Word Study for H5142 (נְזַק) | Strong's Concordance

nᵉzaq /nez-ak'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to the root of נֵזֶק

Meaningto suffer (causatively, inflict) loss

KJV usagehave (en-) damage, hurt(-ful).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of nᵉzaq — 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 Aramaic word nᵉzaq, represented by H5142, is a term for suffering or inflicting loss. It appears 4 times across 4 unique verses in the Bible. Its core meaning relates to having or causing damage and being hurtful, particularly in a financial or political sense.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H5142 is used exclusively in contexts of governance and potential threats to royal authority. In the book of Ezra, it is used by the adversaries of Judah to argue against the rebuilding of Jerusalem. They claim the city is historically hurtful to kings Ezra 4:15 and that its reconstruction will endamage the royal revenue by cutting off taxes Ezra 4:13. The concern is that allowing the project to continue will let damage grow to the hurt of the kings Ezra 4:22. Similarly, in Daniel, the administrative system is set up so that "the king should have no damage," highlighting a concern for preventing loss to the crown Daniel 6:2.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related Aramaic words clarify the nature of the damage described by H5142:

H2257 chăbal (damage, hurt): This word for harm is used alongside H5142 to emphasize the growing threat to the kings, questioning why damage should increase to their hurt Ezra 4:22.
H2718 chărab (destroy): This term is linked to the outcome of a city being hurtful. Jerusalem's past destruction is cited as a direct consequence of its rebellious and hurtful nature Ezra 4:15.
H4779 mârâd (rebellious): This describes the character of the city deemed "hurtful" H5142. The accusation is that Jerusalem is a rebellious city, which is the source of the potential damage to the king Ezra 4:15.
H849 ʼeshtaddûwr (sedition): This specifies the kind of hurtful action taken by the city. It is accused of having moved sedition from old times, linking the damage directly to political insurrection Ezra 4:15.

Theological Significance

The political weight of H5142 is significant in the post-exilic narrative. It is central to understanding the opposition faced by the returning exiles.

Financial Loss: The word is used to frame opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem in economic terms. The primary argument is that a rebuilt city will cease paying toll and tribute, thereby causing direct financial endamage to the king's revenue Ezra 4:13.
Political Instability: H5142 is connected to rebellion and sedition. The city is labeled hurtful because of its alleged history of insurrection, making the potential damage a matter of state security and not just finances Ezra 4:15.
Administrative Protection: In a different context, the word underscores the purpose of good governance. The administrative structure in Daniel was designed specifically to prevent the king from suffering damage, showing that protecting the sovereign's interests was a key principle of the system Daniel 6:2.

Summary

In summary, H5142 is a specific Aramaic term for damage and loss, almost always in relation to a monarch's power and resources. It is not about general harm but about financial detriment and political threats that could undermine a king's authority. Through its use in Ezra and Daniel, it illustrates how concerns over revenue and rebellion were used to influence royal decisions and structure government.

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 4 occurrences, inflected in 4 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

תְּהַנְזִק
הַנְזָקַת
מְהַנְזְקַת
נָזִק

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 4 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Ezra (3 verses); never once in the other 37.

Ezra

Daniel

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, by grammatical form, 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.