to draw near, or to bring near: closing the physical distance to a person, place, or thing, whether by one's own movement or by causing something else to move
This verb covers one act from two directions: the movement of approach, and the act of placing something before another by bringing it close. When a person moves, they step forward, come up face to face, or advance. When they cause something to move, they bring it near and set it before the one receiving it. The setting supplies whether the approach is friendly, confrontational, solemn, or worshipful; the verb marks only that distance is being closed.
In everyday life the word describes people stepping forward to speak, greet, inquire, or address another. In battle it marks the moment an army closes on its target. In legal and formal settings it pictures parties stepping up before a judge or elder. In the sanctuary it becomes the regular word for a priest or worshiper drawing near to God or to the altar, where unauthorized approach brings death. In the prophets, especially Isaiah 40-55 and Malachi: it functions judicially: nations are summoned to draw near for a legal reckoning, and priests are charged with bringing polluted offerings near to the altar.
The two directions of approach (coming near oneself vs. bringing something near) are not separate meanings. They are the same picture seen from the mover's side or from the one who sets another in motion. The grammar carries them in different verb forms, but the underlying image is identical throughout.