-pressed Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 1 Samuel 14:24 נִגַּ֖שׂ to were in distress Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2 Kings 23:35 נָגַ֞שׂ to and exacted Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 3:7
Aligned rows 23
Books represented 8
Exodus 5 Deuteronomy 2 1 Samuel 2 2 Kings 1 Job 2 Isaiah 8 Daniel 1 Zechariah 2
Source forms
נִגַּ֖שׂ 2x nig·gaś 1 Samuel 13:6, 1 Samuel 14:24
נוֹגֵ֖שׂ 2x nō·w·ḡêś Daniel 11:20, Zechariah 10:4
בְּנֹגְשֵׂיהֶֽם׃ס 1x bə·nō·ḡə·śê·hem Isaiah 14:2
הַנֹּגֵ֣שׂ 1x han·nō·ḡêś Isaiah 9:4
הַנֹּגְשִׂ֣ים 1x han·nō·ḡə·śîm Exodus 5:6
וְהַנֹּגְשִׂ֖ים 1x wə·han·nō·ḡə·śîm Exodus 5:13
וְנִגַּ֣שׂ 1x wə·nig·gaś Isaiah 3:5
וְנֹגְשַׂ֖יִךְ 1x wə·nō·ḡə·śa·yiḵ Isaiah 60:17
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular 6x Job 3:18, Job 39:7, Isaiah 14:4, Daniel 11:20
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 3x 1 Samuel 13:6, 1 Samuel 14:24, Isaiah 53:7
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct 2x Exodus 5:10, Exodus 5:14
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular 2x Exodus 3:7, Isaiah 3:12
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 1x Exodus 5:6
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular 1x Isaiah 9:4
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 1x Isaiah 3:5
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular 1x Isaiah 60:17
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Coercive subjugation: driving animals to labor, then humans under oppressive authority or forced taxation
Strong's H5065
Lexical occurrences 23 verses Word forms 2 forms 15 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Exodus 5:10-21 Source Gloss
to drive (an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication, to tax , harass , tyrannize
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Coercive subjugation: driving animals to labor, then humans under oppressive authority or forced taxation
to drive (an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication, to tax, harass, tyrannize BDB: press Usage: distress, driver, exact(-or), oppress(-or), × raiser of taxes, taskmaster.
Grammatical Forms
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.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 15
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 12×
Participle active Dan 11:20 · Exod 5:10 · Exod 5:14 · Isa 14:4 · Job 3:18 · Job 39:7 · Zech 9:8 · Zech 10:4 8×
Imperfect Deut 15:2 · Deut 15:3 · Isa 58:3 3×
Perfect 2Kgs 23:35 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 3×
Perfect 1Sam 13:6 · 1Sam 14:24 · Isa 53:7 3×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Egyptian overseers who drive and oppress Hebrew slaves with harsh labor demands
Those who harass and tyrannize the people as divine judgment on Jerusalem
The king of Babylon who drove and tyrannized others, now brought to rest and relief
The suffering servant who is afflicted and pressed down yet remains silent and submissive
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 23 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
נָגַשׂ is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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