Lexical Summary
nadab: To volunteer, to offer willingly, to incite, to impel
Original Word:נָדַב
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:nadab
Pronunciation:naw-dab'
Phonetic Spelling:(naw-dab')
KJV: offer freely, be (give, make, offer self) willing(-ly)
NASB:offered willingly, volunteered, moved, freewill offering, given as a freewill offering, made offering, make offerings willingly
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to impel
2. (hence) to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
offer freely, be give, make, offer self willingly
A primitive root; to impel; hence, to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously -- offer freely, be (give, make, offer self) willing(-ly).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto incite, impel
NASB Translationfreewill offering (1), given as a freewill offering (1), made offering (1), make offerings willingly (1), moved (2), moves (1), offer (1), offered (1), offered willingly (3), offerings willingly (1), volunteered (3), volunteers (1), willing (1), willingly offered (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Late Hebrew
id.; Arabic
call impel, incite (
be noble, willing, Generous is denominative from [
compare] according to Ba
NB § 125 e); VIII.
ready, willing; Assyrian
nidbu,
freewill-offering Dl
HWB 448; Aramaic
be willing Pa`el, Ithpa`al; Zinjirli
inciting, instigation DHM
Sendsch. 60); —
Perfect3masculine singularExodus 35:29; 3feminine singularExodus 35:21;Imperfect3masculine singular suffixExodus 25:2; —Exodus 25:2whose heart incited compareExodus 35:29; subjectExodus 35:21 (all P).
Perfect1singular1 Chronicles 29:27; 3masculine pluralEzra 2:68;1 Chronicles 29:9;Imperfect3masculine plural1 Chronicles 29:6;InfinitiveJudges 5:2 2t.;1 Chronicles 29:17; sf1 Chronicles 29:9;ParticipleEzra 3:5 + 2.t.; pluralJudges 5:9;Nehemiah 11:2; —
volunteer for warJudges 5:2,9; for service of other kinds 2Chronicles 17:16;Nehemiah 11:2.
offer freewill-offerings for the first temple1 Chronicles 29:5,6,9 (twice in verse);1 Chronicles 29:14,17 (twice in verse); for the secondEzra 1:4;Ezra 2:68;Ezra 3:5 (compare Biblical Aramaic).
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Motif of WillingnessThe verb נָדַב consistently underlines a movement of the heart that is neither coerced nor merely dutiful. It describes people stirred from within to give, serve, or step forward because they have first been moved by God. Throughout Scripture this spirit of readiness is linked to worship, stewardship, civic responsibility, and warfare, revealing a multifaceted biblical theology of voluntary devotion.
Willing Offerings for the Tabernacle
The earliest uses appear in the wilderness narrative when Moses conveyed the LORD’s call for contributions to the sanctuary. “From every man whose heart prompts him to give you shall receive My offering” (Exodus 25:2). Later, when the project commenced, “Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit prompted him came and brought the LORD’s offering for the work” (Exodus 35:21). These verses highlight that divine worship is funded not by tax but by willingness. The people’s response anticipates the New Covenant principle that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
The Heart of Leadership in David’s Generation
King David employed נָדַב to exhort Israel’s elders to underwrite Solomon’s temple. He asked, “Who then will volunteer to consecrate himself today to the LORD?” (1 Chronicles 29:5). The leaders answered with enthusiasm: “The people rejoiced at the offerings, for they had given willingly and wholeheartedly to the LORD” (1 Chronicles 29:9). David’s prayer interprets their generosity theologically: “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). The verb therefore intersects with a high view of God’s sovereignty—He both supplies the resources and inclines the heart to release them.
Volunteers in Battle
In the Song of Deborah the judges praise those who offered themselves for battle: “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD” (Judges 5:2, 9). Here נָדַב frames military courage as a freewill act of faith that secures deliverance. Much later, during King Jehoshaphat’s reforms, Amasiah “willingly served the LORD” as commander of two hundred thousand valiant warriors (2 Chronicles 17:16). Spiritual zeal produces civic bravery.
Restoration Era Generosity
After the Babylonian exile, the verb reappears when Cyrus returns the temple vessels and the remnant readies for travel. “All their neighbors encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings” (Ezra 1:6). Upon reaching Jerusalem, “Some of the heads of the families came to the house of the LORD to give freewill offerings for its reconstruction” (Ezra 2:68; cf. 3:5). The same impulse that erected the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple now rebuilds the second temple, reinforcing Scripture’s internal coherence.
Communal Blessing
Nehemiah records a civic application: “The people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to live in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 11:2). Resettling the capital—an act with economic and social costs—again demanded voluntary sacrifice. The blessing of the community underscores the influence one believer’s obedience can exert on many.
A Song for the Nations
Psalm 67 opens with the priestly benediction, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us.” Though the verb is absent in English, the psalmist’s request mirrors the willing favor God shows His people. The linguistic connection reminds readers that all human willingness ultimately rests on divine willingness to bless.
Theological Reflection
1. God’s work invites, never manipulates.
2. True worship includes material and personal surrender.
3. Leaders model willingness; the people follow.
4. Voluntary service extends beyond sanctuary walls to civic duty and national defense.
5. The post-exilic appearances highlight covenant continuity: redeemed people freely build God’s dwelling among them.
Ministry Application
• Stewardship: Encourage giving as Spirit-prompted gratitude, not pressured obligation.
• Leadership: Challenge elders and ministry heads to lead by example as David and the princes did.
• Service teams: Emphasize volunteering that flows from joy, transforming mundane tasks into worship.
• Church planting and revitalization: Look for hearts God has stirred rather than merely assembling manpower.
• Intercessory prayer: Ask the Lord to “incline our hearts” (cf.1 Chronicles 29:18) so that willingness precedes work.
Across redemptive history נָדַב illustrates how God’s people thrive when compelled not by force but by grace-wrought willingness, a dynamic still essential for vibrant ministry today.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת בהתנדב בנגינת הִֽתְנַדְּב֖וּ הִֽתְנַדְּבָ֔ם הִֽתְנַדְּבוּ֙ הִתְנַדֵּֽב׃ הִתְנַדַּ֣בְתִּי הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֔ים הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֖ים הַמִּתְנַדֵּ֖ב המתנדב המתנדבים התנדב׃ התנדבו התנדבם התנדבתי וַיִּֽתְנַדְּבוּ֩ ויתנדבו יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ ידבנו לְהִֽתְנַדֶּב־ לְהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב להתנדב להתנדב־ מִתְנַדֵּ֔ב מִתְנַדֵּ֥ב מתנדב נָדְבָ֨ה נָדַ֣ב נדב נדבה bə·hiṯ·nad·dêḇ bəhiṯnaddêḇ behitnadDev bin·ḡî·nōṯ bingiNot binḡînōṯ ham·miṯ·nad·də·ḇîm ham·miṯ·nad·dêḇ hammiṯnaddêḇ hammiṯnaddəḇîm hammitnadDev hammitnaddeVim hiṯ·nad·daḇ·tî hiṯ·nad·də·ḇām hiṯ·nad·də·ḇū hiṯ·nad·dêḇ hiṯnaddaḇtî hitnadDavti hiṯnaddêḇ hiṯnaddəḇām hiṯnaddəḇū hitnadDev hitnaddeVam hitnaddeVu lə·hiṯ·nad·dêḇ lə·hiṯ·nad·deḇ- ləhiṯnaddêḇ ləhiṯnaddeḇ- lehitnadDev miṯ·nad·dêḇ miṯnaddêḇ mitnadDev nā·ḏaḇ nā·ḏə·ḇāh nāḏaḇ naDav nāḏəḇāh nadeVah vaiyitnaddeVu way·yiṯ·nad·də·ḇū wayyiṯnaddəḇū yid·də·ḇen·nū yiddəḇennū yiddeVennu
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