Hebrew Thoughts Archives
First available on December 15, 2007

n^eqêbhâh 'female'

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	Author Bio
	Jonathan Went teaches biblical Hebrew and Jewish background to Christianity. His "Biblical Hebrew made easy" course can be found at www.biblicalhebrew.com. He specialises in Hermeneutics, Judaica and Patristics (Early Church). He is the editor of the new Hebraic Roots journal, Roots and Branches (www.rootsandbranchespress.com) and also runs www.BMSoftware.com a biblical and multilingual software site.

The word for female nÐq"bFh n^eqêbhâh (Strong's #5347, x22) is relatively rare compared to the high incidence of (I%Fh 'îshshâh "woman" (Strong's #802, x780) which is just the feminine form of "man" (Iy$ 'îysh (Strong's #376, x2180), just as we have wo/man, fe/male, vir/ago (Latin). It is, however, a feminine formed word with the Hebrew  F -âh suffix derived from nÓqAb nâqabh (Strong's #5344, x25).

nÐq"bFh n^eqêbhâh is not related in any way to the Hebrew word for "male" zÓkFr zâkâr (Strong's #2145, x81) and stands in its own right. It does, however, often appear with zÓkFr zâkâr in the couplet "male and female", indeed, in 15 of its 22 occurrences.

It could stand for the female of humankind or animalkind, as in the "male and female" of the species taken in to the Ark (Genesis 6:19; 7:3,9,16) or of animals used for sacrifice (Leviticus 3:1,6).

Its first occurrence is in the creation narrative, Genesis 1:27; 5:2, "male and female he created them", describing the creation of both the singular first man and plurally of mankind, using the word (de 'âdhâm (Strong's #120, x522) in both cases. According to Jewish tradition the first man was both male and female until Eve was created from him, being taken out of him.

zÓkFr zâkâr (Strong's #2145, x81) "male" derives from zÓkAr zâkar (Strong's #2142, x236) "to remember" with the idea of preserving memory and family name and line. nÐq"bFh n^eqêbhâh, on the other hand, stems from nÓqAb nâqabh, meaning to "to pierce, perforate, bore", which appears to have a crude sexual connotation. Another derivative isnÕqEb neqebh (Strong's #5345, x1) which describes the hollowed-out setting for a gem, though not the gem itself (only used in Ezekiel 28:13). Thus, the idea of female, woman, could be seen as she who is pierced, entered, or as descriptive of her hollowed out organs of either vagina or womb.

The last occurrence of nÐq"bFh n^eqêbhâh is in the peculiar and hard to interpret passage in Jeremiah 31:22 "How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth a female shall encompass a man". The word for man here gÕbEr gebher (Strong's #1397, x68) is man in his might, emphasising his strength or warrior-like ability to fight, so it could suggest a weak-strong role reversal, or humiliation. This verse has been taken by some to be prophetic of the virgin birth, though it could simply suggest that instead of the Father pursuing the daughter, she will turn about, pursue and encircle her first love, the woman initiating the courting and taking the lead.

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