Original Word: נָקַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: naqar
Pronunciation: nah-KAR
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-kar')
KJV: dig, pick out, pierce, put (thrust) out
NASB: dug, gouge, gouged, pick, pierces, put
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to bore (penetrate, quarry)

dig, pick out, pierce, put thrust out

A primitive root; to bore (penetrate, quarry) -- dig, pick out, pierce, put (thrust) out.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to bore, pick, dig
NASB Translation
dug (1), gouge (1), gouged (1), pick (1), pierces (1), put (1).

[נָקַר] verb bore, pick, dig (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic נְקַר id.; Arabic perforate, bore out, hollow out Lane²⁸³⁸; Ethiopic be one-eyed Di⁶⁴⁵); —

Qal Imperfect3masculine plural suffix יִקְּרוּהָ Proverbs 30:17; Infinitive נְקוֺר 1 Samuel 11:3, both of boring, or picking out eye (accusative).

Pi`el Imperfect. 2 masculine singular תְּנַקֵּר Numbers 16:14 (JE), 3 masculine plural וַיְנַקְּרוּ Judges 16:21 both of boring out eyes (accusative); Perfect3masculine singular נִקַּר Job 30:17 he (or it, i.e. the night) boreth my bones מֵעָלָ֑י (of effects of elephantiasis; Bu reads נֻקַּר).

Pu`al Perfect2masculine plural נֻקַּרְתֶּם Isaiah 51:1 the quarry (from which) ye were digged.

Root Sense and Figurative Range

The verb נָקַר carries the imagery of forcibly removing, hollowing out, or boring through a substance—often an eye, bone, or rock. In its six canonical appearances it moves from brutal physical mutilation (Numbers, Judges, Samuel) to poetic descriptions of pain (Job), moral warning (Proverbs), and constructive quarrying (Isaiah). Together these usages reveal a single concept applied both negatively, as an act of violence or judgment, and positively, as divine craftsmanship that extracts something precious for holy purposes.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Numbers 16:14—Dathan and Abiram charge Moses, “Will you gouge out the eyes of these men?” Their accusation highlights the perceived tyranny of leadership that they refuse to follow, illustrating how rebellion distorts vision.
• Judges 16:21—“The Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza”. Samson’s physical blinding dramatizes the earlier moral blindness that led him into Philistine hands.
• 1 Samuel 11:2—Nahash threatens Jabesh Gilead with the right-eye gouge to “bring disgrace on all Israel,” exposing the covenant people to humiliation until the Spirit-empowered Saul intervenes.
• Job 30:17—“Night pierces my bones within me, and my gnawing pains never rest”. Here נָקַר expresses relentless internal agony, expanding the verb from outward violence to inward affliction.
• Proverbs 30:17—“The eye that mocks a father… will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley.” The graphic warning underscores divine retribution against contempt for parental authority.
• Isaiah 51:1—“Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn.” The quarrying metaphor shifts the verb to constructive extraction, reminding the remnant that God deliberately carved Israel from Abrahamic stock.

Cultural and Historical Background

Eye-gouging was a common Ancient Near Eastern tactic to disable enemies, enforce slavery, or disgrace rebels. The Philistines’ treatment of Samson and Nahash’s threat both fit this milieu, whereas Moses’ opponents merely use the imagery rhetorically. In quarrying, stonemasons employed chisels to “pick” stone from bedrock, aligning Isaiah’s language with temple construction (1 Kings 6:7) and signaling the Lord’s intentional formation of His people.

Theological Themes and Ministry Application

1. Vision and Blindness: Physical blinding portrays spiritual realities. Rebellion against God-appointed authority (Numbers 16; Judges 16) produces blindness that only divine intervention can heal.
2. Discipline and Judgment: Proverbs 30:17 connects contempt for parents with covenant curses, reminding believers that God defends family order.
3. Redemptive Extraction: Isaiah’s quarry image reassures the faithful that the Lord who once “picked” them from pagan rock will complete His righteous purposes.
4. Suffering’s Piercing: Job’s lament validates the believer’s experience of relentless pain while affirming that God ultimately vindicates the sufferer.

Prophetic and Christological Glimpses

Samson, though blinded, accomplishes more in death than life, prefiguring the greater Deliverer whose own body would be pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5). The quarry motif anticipates the “living stones” Peter says are being built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), excavated by the same divine hand.

Practical Exhortation

Guard spiritual sight; sin dulls perception until the soul is effectively gouged. Submit to God-ordained leaders and familial authority; rebellion invites discipline. Embrace the chiseling of divine craftsmanship; the pain of being “picked out” ultimately fashions lives fit for holy service.

בִּנְק֥וֹר בנקור וַֽיְנַקְּר֖וּ וינקרו יִקְּר֥וּהָ יקרוה נִקַּ֣ר נֻקַּרְתֶּֽם׃ נקר נקרתם׃ תְּנַקֵּ֖ר תנקר bin·qō·wr binKor binqōwr nikKar niq·qar niqqar nukkarTem nuq·qar·tem nuqqartem tə·naq·qêr tenakKer tənaqqêr vaynakkeRu way·naq·qə·rū waynaqqərū yikkeRuha yiq·qə·rū·hā yiqqərūhāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts