Original Word: נֵתַח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: nethach
Pronunciation: neh'-thakh
Phonetic Spelling: (nay'-thakh)
KJV: part, piece
NASB: pieces, piece
Word Origin: [from H5408 (נָתַח - cut)]

1. a fragment

part, piece

From nathach; a fragment -- part, piece.

see HEBREW nathach

Word Origin
from nathach
Definition
a piece (of a divided carcass)
NASB Translation
piece (3), pieces (10).

נֵ֫תַח noun masculine^{Ezekiel 24:4} piece of a divided carcass (Ecclus נתחים Ecclesiasticus 50:12a); — absolute ׳נ Ezekiel 24:4; plural נְתָחִים Judges 19:29 2t.; suffix נְתָחָיו Exodus 29:17 (twice in verse) + 2t., נְתָחֶ֫יהָ Leviticus 1:6 3t.; **read נְתָחֶיהָ also Ezekiel 24:5 for MT רתחיה Hi-Sm Co Berthol Toy Siegf^Kau Krae Da ('possibly'). — usually plural pieces: of meat in a caldron (symbolic of Jerusalem) Ezekiel 24:4 (twice in verse) (singular only Ezekiel 24:4 b), Ezekiel 24:6; Ezekiel 24:6; of sacrificial animals Exodus 29:17b Leviticus 1:8; Leviticus 8:20; b Leviticus 9:13; elsewhere ׳לִנ after verb נִתַּה (q. v.): of woman Judges 19:29; Exodus 29:17 a Leviticus 1:6,12; Leviticus 8:20 a.

Definition and Scope of Usage

נֵתַח describes a discrete section cut from a larger whole, most often a portion of flesh. All thirteen occurrences refer either to sacrificial animals, to the dismembered concubine of Judges 19, or to the prophetic parable of the boiling pot in Ezekiel 24. Each setting underscores separation for a specific purpose—worship, judgment, or testimony.

Context in the Levitical Sacrificial System

Nine of the thirteen occurrences (Exodus 29; Leviticus 1; 8; 9) belong to the priestly regulations that govern burnt offerings and ordination rites. The animal was flayed, divided, washed, and then arranged on the altar “piece by piece.” This precise butchering reflected ordered worship:
• Exodus 29:17—“Then cut the ram into pieces, wash its entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces.”
• Leviticus 1:6-8 shows the worshipper’s role in cutting the נֵתַח, while the priest arranges the pieces, signifying cooperation between lay obedience and priestly mediation.

Every נֵתַח was consumed in the fire, portraying total consecration to Yahweh; nothing was retained for human use.

Spiritual Symbolism in Sacrifice

1. Completeness: Dividing and then re-uniting the pieces on the altar portrayed a life wholly surrendered.
2. Purification: Washing the entrails and legs before placement taught that inward and outward parts alike must be cleansed.
3. Order: The prescribed arrangement guarded against careless worship and reinforced that God determines the terms of approach.

Judicial and Prophetic Applications

Judges 19:29 starkly transfers the term from altar to atrocity. The Levite’s dismemberment of his concubine into twelve נְתָחִים rebuked the tribes for indifference to covenantal evil. By sending the pieces throughout Israel he called the nation to assemble for judgment, a solemn echo of Genesis 15 where covenant pieces invoked divine witness.

Ezekiel 24:4-6 employs נֵתַח in a parable of Jerusalem as flesh in a cauldron:

“Put in the pieces, all the good pieces—thigh and shoulder. Fill it with the choicest bones … for the blood is still within her.”

Here the city’s inhabitants become sacrificial flesh destined for the fire of siege. What was meant for consecration through obedient sacrifice becomes a sign of judgment because of persistent sin.

Christological Foreshadowing

While no Gospel writer cites נֵתַח, the concept foreshadows the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In contrast to repeated dismemberment of animals, the Lord’s body was once offered, “prepared” (Hebrews 10:5) and not left on the cross to decay (John 19:36). The ordered pieces prefigure the completeness of His atonement; the fire that consumed the burnt offering points to the wrath He bore; the washing anticipates His sinless purity. Thus every נֵתַח finds ultimate fulfillment at Calvary.

Practical Ministry Insights

• Worship calls for intentional preparation. Believers today present their bodies as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1), withholding no “piece” of life from God.
• Church discipline mirrors Judges 19 in that shocking sin must not be ignored; righteous response preserves covenant integrity.
• Preaching on Ezekiel 24 warns that refusal to repent converts the altar of grace into a furnace of judgment.

Key References

Exodus 29:17; Leviticus 1:6, 8, 12; Leviticus 8:20; Leviticus 9:13; Judges 19:29; Ezekiel 24:4-6

הַנְּתָחִ֔ים הַנְּתָחִ֖ים הנתחים לִנְתָחֶ֖יהָ לִנְתָחֶ֙יהָ֙ לִנְתָחֶ֤יהָ לִנְתָחֶֽיהָ׃ לִנְתָחָ֑יו לִנְתָחָ֔יו לנתחיה לנתחיה׃ לנתחיו נְתָחִ֑ים נְתָחֶ֙יהָ֙ נְתָחָ֖יו נֵ֥תַח נתח נתחיה נתחיו נתחים han·nə·ṯā·ḥîm hannetaChim hannəṯāḥîm lin·ṯā·ḥāw lin·ṯā·ḥe·hā lintaChav lintaCheiha linṯāḥāw linṯāḥehā nə·ṯā·ḥāw nə·ṯā·ḥe·hā nə·ṯā·ḥîm nê·ṯaḥ Netach netaChav netaCheiha netaChim nêṯaḥ nəṯāḥāw nəṯāḥehā nəṯāḥîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts