Aramaic word · H5103

נְהַר

nehar

River

Nehar is a river, especially a large one (the Euphrates is simply 'the River' in Aramaic Ezra 4–7). Nur is the ordinary Aramaic word for fire. In Daniel 3 it is the fire of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace (3:6, 22–27). In 7:9 it is the fire of God's throne and wheels.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 15 times in 13 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

The River

Aramaic of pe.rat (פְּרָת "Euphrates" H6578)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 7:10

Range of meaning

Nehar is a river, especially a large one (the Euphrates is simply 'the River' in Aramaic Ezra 4–7). Nur is the ordinary Aramaic word for fire. In Daniel 3 it is the fire of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace (3:6, 22–27). In 7:9 it is the fire of God's throne and wheels.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'fiery stream' and ESV 'stream of fire' are accurate, but 'stream' can sound smaller than nehar. BSB/NIV/NASB 'river of fire' keeps the scale. NLT 'pouring out' brings across the continuous motion of the two participles.

Used elsewhere in the period

Fire around God's presence is old biblical imagery. 'Fire goes before him' (Ps 97:3), 'before him is a devouring fire' (Ps 50:3), the fiery law at Sinai (Deut 33:2). 1 Enoch 14:19, a Jewish text close to Daniel in date, has 'from beneath the throne came streams of flaming fire'. Later rabbinic tradition named the river Nehar Dinur and said angels are created from it each day (b. Ḥagigah 13b–14a). In verse 11 the beast is handed over to 'the burning of fire', using a different word (ʾeššāʾ).

Where it appears

Ezra · 14

  1. Ezra 4:10 נַהֲרָ֖ה river the

    and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.

  2. Ezra 4:11 נַהֲרָ֖ה river the

    (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:

  3. Ezra 4:16 נַהֲרָ֔א river the

    We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.

  4. Ezra 4:17 נַהֲרָ֛ה river the

    Then the king sent this reply: To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates: Greetings.

  5. Ezra 4:20 נַהֲרָ֑ה river the

    And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.

    Here: "The River" with the definite ending, meaning the Euphrates. Seen from the Persian heartland, everything west of it, from Syria down to the Egyptian border, was "beyond."

  6. Ezra 5:3 נַהֲרָ֛ה river the

    At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

  7. Ezra 5:6 נַהֲרָ֗ה נַהֲרָ֑ה river the

    This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.

    Here: 'The River', meaning the Euphrates. Together with the previous word it is the name of the Persian province west of the Euphrates (Syria, Phoenicia, Judah and their neighbours), named from the point of view of the capital in the east.

  8. Ezra 6:6 נַהֲרָ֜ה נַהֲרָ֑ה river the

    Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place!

  9. Ezra 6:8 נַהֲרָ֔ה river the

    I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.

  10. Ezra 6:13 נַהֲרָ֛ה river the

    In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.

  11. Ezra 7:21 נַהֲרָ֑ה river the

    I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly,

  12. Ezra 7:25 נַהֲרָ֔ה river the

    And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them.

    Here: 'The River' means the Euphrates. 'Beyond the River' (Akkadian Ebir-nāri) was the Persian administrative name for the province of Syria-Palestine west of the Euphrates, named from the viewpoint of Babylon and Susa.

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 7:10 נְהַ֣ר a river

    A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

    Here: A real, flowing river, not a trickle. Elsewhere in Aramaic Ezra it names the Euphrates ('Beyond the River'). Here it is a whole river made of fire.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.