Lexical Summary
nekar: foreign, strange
Original Word:נֵכָר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:nekar
Pronunciation:nay-KAR
Phonetic Spelling:(nay-kawr')
KJV: alien, strange (+ -er)
NASB:foreign, strange
Word Origin:[' fromH5234 (נָכַר - recognized)]
1. foreign, or (concretely) a foreigner, or (abstractly) heathendom
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
alien, strange
Fromnakar; foreign, or (concretely) a foreigner, or (abstractly) heathendom -- alien, strange (+ -er).
see HEBREWnakar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
nekerDefinitionthat which is foreign, foreignness
NASB Translationaliens* (2), foreign (16), foreigner* (6), foreigners* (10), strange (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(properly
unknown, compare Arabic √) (on formation compare Lag
BN 51, 154); — absolute
Judges 10:16 +, construct
Deuteronomy 31:16; —
foreignness (of another family, tribe, or nation), especially
=foreign godsGenesis 35:2,4;Joshua 24:20,23 (all E, = of D, compare ),Judges 10:16;1 Samuel 7:3;Jeremiah 5:19; 2Chronicles 33:5;Deuteronomy 31:16 =foreign gods of the land; singularDeuteronomy 32:12;Malachi 2:11;Psalm 81:10;Daniel 11:39.
=foreignerGenesis 17:12 ("" ),Genesis 17:27;Exodus 12:43 (all P),Leviticus 22:25 (H),Ezekiel 44:9 (twice in verse);Nehemiah 9:2;Isaiah 56:3;2 Samuel 22:45,46 =Psalm 18:45;Psalm 18:46;Ezekiel 44:7;Isaiah 56:6;Isaiah 60:10;Isaiah 61:5;Isaiah 62:8;Psalm 144:7;Psalm 144:11.
other combinations:Jeremiah 8:19foreign vanities (idolatries); 2Chron 14:2foreign altars;Psalm 137:4foreign soil;Nehemiah 13:30from everything foreign.
Topical Lexicon
Overviewנֵכָר (ne khar) conveys “foreign, alien, strange,” describing that which stands outside Israel’s covenant identity—whether persons, lands, languages, gods, or practices. The word appears about thirty-six times, always sharpening the contrast between Yahweh’s holy people and everything outside His revealed will.
Foreign Peoples and Nations
Israel’s national life was framed by the call to be “a people holy to the LORD” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Therefore ne khar often designates non-Israelites living in or around the land. InDeuteronomy 17:15 Israel is warned, “You shall not set a foreigner over you who is not your brother.” Civic leadership was to arise from within the covenant family, guarding Israel from cultural and spiritual drift.
Strangers Dwelling Among Israel
WhileExodus 12:43 bars the “foreigner” from partaking of Passover without first entering covenant, the same chapter welcomes him once circumcised (Exodus 12:48). The tension highlights both the exclusivity of redemptive signs and the inclusivity of God’s mercy.Proverbs 2:16 and 5:10 portray the ne khar as a social outsider who can exploit the naïve, underscoring the need for wisdom when interacting with resident aliens.
Foreign Lands and Exile
Ne khar can modify “land” (Isaiah 28:21), “language” (Psalm 114:1), or “people” (2 Chronicles 6:32). Solomon’s temple prayer embraces even the “foreigner who is not of Your people Israel” yet prays toward the temple (2 Chronicles 6:32-33). The promise anticipates God’s mission to bless all nations through Abraham.
Foreign Gods and Idolatry
Most frequently the term qualifies “god” (’elōhîm). “There shall be no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to a strange god” (Psalm 81:9).Hosea 8:12 characterizes idolatry as loving “a strange thing,” revealing that any worship imported from outside Yahweh’s covenant order is ne khar, however attractive it seems.
Foreign Women and Intermarriage
Nehemiah 13:26-27 recalls Solomon, “Even him foreign women caused to sin,” pressing home the danger of alliances that dilute covenant fidelity. InProverbs 7:5 the “strange woman” lures the unguarded man; the image becomes a moral parable for spiritual adultery with foreign gods.
Purity of Worship and Holiness
Isaiah exposes empty ritual: “These people draw near with their mouths… but their hearts are far from Me, and their worship of Me is but rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13). Here “far” (ne khar) signifies estrangement even inside the temple courts. Authentic worship demands covenant obedience, not borrowed forms.
Prophetic Hope for the Foreigner
God’s aim is never mere ethnic separation.Isaiah 56:6-7 welcomes “foreigners who join themselves to the LORD… their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar.” The prophetic vision looks beyond walls of distinction to a house of prayer “for all nations,” anticipating the gospel era when “you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints” (Ephesians 2:19).
Theological Thread
1. Holiness: ne khar warns that God’s people must remain distinct in worship and ethics.
2. Mission: the same term highlights God’s intention to draw the outsider into covenant blessing.
3. Christological Fulfillment: Jesus, rejected by His own, receives the “foreigners” (Luke 17:18;John 12:20-32), embodying Solomon’s prayer and Isaiah’s promise.
4. Ecclesial Application: the church is called to maintain doctrinal purity while extending gospel hospitality, echoing Passover’s pattern—closed table to the uncircumcised, open to any who enter the new covenant through Christ.
Ministry Significance Today
• Guard the flock against “foreign” doctrine—teach sound, apostolic truth.
• Cultivate a welcoming posture toward outsiders seeking the Lord, reflecting Solomon’s temple prayer.
• Model covenant fidelity in marriage, resisting cultural pressures that erode biblical convictions.
• Engage global missions, confident that the gospel breaks down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile.
By tracing ne khar through Scripture, believers see both the danger of syncretism and the wideness of God’s mercy, finding in Christ the decisive answer to every form of alienation.
Forms and Transliterations
הַנֵּכָ֖ר הַנֵּכָ֗ר הַנֵּכָ֛ר הַנֵּכָ֤ר הַנֵּכָר֙ הנכר נֵ֝כָ֗ר נֵ֫כָ֥ר נֵֽכַר־ נֵכָ֑ר נֵכָ֔ר נֵכָ֖ר נֵכָ֗ר נֵכָ֥ר נֵכָֽר׃ נֵכָר֙ נכר נכר־ נכר׃ han·nê·ḵār hanneChar hannêḵār nê·ḵār nê·ḵar- neChar nêḵār nêḵar-
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