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Bible Dictionaries
Guiltless, to Be
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Verb.
Nâqâh (נָקָה, Strong's #5352), “to be pure, innocent.” Only in Hebrew does this verb mean being “innocent.” In Aramaic and Arabic it occurs with the meaning of being “clean.” The verb is found 44 times in the Old Testament.
Isaiah described the future of Jerusalem as an empty (“cleaned out”) city: “The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitue, she will sit on the ground” (Isa. 3:26, NIV). On the more positive side, a land may also be “cleansed” of robbers: “… Every thief will be banished [KJV, “cut off”] and everyone who swears falsely will be banished” (Zech. 5:3, NIV).
The verb is more often used to mean being “free” (with the preposition min). The first occurrence in the Old Testament is in Gen. 24:8, and is illustrative of this usage. Abraham ordered his servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant pledged that he would fulfill his commission; however, if he did not succeed—that is, in case the woman was unwilling to make the long journey with him—Abraham would free him: “… Then thou shalt be clear from this my oath.…” The freedom may be from an oath (cf. Gen. 24:8, 41), from wrongdoing (Num. 5:31), or from punishment (Exod. 21:19; Num. 5:28). The translations vary in these contexts.
The verb nâqâh also appears with the legal connotation of “innocence.” First, a person may be declared “innocent,” or “acquitted.” David prayed: “Keep your servant also from willful sins.… Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression” (Ps. 19:13, NIV). On the other hand, the sinner is not “acquitted” by God: “I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent” (Job 9:28, NIV). The punishment of the person who is not “acquitted” is also expressed by a negation of the verb nâqâh: “The Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exod. 20:7, NIV; “The Lord will not leave unpunished,” NEB). “I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished” (Jer. 30:11, NIV). The fate of the wicked is the judgment of God: “… the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered [malat]” (Prov. 11:21).
The verb is translated in the Septuagint generally as athos (“to be innocent, guiltless”). However, the range of the meaning of the Hebrew word is wider. It extends from “to be emptied [cleaned out]” to the legal jargon of “acquittal.” In English versions, there is no uniformity of translation: “to be innocent, unpunished, acquitted, cleansed, held innocent” (KJV, RSV, NIV); “to be guiltless, free, cut off” (RSV); “to be deserted, purged” (NASB); “to be released, banished” (NIV).
B. Adjective.
Nâqı̂y (נָקִי, Strong's #5355), “innocent.” This adjective appears 43 times in the Old Testament. One occurrence is in Ps. 15:5, which says of the righteous man, “… Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent” (NASB).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Guiltless, to Be'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/g/guiltless-to-be.html. 1940.
