Lexical Summary navah: To dwell, to abide, to beautify Original Word: נוה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance keept at home, prepare an habitation A primitive root; to rest (as at home); causatively (through the implied idea of beauty (compare naveh)), to celebrate (with praises) -- keept at home, prepare an habitation. see HEBREW naveh Brown-Driver-Briggs I. [נָוָה] verb only Hiph`il (si vera lectio) literally beautify (then connected with נאה be comely, so Buhl SS; compare Late Hebrew נוה Niph`al shew oneself beautiful, Nithp. adorn oneself, נָוֶה adjective beautiful, LevyNHWB); — Imperfect1singular suffix אַנְוֵהוּ Exodus 15:2 I will beautify, adorn him (with praises; object ׳י; "" רומם; ᵐ5 δυξάσω, ᵑ7 glorificabo). — adjective נָוָה Jeremiah 6:2, see נָאוֶה below [נָאָה]. II. נוה (√ of following, meaning dubious; Arabic II. [נָוָה] verb denominative dwell, abide (si vera lectio); — only Qal Imperfect3masculine singular לֹא יִנְוֶה Habakkuk 2:5 he shall not adide, so Ke; Hi rest (compare Da); We proposes יִרְוֶה be satiated, compare ᵑ6; Krochm יָנוּחַ. Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrences Exodus 15:2 introduces נוה within the first recorded hymn of Scripture. Fresh from the Red Sea triumph, Israel sings, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation… I will prepare Him a habitation”. Here נוה expresses the impulse of redeemed people to fashion a settled dwelling for the God who has delivered them. Habakkuk 2:5 uses the verb again, but negatively: “Wine betrays; an arrogant man is never at rest”. The prophet depicts a grasping invader whose soul cannot נוה—cannot settle—because insatiable covetousness has displaced the fear of God. Worship and Dwelling In Exodus 15:2, נוה is tied to worship. Salvation awakens a longing to welcome God’s abiding presence. The tabernacle, eventually the temple, and finally the Jerusalem of Ezekiel’s vision all develop this theme. The word therefore signals not mere residence, but residence marked by reverent celebration (compare Psalm 33:1; Psalm 132:13-14). Restlessness as Judgment Habakkuk contrasts the peace of those who host God’s presence with the turmoil of the proud. Babylon’s voracious advance illustrates how rebellion disorders the soul; it cannot cease, because it refuses the only dwelling place that satisfies (see Isaiah 57:20-21). Thus נוה becomes a diagnostic: where God is ignored, unrest rules. Historical Trajectory The Exodus song anticipates nearly five centuries of wilderness travel, conquest, and tribal fragmentation before Solomon’s temple finally offers a national “habitation.” Habakkuk, writing on the eve of exile, laments that Israel has exchanged that privilege for Babylon’s fevered ambition. Together the two texts frame Israel’s history as a quest either to host God or to chase idols. Theological Themes 1. Divine Initiative and Human Response: God saves; redeemed hearts seek to house His glory. Christological Foreshadowing John 1:14 declares, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The incarnate Son embodies the Exodus hope: God prepares His own habitation in humanity. Conversely, the restlessness of Habakkuk 2:5 finds its cure in Christ’s invitation, “Come to Me… and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). New Testament Parallels Believers are described as “a dwelling place for God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). The church thus fulfills the Exodus impulse corporately, while the individual heart fulfills it personally (John 14:23). Restlessness, manifest in greed, lust, or anxiety, mirrors Habakkuk’s warning and is answered only by yielding to Christ’s lordship (Hebrews 4:9-11). Ministry Implications • Worship leaders: cultivate corporate gatherings that foreground God’s presence rather than performance. Devotional Reflection When God rescues, the fitting response is to prepare Him room. Examine your rhythms, possessions, and ambitions: do they welcome His presence or mimic Babylon’s endless expansion? Let נוה remind you that true rest is found not in what you build for yourself, but in becoming the habitation He builds for His glory. Forms and Transliterations וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ ואנוהו יִנְוֶ֑ה ינוה veanVehu wə’anwêhū wə·’an·wê·hū yin·weh yinVeh yinwehLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 15:2 HEB: זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י NAS: is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's KJV: [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's INT: This is my God will praise God my father's Habakkuk 2:5 2 Occurrences |
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is aim at, propose to oneself as aim (e.g. of journey), VIII. betake oneself to a place of alighting, or abode; 
, 
place to which one purposes journeying Lane3040; hence possibly I. נָוֶה as goal of shepherd; compare Sabean נוי meadow, pasture, DHMSüdar. Alt. 32; see however Dr1Samuel 19:18 HPSib.; Late Hebrew נָוָה dwelling, habitation).