Lexical Summary
natal: laid, lifted, lifts
Original Word:נָטַל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:natal
Pronunciation:naw-TAL
Phonetic Spelling:(naw-tal')
KJV: bear, offer, take up
NASB:laid, lifted, lifts, offering
Word Origin:[a prim root]
1. to lift
2. (by implication) to impose
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bear, offer, take up
A prim root; to lift; by implication, to impose -- bear, offer, take up.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto lift, bear
NASB Translationlaid (1), lifted (1), lifts (1), offering (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(rare synonym of Biblical Aramaic
lift; hence specifically, Syriac
sustulit (aquam), further,
be heavy; also borrowed and denominative forms in Arabic and Late Hebrew, compare Frä
65f.); —
Perfect3masculine singularLamentations 3:28;Imperfect3masculine singularIsaiah 40:15;Participle active2 Samuel 24:12; —lift, with accusativeIsaiah 40:15 (figurative subject );lift over thee () i.e. offer2 Samuel 24:12, but read (as ""1 Chronicles 21:10) We Bu HPS;lift (and lay) upon ()Lamentations 3:28.
Imperfect suffixIsaiah 63:9and he bare them, figurative of bearing his people ("" ).
[] ( Syriac; Biblical Hebrew (rare)); —
Perfect1singularDaniel 4:31 (Assyrianna‰âlu =look).
(WCG 224)be lifted:Perfect3feminine singularDaniel 7:4.
Topical Lexicon
Semantics and Nuancesנָטַל expresses decisive action involving the removal, elevation, or imposition of something. The verb may describe (1) the gracious act of carrying or bearing on behalf of another, or (2) the weighty act of laying a consequence upon someone. In every occurrence, the subject possesses authority to do what is lifted, borne, or imposed, whether that subject is the Lord or a delegated messenger.
Canonical Distribution
The word appears only four times, yet its settings span narrative history (2 Samuel), prophetic proclamation (Isaiah), and poetic lament (Lamentations). This limited but strategic dispersion allows the reader to trace a consistent testimony: the Lord who can “lift” nations like dust (Isaiah 40:15) is the same Lord who can “carry” His covenant people in steadfast love (Isaiah 63:9) and also “lay upon” them corrective discipline (Lamentations 3:28).
References
•2 Samuel 24:12
•Isaiah 40:15
•Isaiah 63:9
•Lamentations 3:28
God’s Sovereign Options:2 Samuel 24:12
After David’s census, God offers three judgments with the assurance, “Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you”. The verb underscores that the plague, famine, or pursuit will not be a random catastrophe but an act the Lord Himself “carries out.” The king’s choice and the Lord’s execution reveal divine prerogative married to human accountability.
Majesty over the Nations:Isaiah 40:15
“Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; … He lifts the islands like fine dust”. Here נָטַל showcases Yahweh’s effortless supremacy. The imagery of islands being raised like specks strips the nations of any pretense of permanence or power, inviting faith in the God who alone bears cosmic weight.
Covenantal Compassion:Isaiah 63:9
“In all their distress He too was afflicted, … He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old”. The verb moves from judgment to tender salvation. The same Lord who can impose a plague also stoops to bear His people. Salvation history—from the Exodus to the return from exile—rests on this divine willingness to shoulder what His people cannot.
Corrective Burden:Lamentations 3:28
“Let him sit alone in silence, for God has laid it upon him”. Jeremiah counsels quiet submission under divine discipline. The burden is not accidental; it is something God has deliberately “laid” upon the sufferer for redemptive purposes. נָטַל thus legitimizes chastening as purposeful and ultimately hopeful (Lamentations 3:31–33).
Theological Themes
1. Sovereign Agency: Whether lifting nations or disciplining saints, the Lord alone determines what is borne or imposed.
2. Redemptive Bearing: God not only imposes burdens but also carries His people, prefiguring the ultimate bearing of sin by Christ (Matthew 8:17;1 Peter 2:24).
3. Human Response: The verb calls for either repentance (David), reverent awe (Isaiah 40), grateful remembrance (Isaiah 63), or humble submission (Lamentations 3).
Historical Background
• 2 Samuel’s use arises during David’s monarchy, illustrating the covenant king’s vulnerability to divine evaluation.
•Isaiah 40 was written to comfort exiles in Babylon, contrasting God’s might with imperial powers.
•Isaiah 63 reflects on wilderness wanderings and anticipates a future redemption, likely in the post-exilic community’s contemplation.
•Lamentations 3 speaks from the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem after 586 BC, finding meaning in suffering.
Ministry Application
Pastors and teachers can employ נָטַל to show believers that the God who disciplines is also the God who delivers; the One who imposes trials also bears His people through them (1 Corinthians 10:13). Counseling settings can draw uponLamentations 3:28 to encourage silent, trusting surrender under providential hardship. Mission-minded Christians may useIsaiah 40:15 to remind themselves that geopolitical upheavals are dust before the Lord, emboldening prayer and witness. Finally, intercessors can look toIsaiah 63:9 as a pattern for carrying others in prayer, reflecting the Lord’s own lifting ministry.
Devotional Reflection
Contemplate the paradox: the Almighty who “lifts the islands like fine dust” (Isaiah 40:15) stoops to “carry them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9). In every burden He lays upon you, seek the greater burden He has already borne for you in Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
וַֽיְנַטְּלֵ֥ם וינטלם יִטּֽוֹל׃ יטול׃ נָטַ֖ל נוֹטֵ֣ל נוטל נטל nā·ṭal naTal nāṭal nō·w·ṭêl noTel nōwṭêl vaynatteLem way·naṭ·ṭə·lêm waynaṭṭəlêm yiṭ·ṭō·wl yitTol yiṭṭōwl
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