Lexical Summary neoreth: Tow, fiber Original Word: נְעֹרֶת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tow From na'ar; something shaken out, i.e. Tow (as the refuse of flax) -- tow. see HEBREW na'ar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom naar Definition tow (for making thread) NASB Translation tinder (1), tow (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs נְעֹ֫רֶת noun feminine tow (as shaken off from the flax when beaten; on form compare BaNB 64); — in simile ׳מְּתִילהַֿנּ Judges 16:9 a thread of tow (snapping from heat); ׳נ Isaiah 1:31 (figurative; as inflammable). III. נער (√ of following; meaning unknown). Topical Lexicon Occurrences and Material Setting נְעֹרֶת appears only twice in the Hebrew canon, once in the narrative of Samson (Judges 16:9) and once in Isaiah’s opening oracle of judgment (Isaiah 1:31). In both contexts the term denotes slender, fibrous plant material—fresh cords in Judges, easily flammable tinder in Isaiah. The same agricultural product that could be twisted into restraint could, when dried, become fuel for fire. Israelite readers, familiar with flax preparation and rope-making, would have grasped the dual nature of the substance: useful when green, useless and dangerous when dry. Judges 16:9 — Power That Shatters Restraint Delilah binds Samson “with seven fresh cords that had not been dried.” The withes symbolize human attempts to subdue God-given strength. Their failure underscores three truths: 1. The LORD alone defines and limits strength (cf. Psalm 18:32). Isaiah 1:31 — Strength That Becomes Tinder “The strong man will become tinder, and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to extinguish the flames.” Here נְעֹרֶת pictures moral decay. Judah’s leaders, once green and thriving, have dried into combustible fodder for judgment. The same hands that twisted cords for profit now kindle the fire of their own destruction. The contrast with Judges is deliberate: unrepentant strength ends in ashes. Shared Theological Themes 1. Human strength is provisional. Whether miraculously empowered (Samson) or institutionally entrenched (Judah’s elite), it withers apart from obedience. Ministry Implications • Guard the Source: Dependence on the Spirit, not past victories or institutional power, keeps believers green and supple (John 15:5-6). Summary נְעֹרֶת binds and burns. In Judges it snaps before Spirit-empowered might; in Isaiah it crackles beneath the heat of divine wrath. Together the occurrences warn that every human resource, whether meant to restrain or to strengthen, is fleeting unless anchored in covenant faithfulness. Believers are summoned to remain green in the living water of God’s Word, lest they dry into tinder awaiting the spark. Forms and Transliterations הַנְּעֹ֙רֶת֙ הנערת לִנְעֹ֔רֶת לנערת han·nə·‘ō·reṯ hannə‘ōreṯ hanneOret lin‘ōreṯ lin·‘ō·reṯ linOretLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 16:9 HEB: יִנָּתֵ֤ק פְּתִֽיל־ הַנְּעֹ֙רֶת֙ בַּהֲרִיח֣וֹ אֵ֔שׁ NAS: as a string of tow snaps KJV: as a thread of tow is broken INT: snaps A string of tow toucheth fire Isaiah 1:31 2 Occurrences |
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