Lexical Summary yashen: sleep, slept, chronic Original Word: יָשֵׁן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance to be slack or languid, grow oldA primitive root; properly, to be slack or languid, i.e. (by implication) sleep (figuratively, to die); also to grow old, stale or inveterate: NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to sleep NASB Translation chronic (1), fell asleep (1), remained long (1), sleep (10), sleeps (1), slept (5), supply (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [יָשֵׁן] verb sleep (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic noun  sleep; Arabic  be sleepy,  ,  sleep Assyrian šittiu, sleep, DlHWB 246, šunatu, šuttu, dream, Idib, Flood: iv. 22 AsrbAnnals,v R. 2, 97) — Qal Perfect יָשַׁנְתִּי Job 3:13; וְיָָֽשְׁנוּ consecutive Jeremiah 51:39 2t.; Imperfect יִישָׁ֑ן Isaiah 5:27; Psalm 121:4; וַיִישַׁן 1 Kings 19:5, etc.; Infinitive construct לִישׁוֺן Ecclesiastes 5:11; — sleep, go to sleep, and be asleep, Genesis 2:21 (J), Genesis 41:5 (E), Ezekiel 34:25; Job 3:13; Psalm 3:6; Psalm 4:9; Proverbs 4:16; Ecclesiastes 5:11, also 2 Samuel 4:6 ᵐ5 We Dr Kit Bu, see חֹמֶשׁ; with לֹא, of Ass. army Isaiah 5:27 ("" נוּם); of Baal 1 Kings 19:5; of ׳י, עוּרָה לָמָּה תִישַׁן אֲדֹנָי 1Ki 44:24; לֹא יִישָׁ֑ן 1 Kings 12:14 ("" נוּם); with accusative of congnate meaning with verb שְׁנַת עוֺלָם ׳ישׁ Jeremiah 51:39,57 (see שֵׁנָה), of death, compare אִישַׁן הַמָּוֶת Psalm 13:4. Niph`al only in derivatives sense of become inactive or stationary; Perfect וְנוֺשַׁנְתֶּם consecutive Deuteronomy 4:25 and ye be grown old בָּאָרֶץ, i.e. (see Di Dr) have lost freshness of first impressions; of inanimate things, be old, stale , only Participle יָשָׁן נוֺשָׁן Leviticus 26:10 (H), feminine צרעת נוֺשֶׁנֶת Leviticus 13:11 = old leprosy (P); these possibly denominative from יָשָׁן Pi`el causat. Imperfect וַתְּיַשְּׁנֵהוּ Judges 16:19and she made him sleep. ישׁן (√ of following; Biblical Hebrew ישׁן, שֵׁנָה). Topical Lexicon Literal Sleep as God-Given NecessityThe verb יָשֵׁן often describes normal human rest. Adam sleeps while God fashions Eve (Genesis 2:21); Joseph’s Pharaoh sleeps between two revelatory dreams (Genesis 41:5); Elijah, exhausted after Carmel, “lay down and slept” until an angel revived him (1 Kings 19:5). Psalm texts highlight divine care in ordinary slumber: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5) and “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). Ecclesiastes 5:12 commends the sweet sleep of the laborer, confirming that rhythmic rest is a gracious provision, not a weakness to despise. Sleep and Divine Operations Yashen frequently occurs where God acts while people cannot. Deep sleep allows painless surgery in Eden (Genesis 2:21), conceals David’s stealth in Saul’s camp (1 Samuel 26:12), and removes resistance when Delilah betrays Samson (Judges 16:19). Such scenes emphasize sovereignty: human inability enlarges divine initiative. Dreams and visions emerge from yashen moments. Pharaoh’s doubled dream (Genesis 41:5) and the prophetic dreams of others illustrate that revelation can be granted when the mind is inactive, ensuring the source is unmistakably from God. Metaphorical Uses: Security, Apathy, Death 1. Security and trust Psalm 121:4 contrasts the ever-vigilant Keeper with slumbering mortals: “Indeed, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Believers may rest precisely because God does not. 2. Spiritual apathy Sleep can denote moral numbness. Proverbs 4:16 portrays the wicked who “cannot sleep unless they do evil,” hinting at restless consciences. Hosea 7:6 rebukes leaders whose hearts are “like an oven”; their passion languishes into complacent drowsiness, then flares into sin. 3. Approaching death and judgment Psalm 13:3 fears “sleep in death.” Jeremiah 51:39, 57 warns Babylon of a “perpetual sleep” from which there is no awakening, prefiguring final judgment. Thus yashen becomes a threshold image—either temporary rest or irreversible ruin, depending on covenant standing. Covenantal Rest and Protection In the promised land God pledges secure sleep: “I will make a covenant of peace… they will live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests” (Ezekiel 34:25). Fulfillment scenes show covenant faithfulness producing fearless rest, linking yashen to shalom. ‘Old’ or ‘Aged’ Nuance The same root also yields the sense of “old, stored, matured.” Leviticus 26:10 speaks of still eating the “old” harvest when new crops arrive; Deuteronomy 4:25 warns of idolatry “when you have grown old in the land.” The shift from sleep to agedness suggests ripened time—either a blessing of abundance or a danger of complacency. Mature grain and seasoned generations must remain fresh in devotion, lest spiritual lethargy set in. Prophetic and Eschatological Echoes Isaiah 5:27 foretells enemy armies that “neither slumber nor sleep,” an ironic reversal of Psalm 121:4; judgment comes through forces as wakeful as God Himself. Songs 5:2 pictures covenant love: “I sleep, but my heart is awake,” hinting at the believer’s responsive readiness even in rest. Such passages anticipate New Testament exhortations to “wake up” spiritually while resting confidently in Christ. Ministry Applications • Encourage balanced rhythms: hard work, prayerful trust, and restorative rest honor God’s design. Thus יָשֵׁן spans bodily rest, divine intervention, moral urgency, and eschatological hope, witnessing to the comprehensive care and righteous demands of the Lord who grants sleep yet summons His people to stay spiritually awake. Forms and Transliterations אִישַׁ֥ן אישן וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן וְיָשְׁנ֖וּ וְיָשְׁנ֥וּ וְיָשָׁ֕ן וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם וַיִּישַׁ֔ן וַיִּישָׁ֑ן וַיִּישָׁ֕ן וַתְּיַשְּׁנֵ֙הוּ֙ וָֽאִ֫ישָׁ֥נָה ואישן ואישנה ויישן וישן וישנו ונושנתם ותישנהו יְשֵׁנִ֔ים יְשֵׁנִֽים׃ יְשֵׁנָ֖ה יִֽ֭שְׁנוּ יִישָׁ֑ן יָ֝שַׁ֗נְתִּי יָשֵׁ֣ן יישן ישן ישנה ישנו ישנים ישנים׃ ישנתי לִישֽׁוֹן׃ לישון׃ נוֹשֶׁ֤נֶת נוֹשָׁ֑ן נושן נושנת תִישַׁ֥ן ׀ תישן ’î·šan ’îšan iShan lî·šō·wn liShon lîšōwn nō·wō·šān nō·wō·še·neṯ noShan noShenet nōwōšān nōwōšeneṯ ṯî·šan ṯîšan tiShan vaIShanah vaiyiShan vatteyashsheNehu veIShan venoshanTem veyaShan veyasheNu wā’îšānāh wā·’î·šā·nāh wat·tə·yaš·šə·nê·hū wattəyaššənêhū way·yî·šan way·yî·šān wayyîšan wayyîšān wə’îšān wə·’î·šān wə·nō·wō·šan·tem wə·yā·šān wə·yā·šə·nū wənōwōšantem wəyāšān wəyāšənū yā·šan·tî yā·šên yāšantî yāšên yaShanti yaShen yə·šê·nāh yə·šê·nîm yəšênāh yəšênîm yesheNah yesheNim yî·šān yiš·nū yîšān yiShan Yishnu yišnūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 2:21 HEB: עַל־ הָאָדָ֖ם וַיִּישָׁ֑ן וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ NAS: upon the man, and he slept; then He took KJV: upon Adam, and he slept: and he took INT: upon the man slept took one Genesis 41:5 Leviticus 13:11 Leviticus 26:10 Leviticus 26:10 Deuteronomy 4:25 Judges 16:19 1 Samuel 26:12 1 Kings 19:5 Job 3:13 Psalm 3:5 Psalm 4:8 Psalm 13:3 Psalm 44:23 Psalm 121:4 Proverbs 4:16 Ecclesiastes 5:12 Songs 5:2 Songs 7:9 Isaiah 5:27 Jeremiah 51:39 Jeremiah 51:57 Ezekiel 34:25 Hosea 7:6 24 Occurrences |
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