5363. noqeph
Lexical Summary
noqeph: "striker" or "one who strikes"

Original Word: נֹקֶף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: noqeph
Pronunciation: no-KAYF
Phonetic Spelling: (no'-kef)
KJV: shaking
NASB: shaking
Word Origin: [from H5362 (נָקַף - To go around)]

1. a threshing (of olives)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
shaking

From naqaph; a threshing (of olives) -- shaking.

see HEBREW naqaph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from naqaph
Definition
a striking off
NASB Translation
shaking (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
נֹ֫קֶף noun [masculine] striking off; — only construct זַיִת כְּנֹקֶף as (at) the striking of olive-trees Isaiah 17:6; Isaiah 24:13 (simile of fewness of people after ׳י's judgment).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Imagery

נֹקֶף denotes the small quantity of fruit that remains clinging to an olive tree or vineyard after the main harvest and the beating or shaking of the branches. The picture is of scant, easily overlooked produce—fragile yet preserved.

Biblical Occurrences

Isaiah 17:6 and Isaiah 24:13 each use נֹקֶף to portray the aftermath of divine judgment. In both settings, widespread devastation is contrasted with “gleanings” that survive:
• “Yet gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten …” (Isaiah 17:6).
• “So it will be on the earth … as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is over.” (Isaiah 24:13).

Agricultural and Cultural Background

Ancient Israelite farmers harvested olives by striking branches with poles, then hand-picking what was left. Torah law forbade returning for every last olive or grape (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:20-21), leaving gleanings for the poor, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. Thus נֹקֶף carried social compassion: the remnant sustained the vulnerable.

Symbolism of the Remnant

Isaiah applies the imagery to people, portraying survivors amid judgment. The few olives that cling to the highest limb represent a faithful remnant preserved by God’s mercy. The same theme surfaces elsewhere: a “remnant of Jacob” (Micah 5:7), “a remnant will return” (Isaiah 10:21), and Paul’s affirmation, “At the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5).

Theological Emphasis

1. Divine Judgment and Mercy: God’s holiness demands judgment, yet He never utterly eliminates His covenant people; He safeguards a remnant (נֹקֶף) to continue His redemptive purposes.
2. Covenant Faithfulness: The gleanings symbolize God’s unwavering commitment to His promises to Abraham, David, and ultimately to Messiah.
3. Hope in Desolation: Even in global upheaval (Isaiah 24), the presence of נֹקֶף assures that God’s plan cannot be thwarted.

Ministry Application

• Assurance: Believers enduring cultural decline can trust that God always preserves a faithful company.
• Compassion: Just as gleanings were left for the needy, Christians are to leave margin—time, resources, and attention—for those on society’s edges (James 1:27).
• Stewardship: Ministries should view overlooked “gleanings” (small groups, isolated individuals) as valuable fields for discipleship.

Christological and Eschatological Reflections

Jesus Christ embodies the ultimate remnant—Israel reduced to One righteous Man (Isaiah 53:2-3), yet through Him many are gathered (John 12:24). The final harvest imagery in Revelation 14:15-16 echoes Isaiah’s vision: the earth is reaped, but those sealed by the Lamb remain. Thus נֹקֶף foreshadows the redeemed community that will stand after the final shaking of heavens and earth (Hebrews 12:26-28).

Related Scriptures for Further Study

Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:20-21; Ruth 2:2-3; Isaiah 10:20-22; Micah 2:12; Romans 9:27; Romans 11:1-5; Revelation 14:15-16.

Forms and Transliterations
כְּנֹ֣קֶף כנקף kə·nō·qep̄ keNokef kənōqep̄
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Isaiah 17:6
HEB: בּ֤וֹ עֽוֹלֵלֹת֙ כְּנֹ֣קֶף זַ֔יִת שְׁנַ֧יִם
NAS: will be left in it like the shaking of an olive tree,
KJV: shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree,
INT: will be left gleanings the shaking of an olive Two

Isaiah 24:13
HEB: בְּת֣וֹךְ הָֽעַמִּ֑ים כְּנֹ֣קֶף זַ֔יִת כְּעוֹלֵלֹ֖ת
NAS: the peoples, As the shaking of an olive tree,
KJV: the people, [there shall be] as the shaking of an olive tree,
INT: among the peoples as the shaking of an olive as the gleanings

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5363
2 Occurrences


kə·nō·qep̄ — 2 Occ.

5362b
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