Lexical Summary nadud or nedud: Wandering, restlessness, aimlessness Original Word: נָדֻד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tossing to and fro Passive participle of nadad; properly, tossed; abstractly, a rolling (on the bed) -- tossing to and fro. see HEBREW nadad NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nadad Definition a tossing (of sleeplessness) NASB Translation tossing (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [נְדוּד] noun [masculine] tossing of sleeplessness, only plural נְדֻדִים Job 7:4 I am sated with tossings. Topical Lexicon Narrative Context Job’s anguished confession in Job 7 rises out of sleepless nights, physical torment, and spiritual bewilderment. Verse 4 introduces a rare Hebrew noun that captures Job’s experience of perpetual tossing on his bed. The word pictures a life flung about by forces beyond one’s control, an unrest that refuses to be stilled until dawn. Semantic Range and Imagery While the noun appears only once, it belongs to a verbal family that speaks of wandering, fleeing, and scattering. In its noun form it evokes the repeated motion of something driven to and fro—restless, unsettled, never able to remain. The imagery easily extends from physical movement to the inner turmoil of a soul denied peace. It can describe the exile of a people, the flight of a bird, or, as in Job, the tossing of a sufferer who cannot find rest on his bed. Biblical Occurrence Job 7:4: “When I lie down I think, ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.” This solitary use stands in deliberate contrast to the ideal of Sabbath rest promised by God (Exodus 20:8–11; Hebrews 4:9–11). Job embodies humanity’s broken condition, striving for relief yet finding only continued motion. Theological Reflections 1. Human Frailty: The word underscores the limits of human endurance. Even sleep, normally a gift (Psalm 127:2), becomes elusive under the weight of suffering. Intertextual Connections • Psalm 22:14–15 parallels the imagery of poured-out exhaustion. Historical and Cultural Insights Ancient Near Eastern literature often portrays night as the time for demonic oppression or divine testing. Job’s experience fits this cultural background but transcends it by directing complaint to the living God rather than to capricious deities. His tossing highlights the covenantal dialogue unique to Israel’s faith. Pastoral and Homiletical Applications • Addressing Insomnia and Anxiety: Job 7:4 validates the believer’s struggle with sleeplessness, showing that Scripture does not ignore such realities. Personal Reflection and Spiritual Formation Meditating on Job 7:4 encourages believers to bring restless thoughts to God in prayer. Practices such as scriptural meditation (Psalm 1:2), casting cares upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7), and trusting the Good Shepherd who “makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2) counter the experience of continual tossing. Key Passages for Further Study Job 7; Psalm 22; Psalm 127; Ecclesiastes 2; Isaiah 57; Matthew 11; Hebrews 4; Revelation 14, 22. Forms and Transliterations נְדֻדִ֣ים נדדים nə·ḏu·ḏîm neduDim nəḏuḏîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 7:4 HEB: עָ֑רֶב וְשָׂבַ֖עְתִּי נְדֻדִ֣ים עֲדֵי־ נָֽשֶׁף׃ NAS: And I am continually tossing until KJV: and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. INT: and the night am continually tossing until dawn 1 Occurrence |
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