Aramaic word · H5135
נוּר
nur
fire
'Fire', the Aramaic counterpart of Hebrew ʾēš. In Daniel 3 it appears again and again for the 'burning fiery furnace' (nûrāʾ yāqidtāʾ).
A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?
Appears 17 times in 14 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·
What it means
fire
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
- Range of meaning
'Fire', the Aramaic counterpart of Hebrew ʾēš. In Daniel 3 it appears again and again for the 'burning fiery furnace' (nûrāʾ yāqidtāʾ).
- Against the English
'Fire / ablaze' is accurate. English loses the repetition (nûr appears twice) and the echo of Daniel 3.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Fire marks God's presence: the burning bush, Sinai (Exod 19:18; Deut 4:24 'a consuming fire'), the fiery appearance around the throne in Ezek 1:27. 1 Enoch 14:19–22 has streams of fire flowing from beneath the throne.
Where it appears
Daniel · 17
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Daniel 3:6 נוּרָ֖א fire the
And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.”
Here: 'The fire'. Together with the previous word: 'the furnace of the fire', i.e. a fire-kiln.
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Daniel 3:11 נוּרָ֖א fire the
and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
Here: "The fire" (with the article). It makes the phrase "the furnace of the fire" definite, meaning the particular furnace already announced and waiting.
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Daniel 3:15 נוּרָ֖א fire the
Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue I have made, very good. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”
Here: 'Of fire': a furnace of fire.
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Daniel 3:17 נוּרָ֧א fire the
If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king.
Here: 'The fire'. The phrase 'furnace of the burning fire' repeats through the chapter like a refrain (vv.6, 11, 15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 26).
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Daniel 3:20 נוּרָ֖א fire the
and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.
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Daniel 3:21 נוּרָ֖א fire the
So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
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Daniel 3:22 נוּרָֽא׃ fire the
The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
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Daniel 3:23 נוּרָ֥א fire the
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the blazing fiery furnace.
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Daniel 3:24 נוּרָא֙ fire the
Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied.
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Daniel 3:25 נוּרָ֔א fire the
“Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”
Here: 'The fire', the particular blaze the king had ordered heated seven times hotter (v. 19).
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Daniel 3:26 נוּרָ֣א נוּרָֽא׃ fire the
Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,
Here: “The fire”. This word appears again and again through the chapter. The kiln is defined entirely by its fire.
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Daniel 3:27 נוּרָ֜א נ֔וּר fire the, fire
and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Here: The fire of the "furnace of blazing fire" that the king had ordered heated seven times hotter (3:19). It is the king's instrument of death.
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Daniel 7:9 נ֔וּר נ֥וּר fire, [were] fire
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
Here: 'Fire'. It is the same word as the 'burning fiery furnace' of Daniel 3. Here the fire belongs to God's own seat.
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Daniel 7:10 נ֗וּר fire
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: The same word used in verse 9 for the flaming throne and its burning wheels. The fire of the throne pours out as a river.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.