how to say “to win” in Hebrew

לְנַצֵּחַ

The Hebrew word for to win is לנצח

, a פיעל verb of the root נ.צ.ח.

For example:

רק האהבה תנצח את כל הדמעות.

Only (the) love will defeat all the tears.

If you read the word לנצח by itself, you might think it means forever, which is pronounced לָנֶצַח

. That’s why, to understand the meaning of a Hebrew word, it’s often important to read it in context.

What’s the connection between to win and forever? Both are about enduring, which is the original meaning of the root נ.צ.ח.