Lexical Summary nadaph: To drive away, scatter, chase Original Word: נָדַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance drive away, to and fro, thrust down, shaken, tossed to and fro A primitive root; to shove asunder, i.e. Disperse -- drive (away, to and fro), thrust down, shaken, tossed to and fro. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to drive, drive asunder NASB Translation drive away (1), driven (2), driven away (2), drives away (1), fleeting (1), rout (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [נָדַף] verb drive, drive asunder ( Late Hebrew id., spread, be diffused, disseminated (of odour); Arabic  strike, beat, especially bow-string with mallet, to clean cotton; also play the lyre; Aramaic נְדַף = Late Hebrew; Ethiopic  throw, hurl); — Qal Imperfect suffix יִדְּפֶנּוּ Job 32:13 (jussive); 3 feminine singular suffix תִּדְּפֶנּוּ Psalm 1:4; 2masculine singular תִּנְדֹּף Psalm 68:3; — drive about, chaff, subject wind Psalm 1:4; wicked, subject God Psalm 68:3 (כְּהִנְדֹּף עָשָׁן, see below); compare Job 32:13 (= defeat, anguish). Niph`al Perfect נִדַּף Isaiah 19:7; Infinitive. כְּהִנְדֹּף Psalm 68:3 (see Köi. 306 f); Participle נִדָּף Leviticus 26:36 3t.; — be driven, driven about (especially by wind) Psalm 68:3, see above (like a driving [Che drift] of smoke); of breath (הֶבֶל) figurative of deceitful gain Proverbs 21:6 (ᵐ5 Hi Ew רֹדֵף; see De Now); of withered plant Isaiah 19:7 (where subject עָרוֺת, מִוְרָע i.e. place; whence Che transitive ׳נ vanish; but reference probably to plant-life in these places, see Di); of leaf Leviticus 26:36 (as making slight sound), Job 13:25 (figurative of sufferer, "" קַשׁ יָבֵשׁ), of chaff (קַשׁ) Isaiah 41:2 (simile of bow of hostile kings "" עָפָר). Topical Lexicon Overview נָדַף (nadaph) pictures the irresistible force that drives, scatters, or blows something away. Whether windborne chaff, melting wax, or panicked fugitives, every occurrence conveys weakness in the object driven and supreme power in the One who directs the driving force—ultimately the LORD Himself. Narrative and Legal Contexts Leviticus 26:36 closes the covenant curses with a haunting image: “the sound of a wind-blown leaf will cause them to flee”. Here nadaph dramatizes covenant-breaking Israel reduced to terror. The judgment is so complete that no human adversary is required; God’s breath alone unravels their false security. Wisdom Literature Job employs nadaph twice to underscore human frailty. Job 13:25 asks, “Will You frighten a windblown leaf? Will You pursue dry chaff?”. Job sees himself as weightless debris easily scattered—yet still held in God’s sovereign attention. Job 32:13 warns Job’s friends not to boast that they have “found wisdom”; if God chooses, “He will rout him, not man” (cf.). Divine refutation, like a tempest, will scatter every proud argument. Proverbs 21:6 turns nadaph into an ethical proverb: “A fortune gained by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare”. Ill-gotten wealth is as unsubstantial as mist blown away. Wisdom therefore anchors prosperity to truth rather than manipulation. Psalm 1:4 furnishes the classic contrast: “Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.” Rootless, fruitless lives are finally dispersed by divine judgment, while the righteous are “planted by streams of water.” Psalm 68:2 raises the theme to cosmic scale: “As smoke is blown away, You will drive them out… so the wicked perish in the presence of God”. The Psalm celebrates God’s enthronement; the wicked cannot withstand even His exhaling breath. Prophetic Imagery Isaiah 19:7 foresees Egypt’s economy collapsing: reeds and crops “will wither, blow away, and be no more”. Political power, like vegetation, is at the mercy of the LORD’s winds. Isaiah 41:2 similarly promises that the eastern conqueror—typically identified with Cyrus—will make nations “like wind-blown chaff with his bow”. Human empires become chaff once God appoints a servant to scatter them. Theological Themes 1. Sovereign Judgment: Nadaph underlines that God does not need armies to judge; His word or breath suffices. Historical and Cultural Insights Agrarian societies knew the threshing floor firsthand. Chaff separation depended on winnowing winds, making nadaph a vivid, everyday metaphor. In desert climates even a light gust could erase tracks in the sand or extinguish a lamp, reinforcing the sense of impermanence. Isaiah’s reference to “reeds and rushes” evokes Egypt’s Nile economy, while Leviticus’ “wind-blown leaf” fits a drought-prone land where foliage becomes brittle in the dry season. Practical Ministry Applications • Preaching: Nadaph warns against superficial faith. Congregations grasp the picture of chaff effortlessly scattered; challenge listeners to pursue depth in Scripture and obedience that anchors them. Christological and Eschatological Connections John the Baptist prophesied that Messiah would gather wheat and burn chaff “with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), echoing Psalm 1. Jesus is the ultimate Winnower whose breath of judgment and Spirit of life separate the true from the false. Revelation 19 portrays the Rider on the white horse whose sword-word strikes the nations, fulfilling Isaiah 41:2’s imagery on a grand scale. For believers, union with Christ guarantees permanence; apart from Him, humanity remains as chaff before the wind. Summary נָדַף challenges every generation to examine what will stand when God’s wind blows. Rooted in covenant warnings, wisdom counsel, psalmic praise, and prophetic vision, the verb gathers into one theme: the LORD alone grants stability. All else—wealth, power, reputation—can be scattered in an instant. Wise is the person who seeks refuge in the One whose breath both judges and gives life. Forms and Transliterations יִדְּפֶ֣נּוּ ידפנו כְּהִנְדֹּ֥ף כהנדף נִ֝דָּ֗ף נִדַּ֖ף נִדָּ֔ף נִדָּ֖ף נִדָּ֣ף נדף תִּ֫נְדֹּ֥ף תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ תדפנו תנדף kə·hin·dōp̄ kehinDof kəhindōp̄ nid·dap̄ nid·dāp̄ nidDaf niddap̄ niddāp̄ tid·də·p̄en·nū tiddeFennu tiddəp̄ennū tin·dōp̄ tinDof tindōp̄ yid·də·p̄en·nū yiddeFennu yiddəp̄ennūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 26:36 HEB: ק֚וֹל עָלֶ֣ה נִדָּ֔ף וְנָס֧וּ מְנֻֽסַת־ NAS: And the sound of a driven leaf KJV: and the sound of a shaken leaf INT: and the sound leaf of a driven will flee though Job 13:25 Job 32:13 Psalm 1:4 Psalm 68:2 Psalm 68:2 Proverbs 21:6 Isaiah 19:7 Isaiah 41:2 9 Occurrences |
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