Original Word: נָקַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: naqa`
Pronunciation: naw-kaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-kah')
KJV: be alienated
NASB: alienated, become disgusted
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to feel aversion

be alienated

A primitive root; to feel aversion -- be alienated.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be alienated or estranged
NASB Translation
alienated (2), become disgusted (1).

[נָקַע] verb be [severed, figurative] alienated, estranged (compare Arabic split, rend, sacrifice RS^{Semitic i. 471 f.; 2d ed. 491}; Ethiopic split up, open (intransitive) Di⁶⁴⁷; Late Hebrew נֶקַע cleft, Syriac id.); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular נָָֽקְעָה נַפְשִׁי מֵעַל Ezekiel 23:18 my soul was estranged from her sister ("" יָקַע), compare Ezekiel 23:22; Ezekiel 23:28 (both with מִן).

Word Family and Core Idea

נָקַע (nāqaʿ) conveys the action of wrenching or pulling out of joint. In Ezekiel it is applied figuratively to the heart or attitude—“to be torn away in disgust,” “to become estranged.”

Occurrences

Ezekiel 23:18; 23:22; 23:28 (all).

Historical Setting in Ezekiel 23

Ezekiel presents two symbolic sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem), whose flagrant spiritual adultery with foreign nations mirrors Israel’s idolatry. After centuries of covenant mercies, God declares that His own heart has been “alienated” from them (nāqaʿ). Assyria and Babylon, once courted as allies, will now become instruments of judgment.

• Ezekiel 23:18 – God’s heart is “torn away” as the northern kingdom’s sin reaches open shamelessness.
• Ezekiel 23:22 – Judah repeats Samaria’s infidelity; the Lord states He is estranged and will summon the very nations she pursued.
• Ezekiel 23:28 – Final verdict: the people will be handed over to those “from whom you turned in disgust,” reversing their earlier disdain.

Theological Significance

Covenant Fidelity

Nāqaʿ highlights the relational depth of Israel’s bond with the LORD. Divine fidelity is personal; idolatry is not merely legal breach but emotional betrayal that “dislocates” the relationship.

Holiness and Separation

What God abhors is not the people themselves but their unrepentant impurity. The verb underscores that holiness involves refusing syncretism. When worship is mixed with the world’s idols, fellowship with God becomes disjointed.

Justice and Mercy in Balance

God’s estrangement precedes judgment but is never His last word. In the wider flow of Ezekiel, judgment clears the way for restoration (Ezekiel 36:24-28). The tearing away is a surgical act, not spiteful abandonment.

Ministry Applications

Pastoral Warning

Idolatry today may appear as materialism, sexual immorality, or doctrinal compromise. Preachers may cite nāqaʿ to illustrate how habitual sin alienates the believer’s heart from communion with God (1 John 2:15-17).

Call to Repentance

Because God’s alienation is relational, repentance is likewise relational. Confession restores fellowship (Psalm 51:17). Ezekiel’s audience was called to forsake alliances and return to covenant love; the same summons remains.

Discipleship and Holiness

Nāqaʿ reminds disciples that holiness is not legalism but guarding intimacy with the Lord. Small group studies can trace how unresolved sin “dislocates” joy in prayer and worship (Psalm 32:3-5).

Christological Perspective

At the cross the alienation brought by sin is borne by Christ: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). The One who experienced ultimate estrangement reconciles all who trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Thus the wrenching separation seen in Ezekiel anticipates a greater healing accomplished in the gospel.

Intertextual Echoes

While nāqaʿ itself appears only in Ezekiel 23, related themes of divine estrangement surface elsewhere:
• Isaiah 59:2 – “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.”
• Hosea 1-3 – Marital imagery of betrayal and restoration.
• Revelation 2:4-5 – Loss of first love and the call to repent.

These passages amplify the moral gravity and redemptive hope embedded in Ezekiel’s use of נָקַע.

נָקְעָ֥ה נקעה nā·qə·‘āh nakeAh nāqə‘āhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts