Original Word: נָעַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: na`al
Pronunciation: nah-ahl
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-al')
KJV: bolt, inclose, lock, shoe, shut up
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to fasten up, i.e. with a bar or cord
2. hence (denominative from H5275), to sandal, i.e. furnish with slippers

bolt, enclose, lock, shoe, shut up

A primitive root; properly, to fasten up, i.e. With a bar or cord; hence (denominative from na'al), to sandal, i.e. Furnish with slippers -- bolt, inclose, lock, shoe, shut up.

see HEBREW na'al

נָעַל verb bar, bolt, lock (Late Hebrew id.); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular נָעַל 2 Samuel 13:18, נָעָ֑ל Judges 3:23; Imperative נְעֹל 2 Samuel 13:17; Passive participle נָעוּל Songs 4:12 (twice in verse); feminine plural נְעֻלוֺת Judges 3:24; — bar, bolt, lock, usually with accusative דֶּלֶת, ׃דְּלָתוֺת Judges 3:23, + אַחֲרֵי after, behind, Judges 3:24; 2 Samuel 13:17,18; elsewhere only גַּן נָעוּל Songs 4:12 a garden barred (figurative of Shulamite), so also Songs 4:12 b (reading גַּן for גַּל, Vrss Gr Bu).

[נָעַל] verb denominative furnish with sandals, shoe (ᵑ7 נְעַל (rare), bind on sandal; Arabic furnish with sandals, shoe horse or camel; Syriac shoe horse); —

Qal Imperfect1singular suffix וָאֶנְעֲלֵךְ תָּ֑חַשׁ Ezekiel 16:10 and I shod thee with תחשׁ (q. v.).

Hiph`il Imperfect3masculine plural suffix וַיַּנְעִלוּם2Chronicles 28:15 and gave them sandals.

Overview

The verb נָעַל appears eight times across the Old Testament, carrying two closely related ideas: (1) shutting, bolting, or locking an entrance; and (2) fitting someone with sandals. Both nuances share the core concept of enclosing or securing. Its settings range from military deliverance and royal intrigue to covenant mercy, marital poetry, and prophetic portrayal.

Historical Narratives: Securing Doors

1. Judges 3:23–24 records Ehud’s escape after assassinating Eglon: “shutting the doors of the upper room behind him and locking them” (Judges 3:23). The locked doors delay pursuit, underscoring the Lord’s sovereign deliverance of Israel through an unexpected judge.
2. In the tragic episode of Amnon and Tamar, Amnon orders his servant, “Bolt the door after her!” (2 Samuel 13:17). The locked door isolates Tamar in her shame, contrasting sharply with God’s heart for protection of the vulnerable.

These narratives show the verb operating at pivotal moments that determine the course of Israel’s national story. Whether for salvation (Ehud) or sin (Amnon), a bolted door becomes the turning point that reveals character and divine justice.

Covenant Compassion: Providing Sandals

2 Chronicles 28:15 depicts Northern Israelites caring for Judahite captives after a prophetic rebuke: they “provided them with clothing and sandals.” Supplying footwear expressed full restoration to the fellowship of God’s people. The same verb later appears in Ezekiel 16:10, where the Lord says to Jerusalem, “I… put sandals of fine leather on your feet.” Here the sandal becomes a gift of dignity granted by covenant grace. Both texts reveal a God who not only forgives but clothes and equips His own for forward journey.

Poetic Imagery: Locked Garden

Song of Songs 4:12 twice employs נָעַל for the beloved’s purity: “A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed.” The bolted garden evokes exclusivity, intimacy, and guarded affection—imagery that later Scriptures apply to the Church kept for Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27).

Prophetic Portrait: Adorned with Sandals

Ezekiel 16 presents Jerusalem as an abandoned infant rescued and adorned by God. Sandals signify readiness to walk in covenant obedience; yet the chapter’s later grief shows how secured blessings can be squandered. The verb therefore carries both privilege and responsibility.

Theological Themes

1. Security in divine deliverance: what God shuts no enemy can open (cf. Revelation 3:7).
2. Sanctity and exclusivity: the locked garden image affirms marital fidelity while prefiguring the holiness of Christ’s redeemed bride.
3. Restoration and dignity: being shod points to the full equipment God provides, echoed in the “readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).
4. Moral warning: bolted doors can mask sin when hearts remain unrepentant (Amnon), challenging believers to pursue true openness before God.

Ministry and Devotional Applications

• Pastoral care reflects 2 Chronicles 28:15 when congregations meet practical needs—clothing, shoes, and safe passage—for the weak.
• Marriage counseling draws on Song 4:12 to affirm exclusive commitment and mutual safeguarding of intimacy.
• Preaching can highlight Ehud’s locked doors to show how God’s providence employs ordinary actions for extraordinary salvation.
• Personal discipleship finds in Ezekiel 16:10 assurance that the Lord not only saves but beautifies His people for purposeful walk.

Christological Echoes

The One greater than Ehud secures eternal redemption, shutting the door against condemnation (Romans 8:1). He shoes His disciples with gospel readiness and invites them into a relationship likened to a garden reserved for Himself. Thus נָעַל, whether locking or shoeing, ultimately points to the finished and securing work of Jesus Christ.

וְנָעַ֥ל וְנָעָֽל׃ וַ֠יַּנְעִלוּם וָאֶנְעֲלֵ֖ךְ וּנְעֹ֥ל ואנעלך וינעלום ונעל ונעל׃ נְעֻל֑וֹת נָע֖וּל נעול נעלות nā‘ūl nā·‘ūl naUl nə‘ulōwṯ nə·‘u·lō·wṯ neuLot ū·nə·‘ōl ūnə‘ōl uneOl vaenaLech Vaiyanilum venaAl wā’en‘ălêḵ wā·’en·‘ă·lêḵ way·yan·‘i·lūm wayyan‘ilūm wə·nā·‘al wə·nā·‘āl wənā‘al wənā‘ālInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts