Difference between revisions of "To Be Guiltless"

To Be Guiltless <ref name="term_76351" />  

<p> A. Verb. </p> <p> <em> Nâqâh </em> ( 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. </p> <p> Isaiah described the future of [[Jerusalem]] as an empty (“cleaned out”) city: “The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; <em> destitue </em> , 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). </p> <p> The verb is more often used to mean being “free” (with the preposition <em> min </em> ). 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. </p> <p> The verb <em> nâqâh </em> 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 <em> nâqâh: </em> “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 <em> unpunished </em> : but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered [ <em> malat </em> ]” (Prov. 11:21). </p> <p> The verb is translated in the [[Septuagint]] generally as <em> athos </em> (“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). </p> <p> B. Adjective. </p> <p> <em> Nâqı̂y </em> ( 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). </p>

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