Lexical Summary nadab: To volunteer, to offer willingly, to incite, to impel Original Word: נָדַב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance offer freely, be give, make, offer self willingly A primitive root; to impel; hence, to volunteer (as a soldier), to present spontaneously -- offer freely, be (give, make, offer self) willing(-ly). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to incite, impel NASB Translation freewill offering (1), given as a freewill offering (1), made offering (1), make offerings willingly (1), moved (2), moves (1), offer (1), offered (1), offered willingly (3), offerings willingly (1), volunteered (3), volunteers (1), willing (1), willingly offered (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs נָדַב verb incite, impel (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic  call impel, incite ( be noble, willing, Generous is denominative from [ compare] נָדִיב according to BaNB § 125 e); VIII.  ready, willing; Assyrian nidbu, freewill-offering DlHWB 448; Aramaic נְדַב be willing Pa`el, Ithpa`al; Zinjirli נדב inciting, instigation DHMSendsch. 60); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular נָדַב Exodus 35:29; 3feminine singular נָָֽדְבָה Exodus 35:21; Imperfect3masculine singular suffix יִדְּבֶנּוּ Exodus 25:2; — אֲשֶׁר נָדַב לִבּוֺ Exodus 25:2 whose heart incited compare Exodus 35:29; subject רוּחַ Exodus 35:21 (all P). Hithpa`el Perfect1singular הִתְנַדַּבְתִּי 1 Chronicles 29:27; 3masculine plural הִתְנַדְּבוּ Ezra 2:68; 1 Chronicles 29:9; Imperfect3masculine plural יִתְנַדְּבוּ 1 Chronicles 29:6; Infinitive הִתְנַדֵּב Judges 5:2 2t.; הִתְנַדֶּבֿ 1 Chronicles 29:17; sf הִתְנַדְּבָם 1 Chronicles 29:9; Participle מִתְנַדֵּב Ezra 3:5 + 2.t.; plural מִתְנַדְּבִים Judges 5:9; Nehemiah 11:2; — 1 volunteer for war Judges 5:2,9; for service of other kinds 2Chronicles 17:16; Nehemiah 11:2. 2 offer freewill-offerings for the first temple 1 Chronicles 29:5,6,9 (twice in verse); 1 Chronicles 29:14,17 (twice in verse); for the second Ezra 1:4; Ezra 2:68; Ezra 3:5 (compare Biblical Aramaic). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Motif of Willingness The verb נָדַב consistently underlines a movement of the heart that is neither coerced nor merely dutiful. It describes people stirred from within to give, serve, or step forward because they have first been moved by God. Throughout Scripture this spirit of readiness is linked to worship, stewardship, civic responsibility, and warfare, revealing a multifaceted biblical theology of voluntary devotion. Willing Offerings for the Tabernacle The earliest uses appear in the wilderness narrative when Moses conveyed the LORD’s call for contributions to the sanctuary. “From every man whose heart prompts him to give you shall receive My offering” (Exodus 25:2). Later, when the project commenced, “Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit prompted him came and brought the LORD’s offering for the work” (Exodus 35:21). These verses highlight that divine worship is funded not by tax but by willingness. The people’s response anticipates the New Covenant principle that “God loves a cheerful giver.” The Heart of Leadership in David’s Generation King David employed נָדַב to exhort Israel’s elders to underwrite Solomon’s temple. He asked, “Who then will volunteer to consecrate himself today to the LORD?” (1 Chronicles 29:5). The leaders answered with enthusiasm: “The people rejoiced at the offerings, for they had given willingly and wholeheartedly to the LORD” (1 Chronicles 29:9). David’s prayer interprets their generosity theologically: “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). The verb therefore intersects with a high view of God’s sovereignty—He both supplies the resources and inclines the heart to release them. Volunteers in Battle In the Song of Deborah the judges praise those who offered themselves for battle: “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD” (Judges 5:2, 9). Here נָדַב frames military courage as a freewill act of faith that secures deliverance. Much later, during King Jehoshaphat’s reforms, Amasiah “willingly served the LORD” as commander of two hundred thousand valiant warriors (2 Chronicles 17:16). Spiritual zeal produces civic bravery. Restoration Era Generosity After the Babylonian exile, the verb reappears when Cyrus returns the temple vessels and the remnant readies for travel. “All their neighbors encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings” (Ezra 1:6). Upon reaching Jerusalem, “Some of the heads of the families came to the house of the LORD to give freewill offerings for its reconstruction” (Ezra 2:68; cf. 3:5). The same impulse that erected the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple now rebuilds the second temple, reinforcing Scripture’s internal coherence. Communal Blessing Nehemiah records a civic application: “The people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to live in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 11:2). Resettling the capital—an act with economic and social costs—again demanded voluntary sacrifice. The blessing of the community underscores the influence one believer’s obedience can exert on many. A Song for the Nations Psalm 67 opens with the priestly benediction, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us.” Though the verb is absent in English, the psalmist’s request mirrors the willing favor God shows His people. The linguistic connection reminds readers that all human willingness ultimately rests on divine willingness to bless. Theological Reflection 1. God’s work invites, never manipulates. Ministry Application • Stewardship: Encourage giving as Spirit-prompted gratitude, not pressured obligation. Across redemptive history נָדַב illustrates how God’s people thrive when compelled not by force but by grace-wrought willingness, a dynamic still essential for vibrant ministry today. Forms and Transliterations בְּהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת בהתנדב בנגינת הִֽתְנַדְּב֖וּ הִֽתְנַדְּבָ֔ם הִֽתְנַדְּבוּ֙ הִתְנַדֵּֽב׃ הִתְנַדַּ֣בְתִּי הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֔ים הַמִּֽתְנַדְּבִ֖ים הַמִּתְנַדֵּ֖ב המתנדב המתנדבים התנדב׃ התנדבו התנדבם התנדבתי וַיִּֽתְנַדְּבוּ֩ ויתנדבו יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ ידבנו לְהִֽתְנַדֶּב־ לְהִתְנַדֵּ֖ב להתנדב להתנדב־ מִתְנַדֵּ֔ב מִתְנַדֵּ֥ב מתנדב נָדְבָ֨ה נָדַ֣ב נדב נדבה bə·hiṯ·nad·dêḇ bəhiṯnaddêḇ behitnadDev bin·ḡî·nōṯ bingiNot binḡînōṯ ham·miṯ·nad·də·ḇîm ham·miṯ·nad·dêḇ hammiṯnaddêḇ hammiṯnaddəḇîm hammitnadDev hammitnaddeVim hiṯ·nad·daḇ·tî hiṯ·nad·də·ḇām hiṯ·nad·də·ḇū hiṯ·nad·dêḇ hiṯnaddaḇtî hitnadDavti hiṯnaddêḇ hiṯnaddəḇām hiṯnaddəḇū hitnadDev hitnaddeVam hitnaddeVu lə·hiṯ·nad·dêḇ lə·hiṯ·nad·deḇ- ləhiṯnaddêḇ ləhiṯnaddeḇ- lehitnadDev miṯ·nad·dêḇ miṯnaddêḇ mitnadDev nā·ḏaḇ nā·ḏə·ḇāh nāḏaḇ naDav nāḏəḇāh nadeVah vaiyitnaddeVu way·yiṯ·nad·də·ḇū wayyiṯnaddəḇū yid·də·ḇen·nū yiddəḇennū yiddeVennuLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 25:2 HEB: אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ NAS: heart moves him you shall raise KJV: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart INT: man whose moves heart shall raise Exodus 35:21 Exodus 35:29 Judges 5:2 Judges 5:9 1 Chronicles 29:5 1 Chronicles 29:6 1 Chronicles 29:9 1 Chronicles 29:9 1 Chronicles 29:14 1 Chronicles 29:17 1 Chronicles 29:17 2 Chronicles 17:16 Ezra 1:6 Ezra 2:68 Ezra 3:5 Nehemiah 11:2 Psalm 67:1 18 Occurrences |
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