Original Word: נֹכַח
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: nokach
Pronunciation: NO-kakh
Phonetic Spelling: (no'-kakh)
KJV: (over) against, before, direct(-ly), for, right (on)
NASB: opposite, front, right before, before, approval, behalf, directly ahead
Word Origin: [from the same as H5226 (נֵכַח - Presence)]

1. (properly) the front part
2. used adverbially (especially with preposition), opposite, in front of, forward, in behalf of

over against, before, directly, for, right on

From the same as nekach; properly, the front part; used adverbially (especially with preposition), opposite, in front of, forward, in behalf of -- (over) against, before, direct(-ly), for, right (on).

see HEBREW nekach

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
in front of, opposite to
NASB Translation
approval (1), before (2), behalf (1), directly ahead (1), front (4), opposite (9), over against (1), right before (3).

Presence and Orientation Before God

From the first mention—“Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren” (Genesis 25:21)—the word describes being set directly before the LORD. It pictures intentional positioning: intercessory prayer (Genesis 25:21), confession (Lamentations 2:19), and prophetic appeal (Jeremiah 17:16). The recurring idea is that life is lived facing Him, never in a moral vacuum. Ezekiel deepens this when he warns of “men who have set up idols in their hearts” (Ezekiel 14:3); the prophet exposes the contradiction of claiming to stand before God while secretly standing opposite Him with rival gods enthroned within.

Symbol of Straightness and Integrity

Solomon applies the term to personal conduct: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you” (Proverbs 4:25). The vocabulary of spatial accuracy becomes a call to ethical accuracy. Likewise, Proverbs 5:21 reminds that “a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,” pressing the reader to transparent holiness. Scripture thus links physical orientation with moral orientation—straight eyes, straight paths, straight hearts.

Covenant Boundaries and Inheritance

When Joshua delineates Israel’s territory—“the border went down to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, south of the Jebusite slope” (Joshua 15:7; 18:17)—the word identifies boundary markers standing opposite known landmarks. By fixing borders, God affirms both order and promise; what He grants is not amorphous but traceable. Ezekiel 47:20 mirrors this when allotting the millennial land: “The western border will be the Great Sea,” conveying permanence to future hope.

Liturgical and Priestly Placement

Inside the tabernacle the lampstand was set “opposite the table” (Exodus 26:35; 40:24). The light that illuminates and the bread that sustains faced each other, forming a sanctuary dialogue of revelation and fellowship fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world (John 8:12) and Bread of life (John 6:35).

Warfare and Judgment Scenes

In military narratives the term charts troops facing off (1 Kings 20:29) or a king wounded yet “propped up in his chariot opposite the Arameans” (1 Kings 22:35; 2 Chronicles 18:34). Judges employs it for hand-to-hand pursuit (Judges 20:43). The spatial vocabulary underlines the inevitability of conflict once covenant truth confronts rebellion.

Intercession Before the Throne

Esther “stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s quarters” (Esther 5:1). Her placement captures the theology of mediation: a representative standing face-to-face with authority on behalf of the vulnerable. The same word that frames Isaac’s plea and the priest’s sprinkling of blood toward the veil (Numbers 19:4) signals that intercession always takes place in God’s direct line of sight.

Prophetic Heart Examination

Ezekiel’s triple oracle (14:3, 4, 7) contrasts idols “set before” the heart with the need to set oneself before God. The prophet moves the term from geography to cardiography—mapping the unseen territory of motives. True repentance reorients the heart so that the living God, not substitutes, occupies the position directly opposite the believer’s gaze.

Ministry Implications Today

1. Prayer and worship must be consciously “in front of” God, cultivating awareness that nothing is sideways to His view.
2. Ethical decisions demand the straight-ahead vision of Proverbs 4:25; every choice happens coram Deo.
3. Gospel proclamation, like Esther’s audience with the king, requires standing in the gap—courageously positioned before authority for the life of others.
4. Spiritual formation asks constant boundary checks: are idols, ambitions, or distractions occupying the place that belongs opposite our hearts?

Thus נֹכַח challenges believers to live, serve, and contend as people perpetually positioned before the Lord’s face until faith becomes sight.

לְנֹ֣כַח לנכח נֹ֖כַח נֹ֙כַח֙ נֹ֣כַח נֹ֥כַח נֹ֨כַח נֹ֨כַח ׀ נכח lə·nō·ḵaḥ leNochach lənōḵaḥ nō·ḵaḥ Nochach nōḵaḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts