Lexical Definition

‎נָא‎ nâʼ (naw) please ^H:Intj
a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may usually be rendered

I beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.

• 'I pray', 'now', or 'then'
• added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction

1) I (we) pray, now, please
1a) used in entreaty or exhortation

See Greek: ἀξιόω · νῦν · ὡσαννά

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎נָא‎ particle of entreaty or exhortation I (we) pray, now (enclitic) (Syriac , ; compare Ethiopic veni, age! Di^{§ 160. 1 Lex:675} Kö^{ii. 244}); — attached:

1. to the imperative, especially in colloquial style, when it expresses an entreaty or admonition, as Gen 12:13 ‎אִמְרִינָֿא‎ say, I pray, Gen 13:9 ‎נָא מֵעָלַי הִפָּרֶדֿ‎, vGen 13:14 ‎שָׂאנָֿא עֵינֶיךָ‎, Gen 15:5 ‎הַבֶּטנָֿא השׁמימה‎, Gen 24:2 + often, Num 20:10 ‎שׁמעונֿא המוֺרים‎, Judg 13:4; Judg 16:6; Judg 16:10; Judg 16:28; Judg 18:5, etc., Isa 1:18; Isa 5:3; Amos 7:2; Amos 7:5 rarely in a command, Gen 22:2; Isa 7:3). Ironically, in a challenge, Isa 47:12; Job 40:10. Once anomalously attached to a substantive, or (accents) prefixed to a verb, Num 12:13 ‎אֵ֕ל נָא֛ רְָˆפא נָא֖‎ (Ew ^{§ 246 a} Di ‎אַלנָֿא‎; see 3 b).

2. to the perfect with waw consecutive, in a precative sense (Dr^{§ 119} δ) Gen 40:14.

3. to the imperfect, when leave is asked, or a prayer or desire expressed;
a. in 1 person, especially with ‎ה‎ cohortative, Gen 19:8 ‎אוציאהנֿא‎ let me, I pray, bring out, vGen 19:20 ‎אִמָּֽלְטָהנָּֿא שָׁ֑מָּה‎, Gen 24:12 ‎הַקְרֵהנָֿא לְפָנַי‎ vGen 24:14 ‎הַטִּינָֿא‎ vGen 24:17 vGen 24:23 vGen 24:43 vGen 24:45; Gen 25:30; Gen 32:12*; Gen 32:30* + often, Exod 3:18 ‎נלכהנֿא‎ let us go, I pray, Num 20:17; Isa 5:5 and in self-deliberation, Gen 18:21 ‎ארדהנּֿא‎ I will go down, now ! Exod 3:3 ‎אסורהנּֿא ואראה‎ I will turn aside, now, and see, 2Sam 14:15; Song 3:2; Isa 5:1 with ‎אַל‎ Job 32:21.
b. in 2 person, with ‎אַל‎, in deprecation, Gen 18:3 ‎אלנֿא תעבר מעל עבדך‎, Gen 19:7; Gen 47:29; Num 10:31, etc.; hence elliptical ‎אלנֿא‎ do not, I pray, (do this,) Gen 19:18; Gen 33:10; Num 12:13 Ew Di.
c. in 3 person, Gen 18:4 ‎יֻקַּחנָֿא‎ let there be brought, I pray, Gen 26:28; Gen 33:14; Gen 44:18; Gen 44:33, etc., 2Sam 14:11; 2Sam 14:12; 2Sam 14:17; 1Kgs 17:21; 2Kgs 2:9; Ps 7:10*; Ps 118:2; Ps 118:3 ironically Isa 19:12; Isa 47:13, or defiantly Jer 17:15 where is the word of J.? ‎יָבוֺא נָא‎; with ‎אַל‎, Gen 13:8 ‎אַלנָֿא תְהִי מְרִיבָה‎, Gen 18:30 ‎אַלנָֿא יִחַר‎ ‎לַאדֹנָי‎, Gen 37:27; Num 12:12.

4. joined to conjunctions and interjections:
a. [‎אָהּנָֿא‎, contracted] ‎אָ֫נָּא‎.
b. ‎אַלנָֿא‎ see above 3 b, c. c. ‎אִםנָֿא‎, especially in the phrase ‎אם נא מצאתי חן‎ ‎בעיניך‎, used by one craving a favourable hearing Gen 30:27; Gen 33:10; Judg 6:17; 1Sam 27:5, and with ‎נא‎ repeated in the request itself Gen 18:3; Gen 47:29; Gen 50:4; Exod 33:13; Exod 34:9 otherwise Gen 24:42.
d. ‎הִנֵּהנָֿא‎ behold, I pray, craving a favourable consideration of the fact pointed to by ‎הִנֵּה‎, and of the request founded upon it (with which ‎נא‎ is often repeated), Gen 12:11; Gen 16:2; Gen 18:27; Gen 18:31; Gen 19:2; Gen 19:8; Gen 19:19; Gen 19:20; Gen 27:2; Judg 13:3; Judg 19:9; 1Sam 9:6; 1Sam 16:15; 2Sam 13:24; 2Kgs 2:16; 2Kgs 2:19; 2Kgs 4:9 +, Job 13:18; Job 33:2; Job 40:15; Job 40:16.
e. (‎לנו‎) ‎אוֺינָֿא לי‎ Woe, now, to me (us) ! Jer 4:31; Jer 45:3; Lam 5:16. feminine ‎אַיֵּהנָֿא‎ where, pray ? Ps 115:2.
g. ‎נֶגְדָּהנָּֿא‎, peculiarly, Ps 116:14; Ps 116:18 my vows to J. I will perform, ‎נגדהנֿא לכלעֿמו‎ O that (it may be) before all his people !

II. ‎נָא‎ adjective see ‎ניא‎.

II. ‎נָא‎ adjective raw, of flesh Exod 12:9 (P; opposed to ‎בשׁל‎). I. ‎נָא‎ [‎נִיב‎], ‎נִיבָ֑י‎, ‎נֵיבָ֑י‎ see ‎נוב‎. ‎נִיד‎ v . ‎נוד‎. ‎נִירָה‎ see II. ‎נדד‎. ‎נָיוֺת‎ see ‎נוית‎ below I. ‎נוה‎. ‎נִיחֹחַ‎, ‎נִיתוֺתַ‎ see ‎נוח‎. ‎נִין‎ see ‎נון‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References