Properly (abstractly) spontaneity , or (adjectively) spontaneous ; also (concretely) a spontaneous or (by inference, in plural) abundant gift
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נְדָבָה (nedabah) names a freewill offering, voluntary gift, or willing response. Leviticus distinguishes a freewill sacrifice from a vow offering while regulating both, and Numbers places freewill offerings alongside vows and appointed offerings.
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Full entry for נְדָבָה (H5071) · Open the biblical lexicon
נְדָבָה (nedabah) names a freewill offering, voluntary gift, or willing response. Leviticus distinguishes a freewill sacrifice from a vow offering while regulating both, and Numbers places freewill offerings alongside vows and appointed offerings.
The BSB source-word alignment has 26 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a freewill offering (4), the freewill offerings (3), and freewill offerings (2), as a freewill offering (2), freewill offering (2).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 35:29. Its strongest book concentrations include Leviticus (5), Deuteronomy (4), Psalms (4), Ezra (3).
נְדָבָה (nedabah) names a freewill offering, voluntary gift, or willing response. Leviticus distinguishes a freewill sacrifice from a vow offering while regulating both, and Numbers places freewill offerings alongside vows and appointed offerings. Voluntary origin does not mean unregulated worship; the Torah still governs what may be brought and how it is handled.
Psalm 54:6 speaks of sacrificing a freewill offering in thanksgiving, and Ezra 3:5 lists freewill offerings among the restored community's worship. Deuteronomy 16:10 relates a freewill offering to the Feast of Weeks according to the blessing God has given. These settings join willingness with gratitude, covenant worship, and actual capacity rather than with competitive display.
Hosea 14:4 uses the noun's freely sense when God promises to love restored Israel freely, and Psalm 110:3 describes the king's people in willing array or as freewill offerings, depending on translation. Those poetic uses deepen the theme but should not erase textual difficulty or turn every H5071 occurrence into one eschatological offering theory.
Nedabah moves from regulated voluntary offerings to willing thanksgiving, restored worship, divine freely given love, and poetic willingness. It distinguishes willing initiative without separating worship from God's commands or communal responsibility.
The peace sacrifice may be offered as a vow or a freewill offering, with consumption rules attached.
Israel celebrates Weeks with a freewill offering proportionate to the Lord's blessing.
The psalmist promises a freewill sacrifice and thanksgiving to the Lord's good name.
The Lord promises to heal apostasy and love the restored people freely as anger turns away.
The royal psalm portrays the king's people with willingness in the day of power, though details of the poetic line are debated.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Spontaneous, willing gift freely given—contrasts sharply with obligatory sacrifice or coerced devotion.
Spontaneous, willing gift freely given—contrasts sharply with obligatory sacrifice or coerced devotion.
properly (abstractly) spontaneity, or (adjectively) spontaneous; also (concretely) a spontaneous or (by inference, in plural) abundant gift BDB: voluntariness Usage: free(-will) offering, freely, plentiful, voluntary(-ily, offering), willing(-ly), offering).
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 26 lexical occurrence verses.
נְדָבָה is built from this root:
Emphasizes grace without compulsion. Hosea 14:4-8
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Nedabah helps a congregation honor willing devotion without opposing love to obedience. A freewill offering is voluntary in origin, yet Leviticus still regulates its fitness and handling. Deuteronomy connects the gift to actual blessing received, Psalms connect it to thanksgiving, Ezra places it within restored communal worship, and Hosea uses the freely sense for God's healing love.
These settings resist both coercive fundraising and romantic spontaneity. A sermon can invite gifts and service that arise from gratitude while saying clearly what is optional, how resources will be used, and what safeguards apply. It should not imply that required justice, family provision, debts, or ordinary responsibilities matter less because a visible religious gift feels more devoted.
Nor should it measure love by excess. Willingness is a grace-shaped posture, not a competition or a means of purchasing influence with God.
Lev.7.16
H5071 is a noun related to H5068. It can denote a freewill offering or willingness, and poetic grammar may affect translation in Psalm 110:3.
New Testament voluntary-giving texts can be read thematically alongside nedabah while retaining their church setting and Greek vocabulary.
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