Word Study for H5312 (נְפַק) | Strong's Concordance

nᵉphaq /nef-ak'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) a primitive root

Meaningto issue; causatively, to bring out

KJV usagecome (go, take) forth (out).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of nᵉphaq — 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 nᵉphaq, represented by H5312, is a primitive root meaning to issue; causatively, to bring out; come (go, take) forth (out). It appears 11 times across 9 unique verses in the Bible. Its use in scripture often describes a significant emergence, whether a command, a person, an object, or a divine manifestation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H5312 is used to depict several types of "coming out." It can describe the issuing of an official order, such as when a decree "went forth" to slay the wise men of Babylon Daniel 2:13. The word also portrays supernatural events, as when the "fingers of a man's hand came forth" to write on the palace wall Daniel 5:5. In a display of divine deliverance, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are commanded to "come forth" and subsequently "came forth of the midst of the fire" Daniel 3:26. It is also used causatively to mean "take out," as when Nebuchadnezzar "had taken" the sacred vessels out of the temple in Jerusalem Daniel 5:2.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the context of "coming forth":

H5047 nᵉgad (to flow... issue): This word is used alongside H5312 to describe the powerful emergence of a "fiery stream" that "issued and came forth" in a divine vision, emphasizing the flowing nature of the issuance Daniel 7:10.
H858 ʼâthâh (to arrive; (be-) come, bring): This term for general arrival is used when Nebuchadnezzar commands the three men to "come forth, and come hither" Daniel 3:26, distinguishing the specific act of exiting the furnace from the general act of arriving.
H2987 yᵉbal (to bring; bring, carry): This word describes the action that follows removal. Nebuchadnezzar first "took forth" (H5312) the temple vessels and then "brought" (H2987) them to Babylon, showing a sequence of removal and transport Ezra 6:5.
H8421 tûwb (to come back... restore, return (an answer)): This word often acts as a counterpart to H5312. The vessels "took forth" from Jerusalem were commanded to "be restored" Ezra 6:5. Similarly, Daniel "answered" (H8421) the captain who had "gone forth" (H5312) to execute a decree Daniel 2:14.

Theological Significance

The conceptual weight of H5312 is significant and appears in several key themes:

Execution of Authority: H5312 is linked to the enactment of power. A royal decree "went forth" Daniel 2:13, and the king's captain had "gone forth" to carry it out Daniel 2:14, illustrating how a command is put into motion.
Supernatural Manifestation: The word is used to describe dramatic, divine appearances. It marks the moment a disembodied hand "came forth" Daniel 5:5 and the vision of a fiery stream that "came forth" from before God's throne of judgment Daniel 7:10.
Sacrilege and Restoration: The repeated action of Nebuchadnezzar having "taken" (H5312) the holy vessels from God's temple establishes a theme of sacrilege (Daniel 5:2, Ezra 5:14). The eventual restoration of these items is a central theme in Ezra.
Miraculous Deliverance: The exit of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they "came forth" from the furnace is a key moment of God's power to save His servants from certain death Daniel 3:26.

Summary

In summary, H5312 signifies more than simple movement; it captures the decisive moment of emergence. This can be the enactment of a human decree, the plunder of sacred items, or a powerful divine intervention. The word connects the spheres of royal authority, divine judgment, and miraculous salvation, showing how things are brought out from one state into another, often with profound consequences.

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 10 occurrences, inflected in 7 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.

הַנְפֵּק
הַנְפִּקוּ
פֻּקוּ
נָפְקִין
נֶפְקַת
נְפַק
נָפֵק

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 9 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Daniel (7 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.