Hebrew word · H5286

נָעַר

na'aru

to growl

Lexicons usually list two separate verbs spelled the same way. (1) nāʿar I, 'to growl', found only here and explained by comparison with Arabic and by the parallel with 'roar'. (2) nāʿar II, 'to shake, shake off', a common verb (Judg 16:20; Neh 5:13; Isa 52:2).

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Qal) to growl

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 Jeremiah 51:38

Range of meaning

Lexicons usually list two separate verbs spelled the same way. (1) nāʿar I, 'to growl', found only here and explained by comparison with Arabic and by the parallel with 'roar'. (2) nāʿar II, 'to shake, shake off', a common verb (Judg 16:20; Neh 5:13; Isa 52:2). BDB and HALOT both list Jer 51:38 under 'growl'.

Against the English

BSB, WEB, NASB and most modern versions have 'growl'. KJV has 'yell'. YLT has 'they have shaken themselves', which follows the 'shake' verb.

How it drifted

This is not a case of English drifting. It is a genuine question about which Hebrew verb is meant. KJV's 'yell' in 1611 could describe an animal's howl. Today it suggests a person shouting.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Latin Vulgate has 'excutient comas', 'they will shake their manes'. Jerome evidently read the 'shake' verb, which suggests the 'growl' meaning was not the only reading in ancient times. Most modern lexicons prefer 'growl' because it matches 'roar' in the first half of the line.

Where it appears

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 51:38 נָעֲר֖וּ they growl

    They will roar together like young lions; they will growl like lion cubs.

    Here: Most likely the lower, rumbling growl that answers the roar in the first half of the line. This verb appears only here in this sense, so the meaning comes from context and from comparing other languages. Some ancient translators read it as the common verb 'to shake' (shaking the mane) instead.

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