נָזָה
to spirt, i.e. besprinkle (especially in expiation)
Definition
The Hebrew verb נָזָה (nâzâh) means to sprinkle, spatter, or scatter a liquid, most often blood, oil, or water. Its primary use is in the context of ritual purification and consecration within the Levitical system, where sprinkling blood on an altar or a person effects atonement or sanctification (Leviticus 4:6, 8:11). It is also used for the cleansing of a person healed from a skin disease, involving the sprinkling of blood and water (Leviticus 14:7). In a few instances, it describes the splashing of blood on garments (Leviticus 6:27).
Biblical Usage
נָזָה is used exclusively in ritual contexts within the Pentateuch, specifically in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It appears 22 times, almost always in priestly instructions for sacrifices, ordinations, or purification rites. The pattern is consistent: a priest performs the action of sprinkling a sacred substance (usually blood) upon an altar, a person, or objects to achieve a state of ritual purity, consecration, or atonement. Key examples include the consecration of Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:21, Leviticus 8:30) and the sin offering (Leviticus 4:6, 4:17).
Etymology
נָזָה is a primitive root. Its core meaning relates to projecting or scattering liquid droplets. Cognates in other Semitic languages, like Arabic nazaha ('to spurt'), support this sense of forceful ejection. The meaning developed specifically within the religious vocabulary of ancient Israel to denote the ritual act of sprinkling.
Semantic Range
This word is central to the Old Testament theology of atonement and purification. The act of sprinkling blood visually enacted the transfer of sin and the application of cleansing, pointing forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 9:13-14, 12:24). Understanding נָזָה enriches reading by highlighting the physical, ceremonial means God instituted to deal with impurity and sin, emphasizing that forgiveness and access to God required a mediated, blood-based cleansing.
In its ancient Near Eastern setting, ritual sprinkling was a known practice, but Israel's system gave it unique theological significance tied to the holiness of Yahweh. The action was not magical but was a God-ordained symbolic act that required faith and obedience. The specific directions (what to sprinkle, where, and how often) distinguished Israel's worship from the practices of surrounding cultures.
זָרַק (zāraq, H2236) — to throw or scatter (often used for tossing blood on the altar from a distance)., טָהֵר (ṭāhēr, H2891) — to be clean or purify (the resulting state achieved by נָזָה).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →