English · KJV
H5413

נָתַךְ

nâthak /naw-thak'/ Ask about this word
Roota primitive root
Meaningto flow forth (literally or figuratively); by implication, to liquify
KJV usagedrop, gather (together), melt, pour (forth, out).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of nâthak — 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 nâthak, represented by H5413, is a primitive root used to describe something that flows forth or is liquified. It appears 21 times across 19 unique verses in the Bible. Its meanings include to pour out, melt, drop, or gather together, and it is applied to both literal substances like water and metal, and figurative concepts like divine wrath and human sorrow.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, H5413 most frequently describes the execution of divine judgment. The prophets warn that God's anger and fury will be poured out upon the disobedient, as seen in Jeremiah 7:20. This imagery depicts God's wrath not as a static state, but as an active, overwhelming force (Jeremiah 42:18, Nahum 1:6). The word is also used to illustrate a process of refinement or destruction through melting, where God states that the people of Israel will be melted in the furnace of his wrath Ezekiel 22:21-22. In a literal sense, it can refer to rain being poured upon the earth Exodus 9:33 or to the gathering of money for the temple treasury 2 Kings 22:9.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the contexts in which H5413 is used:

  • H2046 hittûwk (a melting): This noun is derived directly from nâthak and appears alongside it to emphasize the process of being melted in judgment Ezekiel 22:22.
  • H2534 chêmâh (fury, wrath): This is the substance most often described as being "poured out" by nâthak. Scripture repeatedly links God's fury with the action of it being poured forth upon people and places Jeremiah 44:6.
  • H1197 bâʻar (to burn, kindle): The act of pouring out wrath is often followed by fire. God's anger is poured out and then it shall burn and not be quenched Jeremiah 7:20.
  • H8210 shâphak (to spill forth, pour out): A close synonym, shâphak is used to describe the same act of God pouring out His fury, sometimes in parallel with nâthak to reinforce the imagery of judgment Ezekiel 22:22.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5413 is primarily centered on the nature of divine judgment and purification.

  • Active Judgment: The word portrays God's response to sin not as passive displeasure but as an active, flowing judgment. The curse for disobedience is poured upon Israel after they transgressed God's law Daniel 9:11.
  • Purifying Fire: The imagery of melting metal conveys a theme of purification. God gathers His people like silver and brass into a furnace to melt away their filthiness, revealing His intent to address impurity through intense trial (Ezekiel 22:20, Ezekiel 24:11).
  • Sovereignty over Nature and Emotion: The use of nâthak extends to God's control over the natural world, as when rain dropped from heaven 2 Samuel 21:10. It also captures the depth of human suffering, as when Job's roarings are poured out like water Job 3:24.

Summary

In summary, H5413 is a dynamic verb that gives tangible form to abstract concepts. It moves beyond a simple definition of "pouring" to become a powerful metaphor for divine judgment, vividly depicting God's wrath as a liquid force that flows forth and melts away impurity. From the melting of metal in a furnace to the pouring out of rain from the heavens, nâthak illustrates God's active and sovereign power over both the physical and spiritual realms.

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 21 occurrences, inflected in 15 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.

  • נִתַּךְ
  • תִּתַּךְ
  • נִתְּכָה
  • תִּתַּךְ
  • יַּתִּיכוּ
  • הִתַּכְתִּי
  • תַּתִּיכֵ
  • הַנְתִּיךְ
  • הִתִּיכוּ
  • תֻּתְּכוּ
  • נִתַּכְתֶּם
  • נִתְּכָה
  • נִתֶּכֶת
  • תִתַּךְ
  • יִּתְּכוּ

Related Words

Related

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.

H2046 הִתּוּךְ from נָתַךְ; a melting; is melted. H2534 חֵמָה or (Daniel 11:44) חֵמָא; from יָחַם; heat; figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever); anger, bottles, hot displeasure H1197 בָּעַר a primitive root; also as denominative from בַּעַר; to kindle, i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to be(-come) brutis H8210 שָׁפַךְ a primitive root; to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up); also (figurativel

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 19 verses across 9 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 2 Chronicles and Ezekiel (4 verses each); never once in the other 30.

1
Exodus
1
2 Samuel
1
2 Kings
4
2 Chronicles
2
Job
3
Jeremiah
4
Ezekiel
2
Daniel
1
Nahum

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.