Hebrew word · H6272
עָתַם
ne'tam
to burn
Uncertain, because this is its only occurrence. Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) suggest 'be scorched, burnt up' from the context. Some compare Arabic ʿatama/ʿatamah, used of the dark of early night, which gives 'be darkened.' Others suggest emending the text, though no Hebrew manuscript supports that.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) (Niphal) to be burned up, be scorched
1a) meaning uncertain
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
Uncertain, because this is its only occurrence. Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) suggest 'be scorched, burnt up' from the context. Some compare Arabic ʿatama/ʿatamah, used of the dark of early night, which gives 'be darkened.' Others suggest emending the text, though no Hebrew manuscript supports that.
- Against the English
'Scorched' (BSB, NIV, ESV), 'burned up' (WEB, NASB), 'consumed' (YLT), 'darkened' (KJV), 'blackened' (NLT, which combines the two ideas).
- Used elsewhere in the period
Septuagint: συγκέκαυται ἡ γῆ ὅλη, 'the whole land is burned up.' Vulgate: conturbata est terra, 'the land is thrown into confusion.' The KJV's 'darkened' reflects a medieval Jewish line of interpretation linked with the Arabic word.
Where it appears
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 9:19 נֶעְתַּ֣ם it has been scorched
By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man even spares his brother.
Here: A verb found only here, in a passive form: the land 'has been scorched' or perhaps 'darkened.' The surrounding fire imagery favours scorching, and the smoke of v.18 fits 'darkened' too.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.