נהר

Aramaic

Verb

נְהַר • (transliteration needed)

1. to light, to shine

Hebrew

Root
נ־ה־ר (n-h-r)
2 terms

נהר הירדן בישראל

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *nahar- (“river”). Cognate with Akkadian 𒀀𒇉 (nārum) and Arabic نَهْر (nahr). The verb is a denominal and follows from the noun, cf. Arabic نَهَرَ (nahara, “to flow”).

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /naːˈhaːr/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): [nɔːˈhɔːʀ̟]
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): [ˈnɔhɔʁ]
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /naˈ(h)aʁ/, (nonstandard) /naˈʔaʁ/

Noun

נָהָר • (nahár) m (plural indefinite נְהָרוֹת or נְהָרִים, singular construct נְהַר־, plural construct נַהֲרוֹת־) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. river (especially the Nile, Euphrates, etc.)

Derived terms

• אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם (arám naharáyim)
• כֶּלֶב נָהָר (kélev nahár)

Verb

נָהַר • (nahár) (pa'al construction)

1. to flow
2. (figuratively) to come, rush
   • Tanach, Isaiah 2:2, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְהָיָה  בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית־יְהֹוָה בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְנִשָּׂא מִגְּבָעוֹת וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם׃

     And it shall come to pass in the end of days, That the mountain of the LORD’S house Shall be established as the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow unto it.

References

• H5104 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) “נָהָר”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 407a
• Jastrow, Marcus (1903) A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, London, New York: Luzac & Co., G.P. Putnam's Sons, page 882b
• “נהר” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Aramaic נְהַר (nəhar, “to shine”), whose root is related to Hebrew נ־ו־ר, whence words such נֵר (ner, “candle”) and מְנוֹרָה (m'norá, “menorah”) are derived.

Verb

נָהַר • (nahár) (pa'al construction)

1. to shine
   • Tanach, Psalms 34:6, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     הִבִּיטוּ אֵלָיו וְנָהָרוּ וּפְנֵיהֶם אַל־יֶחְפָּרוּ׃

     They looked unto Him, and were radiant; And their faces shall never be abashed.

Conjugation

Conjugation of נָהַר (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לנהור / לִנְהֹר
		action noun		נְהִירָה
		passive participle		—
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	נָהַרְתִּי		נָהַרְנוּ
	second	נָהַרְתָּ	נָהַרְתְּ	נְהַרְתֶּם1	נְהַרְתֶּן1
	third	נָהַר	נָהֲרָה	נָהֲרוּ
present		נוֹהֵר	נוֹהֶרֶת	נוֹהֲרִים	נוֹהֲרוֹת
future	first	אֶנְהַר		נִנְהַר
	second	תִּנְהַר	תִּנְהֲרִי	תִּנְהֲרוּ	תִּנְהַרְנָה2
	third	יִנְהַר	תִּנְהַר	יִנְהֲרוּ	תִּנְהַרְנָה2
imperative		נְהַר	נַהֲרִי	נַהֲרוּ	נְהַרְנָה2

¹ Pronounced נָהַרְתֶּם and נָהַרְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

• H5102 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible