Lexical Summary neker: Foreignness, alien, unfamiliar Original Word: נֶכֶר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance strange Or noker {no'-ker}; from nakar; something strange, i.e. Unexpected calamity -- strange. see HEBREW nakar Brown-Driver-Briggs נֶ֫כֶר, [נֹ֫כֶר noun [masculine] misfortune, calamity; — absolute נֶכֶר Job 31:3 calamity ("" אֵיד); suffix נָכְרוֺ Obadiah 12 his calamity. Topical Lexicon Definition and Range of Meaning The noun נֶכֶר (neker) communicates a sudden, often unexpected calamity that overtakes the wicked. Though its lexical root can bear ideas of “foreignness” or “strangeness,” the single biblical occurrence uses the word figuratively for a disastrous visitation that is alien to peace and well-being. Contextual Occurrence (Job 31:3) Job, protesting his innocence, appeals to an agreed moral principle: “Is not calamity for the unrighteous and disaster for the workers of iniquity?” (Job 31:3). Here נֶכֶר underscores the certainty of divine recompense. Job assumes that a moral universe exists in which God sends neker against those who practice evil, while the righteous should be spared. His complaint arises because, in his experience, calamity has struck the innocent (himself), apparently overturning the norm. Theological Significance 1. Retributive Justice. Neḵer embodies the outworking of God’s just governance. By assigning “calamity” to the wicked, Scripture affirms moral order (compare Proverbs 11:8; Isaiah 3:10-11). Historical Background In the patriarchal setting depicted in Job, prosperity and adversity were interpreted theologically. Calamity—not merely natural misfortune but a divinely sanctioned blow—signaled covenant curses (Genesis 12:17; Deuteronomy 28:20). Job’s friends embrace that traditional outlook; Job challenges its simplistic application while still affirming that such calamity belongs to the wicked. Parallel Concepts in Scripture • רָעָה (raʿah, “evil, harm”) – Jeremiah 6:19. All three share neker’s theme: an overwhelming judgment descending upon evildoers. Redemptive Trajectory Ultimate calamity is separation from God (Matthew 7:23). In Christ, believers are delivered from that fate: “God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Neḵer thus foreshadows the wrath Christ bears on behalf of His people, affirming both God’s uncompromising justice and His gracious provision. Practical and Ministry Application • Preaching: Neḵer offers a solemn reminder that sin invites real, not merely theoretical, consequences. It calls congregations to repentance and holy living (Acts 17:30-31). Summary Neker, though appearing only once, powerfully captures the certainty of divinely inflicted disaster upon unrepentant wickedness. Its presence in Job anchors a key biblical conviction: God rules morally, dealing calamity to iniquity while ultimately vindicating those who fear Him. Forms and Transliterations וְ֝נֵ֗כֶר ונכר veNecher wə·nê·ḵer wənêḵerLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 31:3 HEB: אֵ֥יד לְעַוָּ֑ל וְ֝נֵ֗כֶר לְפֹ֣עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ NAS: to the unjust And disaster to those who work KJV: to the wicked? and a strange [punishment] to the workers INT: calamity to the unjust and disaster work wickedness 1 Occurrence |
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