Or (feminine) nachlah (Psalm 124:4) {nakh'-law}; or nachalah (Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28) {nakh-al-aw'}; from nachal in its original sense; a stream, especially a winter torrent; (by implication) a (narrow) valley (in which a brook runs); also a shaft (of a mine) -- brook, flood, river, stream, valley.
see HEBREW nachal
H5158. nachal
I. נַ֫חַל noun masculine2 Kings 3:16 torrent, torrent-valley, wady (Ecclus 40:13; 40:16; Late Hebrew id., stream (rare); נַחְלָא ᵑ7 , = Biblical Hebrew; Assyrian na—lu = Biblical Hebrew; LagBN 140 Anm. thinks Νεῖλος may be from Νεέλ = נַחַל pronounced *נִהִל; on ׳נ in Sabean proper name, of a location, see HalRev. Sémit. Iv (1896), 80, 1, 14); — absolute ׳נ Genesis 32:24 +, נַ֫חְלָה Psalm 124:4; construct נַחַל Genesis 26:17 +; with ה locative, 34:5 so read also Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28 (where נַחֲלָ֫ה ᵑ0; see Thes); dual נַחֲלַיִם 47:9, but read ᵐ5 הַנַּחַל. ᵑ9 ᵑ6 ᵑ7 Co Berthol; plural נְחָלִים Numbers 21:4 +; נַחֲלֵי Deuteronomy 8:7 +; suffix נְחֶלֶיהָ Isaiah 34:9; —
1 torrent, of rushing water in narrow channel Judges 5:21 (3 t. in verse); 4:7, 13; Psalm 83:10 (all of קִישֹׁן, q. v.); mountain torrent Deuteronomy 9:21 (compare Exodus 32:20); so Amos 5:24 (simile of righteousness); ׳הַנּ הַשּׁוֺטֵף2 Chronicles 32:4 ("" מַעְיָנוֺת); נ ׳נֶהְמְּכוּ לְזֶפֶת Isaiah 34:9; simile of tears Lamentations 2:18; hyperb.שָֿׁ֑מֶן׳נ Micah 6:7 torrents of oil, compare of honey and curd Job 20:17 ("" נְהָרִים מְּלַגּוֺת,); figurative׳נ בְלִיַּעַל 2 Samuel 22:5 torrents of worthlessness ("" מָ֫וֶת מִשְׁבְּרֵי), = Psalm 18:5; ׳נ שׁוֺטֵף simile of glory of nations Isaiah 66:12, figurative of invaders Jeremiah 47:2 ("" מַיִס), or foes Psalm 124:4 (נַ֫חְלָה, see above); 1 Kings 17:4, 6 (for drinking), drying up in summer 17:7 (יָבֵשׁ; all of Elijah's stream כְּרִית, q. v.); for drinking also Psalm 110:7, and (figurative) ׳נ עֲדָנֶיךָ 36:9; Job 6:15 (twice in verse) (נְחָלִים אֲפִיק; in simile); of water bursting from rock Psalm 78:20 (שָׁטַף, "" מַיִם), compare 74:15 (+ מַעְיָן); figurative of חָכְמָה מְקוֺר Proverbs 18:4 (׳נ נֹבֵּעַ; "" עֲמֻקִים מַיִם); more Generally = stream, brook, river (chiefly late) Isaiah 11:15 (divisions of river, נָהָר) in desert 35:6 ("" מַיִם), Jeremiah 31:9 (מַיִם נַחֲלֵי), Ezekiel 47:5 (twice in verse); 47:9 b (all strike out Co), 47:6; 47:7; 47:9a (readהַנַּחַל, see above), 47:12; containing fish, etc. Leviticus 11:9-10, ("" יַמִּים מַיִם,), Ecclesiastes 1:7 (twice in verse); figurative י ׳רוּחַ, Isaiah 30:28 (׳נ שׁוֺטֵף, 30:33 (׳נ גָּפְרִית).
2 Torrent-valley, wady, as stream-bed 1 Samuel 17:40; Nehemiah 2:15; Isaiah 57:6; with torrent flowing through it, ׳נ אֵיתָן Deuteronomy 21:4 (twice in verse); 21:6, מַיִם נַחֲלֵי אֶרֶץ 8:7 ("" בַּבִּקְעָה יֹּצְאִים וּתְהֹמֹת עֲיָנֹת), compare 10:7, 1 Kings 18:5 ("" הַמַיִם מַעְיְנֵי), Psalm 104:10; abode of Elijah 1 Kings 17:3, 5 (compare 17:4; 17:6; 17:7 above); נ ׳עֹרְבֵי Proverbs 30:17 (compare 1 Kings 17:4, 6); ׳נ הַבַּתּוֺת Isaiah 7:19 as home of bees; fertile, ׳נ אֶשְׁכֹּל Numbers 13:23-24, (E); הַנּ ׳אִבֵּי Song of Solomon 6:11; ׳עַרְבֵינֿ poplars of the wady Leviticus 23:40 (H), Job 40:22; ׳נ עֲרָבִים Isaiah 15:7; needing water Genesis 26:17 (׳נ גְּרָר), 26:19 (J), compare 2 Kings 3:16-17, place for refuse, ruins, etc. 2 Samuel 17:13; in poetry also as wild, remote ravine Job 30:6, compare הַנְּחָלִים בְּצוּר 22:24; place of child-sacrifice Isaiah 57:5; burial-place Job 21:33 (נ ׳רִגְבֵי), — Numbers 24:6 see II. נַ֫חַל.
Particular wadys designate localities: אַרְנוֺן Numbers 21:14 (E), Deuteronomy 2:24, 36 (twice in verse); 3:8, 12, 16 (twice in verse); 4:48; Joshua 12:1-2,(twice in verse); 13:9 (twice in verse) (all D), 13:16; 13:16 (P), 2 Kings 10:33; אֶשְׁכֹּל Numbers 32:9 (J), Deuteronomy 1:24 בְּשׂוֺר 1 Samuel 30:9-10, 21; גָּד 2 Samuel 24:5; זֶרֶד Numbers 21:12 (E), Deuteronomy 2:13 (twice in verse); 2:14; יַכֹּק Genesis 32:24 (J), Deuteronomy 2:37; 3:16; Joshua 12:2 (all D); קִדְרוֺן 2 Samuel 15:23; 1 Kings 2:37; 15:13; 18:40; 1Ki 23:6 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 23:12; 2 Chronicles 15:16; 29:16; 30:14; Jeremiah 31:40; קָנָה Joshua 16:8; 17:9 (3 t. in verse) (all P); שׂוֺרֵק Judges 16:4; ׳נ הַשִּׁטִּים Joel 4:18; מִצְרַיִם ׳נ is southwest limit of Palestine (Assyrian na—al [mat] Muƒri, Dl Par. 310 SchrCOT Numbers 34:5) 34:5 (P), Joshua 15:4 (D), 15:47 (P), 1 Kings 8:65; 2 Kings 24:7, 2; Chron 7:8; Isaiah 27:12, + (omit מצרים) Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28 (see above); so read also possibly Amos 6:14 (see עֲרָבָה: usually identified with Wâdy el-Arîsh; on Wkl's different view, see references below מִצְרַיִם near the end); on identification of ׳נ Joshua 15:7; 19:11 (both P), 2 Samuel 23:30 = 1 Chronicles 11:32; 2 Chronicles 20:16; 33:14, see Commentaries; הַנְּחָלִים אָשֶׁד Numbers 21:15, see אֶשֶׁד.
3 Miner's shaft, נ ׳מָּרַץ Job 28:4.
II. [נַ֫חַל] noun [masculine] perhaps palm-tree (Arabic , noun of individual meaning ; see PerlesJQ, July, 1899, 688); — only plural absolute, נִטָּ֑יוּ כִּנְחָלִים Numbers 24:6 like palm-trees, which are stretched out, spread out (as to foliage). So Perlesl.c, who compares נחל כערבי Ecclus 50:12e, ᵐ5 ὡς στελέχη φοινικων.