5026. Nibchaz

Lexical Summary

Nibchaz: Nibchaz

Original Word: נִבְחַז
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Nibchaz
Pronunciation: nib-KHAZ
Phonetic Spelling: (nib-khaz')
KJV: Nibhaz
NASB: Nibhaz
Word Origin: [of foreign origin]

1. Nibchaz, a deity of the Avites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Nibhaz

Of foreign origin; Nibchaz, a deity of the Avites -- Nibhaz.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a god of the Avvites
NASB Translation
Nibhaz (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

נִבְחַז proper name, of a divinity god of men of Avva, 2 Kings 17:31; name otherwise unknown, compare Sch^{COT on the passage}; ᵐ5^B τὴν Ἐβλαζερ, ᵐ5^L Ἐβλαιεζερ, A Ἀβααζερ καὶ τὴν Ναιβας; Thes compare Mandean denominative = נבאז (Manuscript Nasar. Norberg.) Manuscripts give variant נבחן compare Baer^{on the passage} Frensdorff^{Mas. Magna i. 306}.

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrence

2 Kings 17:31: “the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.” Nibhaz appears nowhere else in Scripture.

Historical Background

After Assyria’s conquest of the Northern Kingdom (722 B.C.), foreign populations were settled in Samaria (2 Kings 17:24). Among them were the Avites from Avva. Each immigrant community brought its own deities, seeking local favor and protection. Nibhaz was one of the idols introduced by the Avites, alongside Tartak. This transplanting of pagan worship into Israel’s former territory illustrates the policy of Assyrian resettlement and the resulting religious pluralism that emerged in Samaria.

Possible Identity of Nibhaz

Ancient writers connect Nibhaz with a dog-like image—some associating it with Egyptian Anubis, others with Babylonian cults. The name may carry the notion of “barker” or “prophetic announcer,” yet remains uncertain. What matters biblically is not linguistic certainty but the fact that Nibhaz was a foreign deity opposed to the worship of the LORD.

Religious Context

The colonists retained their own gods while trying to appease “the God of the land” (2 Kings 17:26–28). The result was syncretism: “They feared the LORD, yet they served their own gods” (2 Kings 17:33). Nibhaz thus became part of a blended worship system that outwardly acknowledged Yahweh while inwardly clinging to pagan practice. The narrative condemns this mixture as disobedience to the covenant demands of exclusive loyalty (Deuteronomy 6:4–15).

Theological Significance

1. The exclusivity of divine worship. Nibhaz’s presence in Samaria underscores the first commandment’s absolute claim (Exodus 20:3).
2. The peril of cultural accommodation. The Avites illustrate how imported beliefs can infiltrate covenant communities when Scripture’s authority is neglected.
3. Divine judgment on idolatry. The mention of child sacrifice among neighboring settlers (17:31) foreshadows the moral decay that eventually characterized syncretistic Samaria and set the stage for prophetic denunciation (Hosea 4:17; Amos 8:14).

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Guard against blending biblical faith with secular or pagan worldviews.
• Teach the sufficiency of Scripture so that cultural pressures do not redefine worship.
• Expose and reject any practice—even subtle—that competes with wholehearted devotion to Christ (1 John 5:21).
• Remember that idolatry, ancient or modern, always enslaves and ultimately invites judgment (Romans 1:18–25).

Related Scriptures

Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:4–15; 2 Kings 17:24–41; Hosea 4:17; Amos 8:14; 1 John 5:21

Forms and Transliterations

נִבְחַ֖ז נבחז niḇ·ḥaz niḇḥaz nivChaz

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 17:31
HEB: וְהָעַוִּ֛ים עָשׂ֥וּ נִבְחַ֖ז וְאֶת־ תַּרְתָּ֑ק
NAS: made Nibhaz and Tartak;
KJV: made Nibhaz and Tartak,
INT: and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak and the Sepharvites

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5026
1 Occurrence

niḇ·ḥaz — 1 Occ.