Lexical Summary nedad: To flee, to wander, to move to and fro Original Word: נְדַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance go from (Aramaic) corresponding to nadad; to depart -- go from. see HEBREW nadad NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to nadad Definition to flee NASB Translation fled (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [נוּד] verb flee (ᵑ7 Syriac; compare [נְדַד] above and Biblical Hebrew נוּד 1a); — Pe`al Imperfect3feminine singular תְּנֻד מִן Daniel 4:11. Topical Lexicon Root Meaning and Semitic Background Nedad portrays the sudden fleeing, slipping, or withdrawing of something that had been present. In Semitic usage the root evokes images of a bird startled from its nest or of a caravan breaking camp at dawn—motion that is swift, decisive, and often unwelcome to the one left behind. Though the word appears only once in the canonical text, its semantic field is shared by cognate roots throughout Hebrew and Aramaic literature, underscoring a common ancient perception of flight as both physical departure and metaphor for emotional upheaval. Biblical Context in Daniel Daniel 6:18 records King Darius after sealing Daniel in the lions’ den: “Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him”. Nedad is applied to “sleep,” vividly dramatizing the king’s tormented vigil. The empire’s most powerful man is powerless to command rest; his own decree has cornered him. The verb therefore serves the narrative by contrasting royal impotence with divine sovereignty, preparing for the dawn deliverance that follows (Daniel 6:22–23). Theological Themes 1. Conscience Under Conviction: Darius’s sleeplessness manifests the moral tension produced when human law conflicts with righteousness. Scripture often links restless nights to divine probing of the heart (Psalm 32:4; Psalm 77:4). Cross-Biblical Motifs of Restlessness • Psalm 55:6–7 depicts David longing to “fly away and find rest,” echoing the yearning created when peace has taken flight. These passages frame nedad within a wider biblical theology of rest: true repose is a gift of God, forfeited by rebellion and recovered through faith. Ministerial Applications 1. Pastoral Care: Sleeplessness can signal unresolved guilt or fear. Counsel that directs the troubled soul to the finished work of Christ addresses the root rather than merely treating symptoms. Christological and Eschatological Perspectives The flight of sleep from a ruler prefigures the spiritual unrest of every earthly kingdom awaiting the advent of the true King. Jesus, the greater Daniel, endured a night of agonized wakefulness in Gethsemane so that His people might enter the promised “Sabbath rest” (Hebrews 4:9–11). The Gospel announces the reversal of nedad: in Christ, peace returns, and eternal security replaces fear of judgment (John 14:27; Revelation 21:4). Practical Reflection for Believers • Examine whether anxiety indicates misplaced trust; surrender circumstances to the Lord who “gives sleep to His beloved” (Psalm 127:2). Forms and Transliterations נַדַּ֥ת נדת nad·daṯ nadDat naddaṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 6:18 HEB: קָֽדָמ֑וֹהִי וְשִׁנְתֵּ֖הּ נַדַּ֥ת עֲלֽוֹהִי׃ NAS: him; and his sleep fled from him. KJV: him: and his sleep went from him. INT: before and his sleep fled him 1 Occurrence |
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