Word Study for H5068 (נָדַב) | Strong's Concordance

nâdab /naw-dab'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto impel; hence, to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously

KJV usageoffer freely, be (give, make, offer self) willing(-ly).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of nâdab — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word nâdab, represented by H5068, is a primitive root meaning to impel, to volunteer, or to present spontaneously. It conveys the idea of offering something freely and willingly, without external compulsion. This word appears 17 times across 15 unique verses in the Bible, often highlighting acts of generosity and dedication that come from an internal motivation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical narratives, H5068 is most prominently featured in the context of offerings for the construction of sacred spaces. When God commands an offering for the Tabernacle, it is to be taken from every man who "giveth it willingly with his heart" Exodus 25:2. Later, the people respond when their "heart stirred him up" and their "spirit made willing" Exodus 35:21. This theme is repeated for the building of the Temple, where the leaders and people offered willingly with a perfect heart, causing great joy 1 Chronicles 29:9. The term also describes the dedication of people, such as the governors of Israel who offered themselves willingly Judges 5:9 and those who willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem Nehemiah 11:2.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words illuminate the concept of spontaneous giving and internal motivation:

H5071 nᵉdâbâh (free-will offering): A direct derivative of H5068, this noun refers to the spontaneous gift itself, often appearing alongside its root verb to emphasize the voluntary nature of the contribution Ezra 3:5.
H3820 lêb (heart): The act of offering willingly is consistently linked to the heart. It is the heart that makes the people willing Exodus 35:29, and it is with a perfect heart that they offer willingly to the LORD 1 Chronicles 29:9.
H7307 rûwach (spirit): Alongside the heart, the spirit is described as the source of this willingness. The offerings for the Tabernacle were brought by everyone whom his spirit made willing Exodus 35:21.
H8641 tᵉrûwmâh (offering): This word for a gift or offering is frequently the object of the willing action. The LORD's offering was to be taken from those who gave it willingly Exodus 25:2.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5068 emphasizes the value God places on the internal state of the giver.

Giving from the Heart: The repeated connection to the heart H3820 and spirit H7307 establishes a core principle: true giving and worship are not matters of mere obligation but of an internally impelled desire to contribute (Exodus 35:21, 1 Chronicles 29:9).
Consecration of Self: The word extends beyond material possessions to the offering of one's own life and service. It is used when asking who is willing to consecrate his service to the LORD 1 Chronicles 29:5 and to describe a man who willingly offered himself unto the LORD 2 Chronicles 17:16.
Uprightness and Joy: King David connects his own willing offering to the uprightness H4339 of his heart, acknowledging that God has pleasure H7521 in such integrity 1 Chronicles 29:17. The result of such giving among the people was great joy H8057.

Summary

In summary, H5068 nâdab defines a crucial aspect of biblical devotion. It is not simply about giving, but about the spontaneous and voluntary spirit behind the act. From the material contributions for the Tabernacle to the personal dedication of individuals for service, this word shows that God desires a response that flows freely from a willing heart and spirit. It illustrates that the source and motivation of an offering are as significant as the offering itself.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 17 occurrences, inflected in 9 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Hithpael Infinitive Construct 5×
Hithpael Participle Singular Masculine Absolute 3×
Hithpael Participle Plural Masculine Absolute 2×
Hithpael Perfect 3rd Plural common gender 2×
Hithpael Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 1×
Hithpael Perfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Qal Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Hithpael: Reflexive-intensive — the subject acts upon itself.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 15 verses across 6 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 1 Chronicles (5 verses); never once in the other 33.

Exodus

Judges

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.