Original Word: נָא
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: na'
Pronunciation: nah
Phonetic Spelling: (naw)
KJV: raw
NASB: raw
Word Origin: [apparently from H5106 (נוּא - forbid) in the sense of harshness from refusal]

1. (properly) tough, i.e. uncooked (flesh)

raw

Apparently from nuw' in the sense of harshness from refusal; properly, tough, i.e. Uncooked (flesh) -- raw.

see HEBREW nuw'

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
raw
NASB Translation
raw (1).

נִיא ( √ of following, compare Arabic (medial י), be raw).

Meaning and Context

The single Hebrew term under consideration conveys the idea of flesh that is incompletely prepared—“raw,” “underdone,” or “partly cooked.” Its usage does not merely describe culinary technique; it carries covenantal weight within the instructions for the first Passover, where precise obedience would distinguish Israel from Egypt and safeguard the people under the blood of the lamb.

Occurrence in Scripture

Exodus 12:9: “Do not eat any of it raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and its inner parts” (Berean Standard Bible).

Here, the prohibition stands between two impermissible methods (“raw” and “boiled”) and one prescribed method (“roasted over the fire”), underscoring that the manner of consumption was as divinely mandated as the selection and sacrifice of the lamb itself.

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Near Eastern peoples commonly consumed meat in various states of preparation, but Israel’s covenant meal was to be differentiated from pagan practices. Eating meat still containing blood or inaugurating rituals with partially cooked flesh had associations with idolatrous rites (compare Leviticus 3:17; Deuteronomy 12:23). By forbidding raw or underdone meat, God insulated His people from syncretistic contamination and instilled a pattern of meticulous obedience on the eve of their redemption.

Liturgical and Theological Significance

1. Completeness of Sacrifice: Roasting over fire ensured total exposure to judgment imagery—fire in Scripture consistently evokes divine scrutiny and purification (Numbers 31:23; Isaiah 6:6-7). An underdone offering would symbolize incomplete judgment, whereas total roasting prefigures the comprehensive suffering Christ would endure (Luke 24:26).
2. Unity of the Lamb: Boiling would require breaking the carcass into pieces, contravening the instruction to keep “its head and legs and its inner parts” together. The raw-meat ban thus supports the typological picture of the unbroken body of the Messiah (John 19:36).
3. Separation from Blood: Raw flesh still bears life-blood, which Levitical law forbids for consumption (Leviticus 17:11). The Passover command anticipates that principle.

Lessons for Christian Ministry

• Wholehearted Obedience: The detail reminds believers that faithfulness extends to seemingly minor commands (Matthew 5:19).
• Full Gospel, Not Half-Cooked: Preachers must present a complete Christ—His incarnation, atoning death, resurrection, and return—rather than an underdeveloped or selective message (Acts 20:27).
• Sanctified Distinctiveness: As Israel’s table practices marked them off from Egypt, so the church’s holy living distinguishes it from the world (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Christological and Ecclesiological Implications

The lamb eaten neither raw nor boiled but roasted whole foreshadows the perfect, undivided offering of Jesus Christ. As the Israelites were to consume every part, so the church is called to “feed” on the whole counsel of God and embrace the entire person and work of Christ (John 6:53-56). Moreover, the unity of the lamb parallels the unity of Christ’s body, the church (1 Corinthians 10:17), which must not be fractured by partial truths or half-hearted devotion.

Practical Application

• Personal Devotion: Believers examine their lives for areas of “undercooked” obedience, bringing every aspect under the refining fire of the Spirit (Romans 12:1-2).
• Family Worship: Households recall the first Passover by rehearsing the gospel narrative in its fullness, guarding against diluted teaching for children.
• Corporate Worship: Churches guard the Lord’s Table, ensuring that its observance reflects wholehearted allegiance to the Lamb who was fully offered, never partially surrendered.

Thus, the single occurrence of this term serves as a perpetual reminder that God calls His people to complete, undivided, and sanctified participation in His redemptive provision.

נָ֔א נא Na nāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts