The Aramaic noun nehar means river or stream. It is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew nahar (H5104) and appears in the Aramaic portions of Daniel and Ezra. The word refers to large flowing bodies of water, especially the Euphrates and its tributaries.
In the Aramaic sections of the Old Testament, nehar frequently appears in the administrative phrase "Beyond the River," referring to the province west of the Euphrates under Persian rule. This geographical designation carries theological weight as it marks the territory God promised to restore to His people after the Babylonian exile.