5183. Nachath

Lexical Summary

Nachath: Rest, quietness, tranquility, satisfaction

Original Word: נַחַת
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: Nachath
Pronunciation: NAH-khath
Phonetic Spelling: (nakh'-ath)
KJV: lighting down, quiet(-ness), to rest, be set on
Word Origin: [from H518 (אִם - if)2]

1. a descent, i.e. an imposition
2. (unfavorably) punishment
3. (favorably) food
4. (intransitively, perhaps from H5117) restfulness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

lighting down, quietness, to rest, be set on

From nchath; a descent, i.e. Imposition, unfavorable (punishment) or favorable (food); also (intransitively; perhaps from nuwach), restfulness -- lighting down, quiet(-ness), to rest, be set on.

see HEBREW nchath

see HEBREW nuwach

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. נַ֫חַת noun [feminine] (apparently masculine Job 36:16, but see below) quietness, rest (under this √ Thes Ol^{§ 164 c} Sta^{§ 201 d} Kö^{ii. 172 f.}; > below נחת Dl^{Prol. 118 ff.}); — ׳נ Isaiah 30:15 2t., נָ֑חַת Job 17:16 2t.; construct נַ֫חַת Job 36:16; —

1 quietness, quiet attitude Isaiah 30:15 ("" הַשְׁקֵט); נִשְׁמָעִים ׳דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים בְּנ Ecclesiastes 9:17; opposed to עָמָל וּרְעוּת רוּחַ Ecclesiastes 4:6; opposed to רָגַז, שָׂחַק Proverbs 29:9; of comfort of one's table, i.e. its satisfying plenty, שֻׁלְחָֽנְךָ מָלֵא דָ֑שֶׁן ׳וְנ Job 36:16 the comfort of thy table, which (i.e. the table) was full of fat (Di, compare Bu; > that which is set on thy table shall be, etc. De and others, making ׳נ subject of מָלֵא, and so masculine).

2 rest of death Job 17:16 read נֵחָ֑ת (ᵐ5 Du Dr), √ נחת = descend (compare Job 21:13); of a stillborn child Ecclesiastes 6:5. — II, III.נַחַת see נחת.

II. נַ֫חַת noun [masculine] descent; — only construct, of ׳יs arm in judgment Isaiah 30:30. — I.נַחַת see below נוח.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Conceptual Range

נַחַת (naḥat) pictures the motion of “coming down” that results in a settled state. From this concrete idea arises a cluster of related nuances—restfulness, quiet composure, gentle calm, and relieving comfort. Each passage adds color to the word’s portrait, whether speaking of God’s mighty arm “coming down,” the serenity preferred above striving, or the restful condition contrasted with distress and futility.

Distribution of the Word

Total occurrences: eight.
• Wisdom literature: Proverbs 29:9; Ecclesiastes 4:6; Ecclesiastes 6:5; Ecclesiastes 9:17.
• Poetic narrative: Job 17:16; Job 36:16.
• Prophetic text: Isaiah 30:15; Isaiah 30:30.

The concentration in Wisdom books accents its ethical resonance, while Job and Isaiah broaden its theological depth.

Wisdom Literature Emphasis

1. Proverbs 29:9 exposes the impossibility of achieving נַחַת in a courtroom clash with a fool: “If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be no peace, whether he rages or laughs”. Tranquility is not merely absence of noise; it is a moral climate that folly cannot produce.
2. Ecclesiastes 4:6 treats נַחַת as the modest, contented life: “Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind”. Solomon balances industry with rest, warning against productivity that evaporates into meaninglessness.
3. Ecclesiastes 6:5 compares an unseen, stillborn child to an overworked man: “It has never seen the sun or known anything; it has more rest than that man”. The preacher’s sober realism declares that constant striving without satisfaction forfeits the blessed calm God intends.
4. Ecclesiastes 9:17 elevates measured counsel over loud authority: “The calm words of the wise are heeded more than the shouts of a ruler over fools”. True influence flows from composed wisdom, not volume or force.

Job’s Dialogues

Job’s experiences press נַחַת into paradox.
• Job 17:16 contemplates the grave: “Will it descend with me to Sheol? Shall we go down together to the dust?”. The descent motif returns; yet, even Sheol seems to promise a relief from pain Job cannot find on earth.
• Elihu reorients the theme in Job 36:16: “Indeed, He is luring you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food”. God desires to replace crushing affliction with restorative comfort, revealing His pastoral heart toward sufferers.

Prophetic Vision in Isaiah

• Isaiah 30:15 links salvation to repentance and נַחַת: “In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling”. Here rest becomes covenantal—an expression of faith-filled reliance on Yahweh instead of political schemes.
• Isaiah 30:30 employs the original sense of descent: the Lord’s arm “coming down” decisively in judgment. The same word that depicts gentle repose also describes sovereign intervention, underscoring that genuine rest is secured only under God’s powerful rule.

Theological Threads

1. Rest as God’s Gift: Whether physical ease, emotional calm, or spiritual security, נַחַת flows from the Lord, not from human manipulation.
2. Rest versus Striving: Scripture contrasts tranquil contentment with frenetic ambition, cautioning against a life defined by accumulation or contention.
3. Rest and Salvation: Isaiah grounds deliverance in quiet trust, anticipating the Messiah who invites, “Come to Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
4. Rest and Judgment: The descent of God’s arm indicates that lasting peace stands on the foundation of divine justice.

Ministry Applications

• Personal discipleship: Encourage believers to cultivate rhythms of quietness—Sabbath, prayer, meditation—so that rest becomes a testimony to God’s sufficiency.
• Counseling: Like Elihu, guide the afflicted to see God’s intention to lead them from constriction into spacious grace.
• Preaching: Use Ecclesiastes 4:6 to address workaholism and Proverbs 29:9 to counsel peacemaking, contrasting the outcomes of wisdom and folly.
• Corporate worship: Incorporate moments of silence that model Ecclesiastes 9:17, demonstrating that still voices can carry divine authority.

Historical Insight

Ancient Near Eastern cultures prized noise and spectacle in royal proclamations. Israel’s Scriptures, however, repeatedly elevate the whisper of wisdom and the stillness of faith. By employing נַחַת both for divine descent and human tranquility, the biblical authors invite readers to recognize that true, restorative quiet comes when the Lord Himself draws near.

For Further Study

Compare נַחַת with the related concepts of שָׁלֹום (shalom, peace) and מְנוּחָה (menuchah, rest) to trace the full biblical theology of rest culminating in Hebrews 4:9–11.

Forms and Transliterations

בְּנַ֖חַת בנחת וְנַ֤חַת וְנַ֥חַת וָנַ֙חַת֙ ונחת נַ֥חַת נָ֑חַת נָֽחַת׃ נחת נחת׃ bə·na·ḥaṯ beNachat bənaḥaṯ na·ḥaṯ nā·ḥaṯ Nachat naḥaṯ nāḥaṯ vaNachat veNachat wā·na·ḥaṯ wānaḥaṯ wə·na·ḥaṯ wənaḥaṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Job 17:16
HEB: עַל־ עָפָ֣ר נָֽחַת׃ ס
NAS: Shall we together go down into the dust?
KJV: of the pit, when [our] rest together
INT: in the dust go

Job 36:16
HEB: מוּצָ֣ק תַּחְתֶּ֑יהָ וְנַ֥חַת שֻׁ֝לְחָנְךָ֗ מָ֣לֵא
NAS: constraint; And that which was set on your table
KJV: [there is] no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table
INT: constraint Instead which your table was full

Proverbs 29:9
HEB: וְ֝שָׂחַ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין נָֽחַת׃
NAS: or laughs, and there is no rest.
KJV: or laugh, [there is] no rest.
INT: laughs and there rest

Ecclesiastes 4:6
HEB: מְלֹ֥א כַ֖ף נָ֑חַת מִמְּלֹ֥א חָפְנַ֛יִם
NAS: One hand full of rest is better than
KJV: [is] an handful [with] quietness, than both the hands
INT: full hand of rest full fists

Ecclesiastes 6:5
HEB: וְלֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע נַ֥חַת לָזֶ֖ה מִזֶּֽה׃
NAS: knows [anything]; it is better off than
KJV: [any thing]: this hath more rest than
INT: never knows is better this than

Ecclesiastes 9:17
HEB: דִּבְרֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים בְּנַ֖חַת נִשְׁמָעִ֑ים מִזַּעֲקַ֥ת
NAS: heard in quietness are [better] than
KJV: [men are] heard in quiet more than the cry
INT: the words of the wise quietness heard the cry

Isaiah 30:15
HEB: יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל בְּשׁוּבָ֤ה וָנַ֙חַת֙ תִּוָּ֣שֵׁע֔וּן בְּהַשְׁקֵט֙
NAS: In repentance and rest you will be saved,
KJV: In returning and rest shall ye be saved;
INT: of Israel repentance and rest will be saved quietness

Isaiah 30:30
HEB: ה֣וֹד קוֹל֗וֹ וְנַ֤חַת זְרוֹעוֹ֙ יַרְאֶ֔ה
NAS: to be heard, And the descending of His arm
KJV: and shall shew the lighting down of his arm,
INT: of authority his voice and the descending of his arm to be seen

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5183
8 Occurrences

bə·na·ḥaṯ — 1 Occ.
nā·ḥaṯ — 4 Occ.
wā·na·ḥaṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·na·ḥaṯ — 2 Occ.