What does נָגַשׁ (nāgaš) mean in the Bible?
נָגַשׁ (nāgaš): Core meaning "to approach" spans intimate, hostile, and devotional contexts—fundamentally relational.
Hebrew · H5066
נָגַשׁ
To be or come (causatively, bring ) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack ; religious to worship ; causatively, to present ; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back
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נָגַשׁ H5066
Pronunciation nāgaš
What does נָגַשׁ (nāgaš) mean in the Bible?
נָגַשׁ (nāgaš): Core meaning "to approach" spans intimate, hostile, and devotional contexts—fundamentally relational.
Full entry for נָגַשׁ (H5066) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5066?
The BSB source-word alignment has 125 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include approached (16), come near (5), approach (4), Bring (4), draw near (3).
Where does נָגַשׁ (nāgaš) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 18:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (20), 1 Samuel (15), Exodus (13), 1 Kings (9).
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 approached 16× Genesis 33:6, Genesis 33:7, Genesis 44:18, Exodus 20:21
come near 5× Genesis 27:26, Exodus 24:2, 1 Kings 18:30, 2 Chronicles 29:31
approach 4× Exodus 28:43, Exodus 30:20, Numbers 8:19, Ezekiel 44:13
Bring 4× 1 Samuel 14:18, 1 Samuel 15:32, 1 Samuel 23:9, 1 Samuel 30:7
draw near 3× Exodus 19:15, Judges 20:23, Amos 9:10
he approached 3× Genesis 33:3, Judges 9:52, 1 Samuel 17:40
went up 3× Genesis 29:10, 1 Kings 22:24, 2 Chronicles 18:23
. . . 2× 2 Samuel 3:34, 2 Samuel 17:29
advance 2× Jeremiah 46:3, Joel 3:9
advanced 2× 2 Samuel 10:13, 1 Chronicles 19:14
approached him 2× 1 Kings 18:30, 2 Kings 5:13
Bring me 2× 1 Samuel 13:9, 2 Kings 4:6
brought 2× 1 Samuel 14:34, 1 Samuel 30:7
Come 2× Joshua 3:9, 1 Samuel 14:38
did you get so close 2× 2 Samuel 11:20, 2 Samuel 11:21
shall approach 2× Exodus 24:2, Leviticus 21:21
to approach 2× Exodus 34:30, Jeremiah 30:21
[These kingdoms] offered 1× 1 Kings 4:21
[will be] presented 1× Malachi 1:11
against him 1× Job 40:19
and approached 1× Joshua 8:11
and bring near 1× Amos 6:3
and brought them close 1× Genesis 48:13
and draw near 1× Isaiah 45:20
and he shall take 1× Leviticus 2:8
And he shall take him 1× Exodus 21:6
and he will approach 1× Jeremiah 30:21
and moved in 1× Genesis 19:9
and present your case 1× Isaiah 45:21
and presented 1× Exodus 32:6
And they [did so] 1× Genesis 45:4
And when she had brought [them] 1× 2 Samuel 13:11
By presenting 1× Malachi 1:7
came close 1× Genesis 27:22
came forward 1× 1 Samuel 17:16
came near 1× Exodus 34:32
came over 1× 2 Kings 4:27
came up 1× 2 Kings 2:5
can go 1× Exodus 24:14
come closer 1× Genesis 27:21
come near me 1× Genesis 45:4
Come over 1× Ruth 2:14
Did you bring 1× Amos 5:25
draw near to Me 1× Isaiah 29:13
drew near 1× 1 Samuel 7:10
even if he brings 1× Malachi 2:12
Get out of the way 1× Genesis 19:9
Go 1× 2 Samuel 1:15
go near 1× Ezekiel 9:6
is so near 1× Job 41:16
is to bring him 1× Exodus 21:6
is to come forward 1× Deuteronomy 20:2
Jacob brought it 1× Genesis 27:25
Joseph brought 1× Genesis 48:10
kept bringing [jars] 1× 2 Kings 4:5
Let him approach 1× Isaiah 50:8
Let them come 1× Isaiah 41:22
Let them come forward 1× Isaiah 41:1
make room 1× Isaiah 49:20
must bring 1× 1 Samuel 14:34
near 1× Leviticus 8:14
or approach 1× Leviticus 21:23
or come near 1× Ezekiel 44:13
Serve 1× Genesis 27:25
shall come forward 1× Deuteronomy 21:5
shall go up 1× Deuteronomy 25:9
She served 1× 1 Samuel 28:25
So he came near 1× Genesis 27:27
So they approached 1× Genesis 43:19
stepped forward 1× Genesis 18:23
Submit 1× Isaiah 41:21
Then [the Gadites and Reubenites] approached 1× Numbers 32:16
Then they brought 1× 2 Chronicles 29:23
Then they will present 1× Malachi 3:3
they approached 1× Ezra 4:2
they are to go 1× Deuteronomy 25:1
to come near 1× Leviticus 21:21
to present 1× Judges 6:19
when they come near 1× Numbers 4:19
who approach 1× Exodus 19:22
will overtake 1× Amos 9:13
you 1× Psalms 91:7
you offer 1× Malachi 1:8
you present 1× Malachi 1:8
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 18:23 וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ to stepped forward Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 19:9 גֶּשׁ־ to Get out of the way Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Genesis 19:9 וַֽיִּגְּשׁ֖וּ to and moved in Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Genesis 27:21 גְּשָׁה־ to come closer Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular Genesis 27:22 וַיִּגַּ֧שׁ to came close Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 27:25 הַגִּ֤שָׁה to Serve Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular Genesis 27:25 וַיַּגֶּשׁ־ to Jacob brought it Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 27:26 גְּשָׁה־ to come near Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular Genesis 27:27 וַיִּגַּשׁ֙ to So he came near Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 29:10 וַיִּגַּ֣שׁ to went up Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 18:23
Aligned rows 125
Books represented 23
Genesis 20 Exodus 13 Leviticus 5 Numbers 3 Deuteronomy 4 Joshua 4 Judges 3 Ruth 1 1 Samuel 15 2 Samuel 7 1 Kings 9 2 Kings 5 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 3 Ezra 2 Job 2 Psalms 1 Isaiah 9 Jeremiah 4 Ezekiel 3 Joel 1 Amos 4 Malachi 6
Source forms
וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ 4x way·yig·gaš Genesis 44:18, 1 Kings 18:21, 2 Kings 4:27, 1 Chronicles 19:14
גְּשָׁה־ 3x gə·šāh- Genesis 27:21, Genesis 27:26, Isaiah 49:20
וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ 3x way·yig·gaš Genesis 18:23, 1 Samuel 9:18, 1 Samuel 17:16
וַיִּגַּשׁ֙ 3x way·yig·gaš Genesis 27:27, 1 Kings 22:24, 2 Chronicles 18:23
וַיִּגְּשׁ֨וּ 3x way·yig·gə·šū Joshua 14:6, 2 Kings 2:5, Ezra 4:2
בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם 2x ḇə·ḡiš·tām Exodus 28:43, Exodus 30:20
הַגִּ֖ישָׁה 2x hag·gî·šāh 1 Samuel 14:18, 1 Samuel 23:9
וַיִּגַּ֣שׁ 2x way·yig·gaš Genesis 29:10, 2 Samuel 10:13
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 19x Genesis 18:23, Genesis 27:22, Genesis 27:27, Genesis 29:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 12x Genesis 19:9, Genesis 43:19, Genesis 45:4, Numbers 32:16
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 6x Genesis 27:25, Genesis 48:10, Genesis 48:13, Leviticus 8:14
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 6x Exodus 24:14, Leviticus 21:21, Leviticus 21:23, Psalms 91:7
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular 5x Genesis 27:25, 1 Samuel 14:18, 1 Samuel 23:9, 1 Samuel 30:7
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural 5x Genesis 45:4, Joshua 3:9, 1 Samuel 14:38, 1 Kings 18:30
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 5x Exodus 24:2, Job 41:16, Isaiah 41:1, Ezekiel 44:13
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 4x Exodus 24:2, Deuteronomy 20:2, Jeremiah 30:21, Amos 9:13
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Core meaning "to approach" spans intimate, hostile, and devotional contexts—fundamentally relational.
Strong's H5066
Lexical occurrences 125 verses Word forms 5 forms 48 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 18:22-33 Source Gloss
to be or come (causatively, bring ) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack ; religious to worship ; causatively, to present ; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back
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 5 Aligned forms 48
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 22×
Imperfect Exod 24:14 · Isa 50:8 · Lev 21:21 · Lev 21:23 · Ps 91:7 · Exod 24:2 · Ezek 44:13 · Isa 41:1 · Job 41:8 10×
Sequential imperfect 1Kgs 18:30 · 1Sam 14:38 · 2Chr 29:31 · Gen 45:4 · Josh 3:9 · 2Sam 1:15 · Gen 19:9 · Ruth 2:14 8×
Jussive Exod 19:15 · Ezek 9:6 · Isa 65:5 · Joel 4:9 4×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 14×
Participle active 1Kgs 5:1 · 2Kgs 4:5 · Mal 1:7 · Mal 3:3 4×
Sequential imperfect 1Sam 13:9 · 1Sam 14:34 · 1Sam 15:32 · Isa 41:21 4×
Imperfect Amos 9:10 · Isa 41:22 · Mal 1:8 3×
Perfect 2Sam 17:29 · Amos 5:25 2×
Jussive Job 40:19 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 9×
Perfect 1Kgs 20:13 · Exod 20:21 · Gen 33:7 · Isa 29:13 · 1Sam 7:10 · Exod 34:32 · Ezra 9:1 · 2Sam 11:20 · 2Sam 11:21 9×
Hophal causative passive — the subject is caused to perform the action 2×
Perfect 2Sam 3:34 1×
Participle passive Mal 1:11 1×
Hithpael reflexive or reciprocal — the subject acts on itself or mutually with others 1×
Sequential imperfect Isa 45:20 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Abraham approaching God to intercede and present his petition respectfully
Joseph's brothers approaching him, moving into his presence after emotional revelation
Judah approaching Pharaoh to present the family and seek favor or permission
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 125 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
נָגַשׁ 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