Bible Lexicons

נֶגֶד pr. subst. the front part, the front, the side of a thing which is next to the spectator. In acc. it becomes a prep. with suff. נֶגְדִּי, נֶגְדְּךָ, נֶגְדּוֹ.

(1) before, in the presence of, in the sight of, i.q. לִפְנֵי, as נֶגֶד כָּל־עַמְּךָ before all thy people, Exodus 34:10 נֶגֶד יְהֹוָה before Jehovah, 1 Samuel 12:3 נֶגֶד הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ before the sun, while the sun is yet in the sky, Numbers 25:4 (compare לִפְנֵי שֶׁמֶשׁ Psalms 72:17 [in which however the sense is quite different]); Amos 4:3, “they shall go out אִשָּׁה נֶגְדָּהּ each one before herself,” i.e. each her own way (vor fich hin, ihres Weges), compare Joshua 6:5, 20 Joshua 6:20, and אִישׁ לְפָנָיו Jeremiah 49:5. As things which are before us, and in the sight of which we delight, are the objects of our care and affections, hence Isaiah 49:16, “thy walls נֶגְדּי (are) before me,” they have a place in my care and affections, (compare לִפְנֵי יְיָ Ps. 19:15 Genesis 10:9).

(2) over against, in front of, Exodus 19:2, נֶגֶד הָהָר “over against the mountain.” Joshua 3:16, 6:5, 20 Joshua 6:20 towards, Daniel 6:11 [Chaldee]. As things which are to be compared are put opposite one another; Isaiah 40:17, “all nations (are) as nothing נֶגְדּוֹ before him,” in comparison with him (compare כְּנֶגֶד).

With prepositions

(1) כְּנֶגֶד pr. as over against. Opposite to each other are set things to be compared (Isaiah 40:17), those which answer to each other, those which are alike (die Gegenftücke), hence Genesis 2:18, “I will make for him (man) a helper כְּנֶגְדּוֹ corresponding to him.” Verse 20. Well rendered by the LXX. verse 18, κατʼ αὐτόν; 20, ὅμοιος αὐτῷ. Compare לְנֶגֶד Nehemiah 12:9. In the Rabbinic כנגד is often used in speaking of things which are like one another (see Lud. de Dieu ad h. l.), compare Pers. برابر over against, like, suitable.

(2) לְנֶגֶד, with suff. לְנֶגְדִּי, לְנֶגְדְּךָ etc.

(a) before, in the presence of, i.q. נֶגֶד No. 1. 2 Kings 1:13; Habakkuk 1:3. לנֶגֶד עֵינֵי פ׳ 2 Samuel 22:25; Job 4:16.

(b) over against, Joshua 5:13; 1 Chronicles 5:11 hence opposed to, against (in a hostile sense), Daniel 10:13. There is a pregnant construction in Nehem. 3:37, “because they provoked (God) to anger לְנֶגֶד הַבֹּנִים opposing the builders.”

(c) like (compare כְּנֶגֶד) Nehemiah 12:9, אֲחֵיהֶם לְנֶגְדָּם “their brethren like themselves.”

(d) pro, for (comp. Germ. vor and für). Nehemiah 11:22, “the chief of the Levites for (לְנֶגֶד) the service of the house of God.”

(3) מִנֶּגֶד

(a) pr. from before (vor etwas weg), after a verb of removing. Isaiah 1:16, “take away your evil deeds מִנֶּגֶד עֵינַי from before my eyes;” Jonah 2:5 (also with a noun of removing, Psalms 10:5); of averting, Song of Solomon 6:5 of casting away, Judges 9:17 of hiding, Jeremiah 16:17; Amos 9:3 of going away, Proverbs 14:7 (where it is מִנֶּגֶד לְ); also to be far away. Psalms 38:12, “my friends stood מִנֶּגֶד נִגְעִי far off from my wound” (compare מִן No. 3, letter b). There is a peculiarity in Jud. loc. cit., “he cast away his life מִנֶּגֶד (for the fuller מִנֶּגְדּוֹ) from himself,” just like Germ. er warf es davon, for von fich, compare below, 2 Samuel 18:13.

(b) in the presence of, before, 1 Samuel 26:20 over against, opposite, adv. (comp. מִן No. 3, letter c). Genesis 21:16, “and she sat down מִנֶּגֶד over against;” Numbers 2:2; 2 Kings 2:7, 15 2 Kings 2:15. For מִנֶּגֶּד לְ over against any one, לְ is put first Deuteronomy 28:66, “and thy life shah hang לְךָ מִנֶּגֶד to thee over against” (Germ. dir gegenüber), for “over against thee;” i.e. thou shalt be in the greatest peril of thy life.

(c) against, absol, and adv. (dagegen); הִתְיַצֵּב מִנֶּגֶד to set oneself in opposition (fich dagegen feßen), 2 Samuel 18:13 followed by לְ: מִנֶּגֶד לְ against any thing, Judges 20:34.

נֶגֶד Ch., Daniel 6:11. See the preceding art. (2).