נָאוֶה
𐤍𐤀𐤅𐤄
nâʼveh
H5000 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Pleasing in appearance, attractive in form or manner; suitable or fitting, especially in a way that is aesthetically appealing or appropriate to the context. נָאוֶה primarily describes that which meets a standard of beauty, grace, or suitability, often with a sense of being fitting or proper for a given situation.
Semantic Range
beautiful, handsome, comely, becoming, suitable, fitting, proper, graceful, attractive
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root נָאָה (nā’āh) meaning 'to be beautiful, to be fitting', or possibly related to נָוֶה (nāweh) meaning 'habitation, place of dwelling' though the primary lexical connection is to 'beauty' or 'suitability'. The form נָאוֶה (nā’weh) is most commonly an adjective describing persons, places, or things as attractive, suitable, or fitting.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, נָאוֶה most often appears in poetic or descriptive contexts to indicate physical beauty or aesthetic appropriateness (e.g., describing a person, location, or virtue as 'lovely,' 'gracious,' or 'well-suited'). The word is found in Wisdom literature (such as Proverbs and Song of Songs), where it highlights desirable qualities, both external and occasionally moral. Across time, its primary focus on outward beauty and appropriateness remains stable, but the term sometimes extends metaphorically to actions or qualities deemed proper or becoming. English terms such as 'comely' or 'becoming' can capture part of its sense, though the biblical nuance includes both physical attractiveness and fittingness to context. Related terms (e.g., יָפֶה yafeh, 'beautiful') typically refer to sheer beauty, whereas נָאוֶה often includes a note of suitability or graciousness.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָאָה or נָוֶה; suitable, or beautiful; becometh, comely, seemly.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נאה (n-ʾ-h) — beauty, attractiveness, suitability, fittingness
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4998 | נָאָה | has become fitting |
| H4999 | נָאָה | in beautiful dwellings of |
| H5116 | נָוֶה | pleasant dwellings of |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5000-03 |
נָאוֶ֣ה | naveh | HAamsa |
fitting | beautiful and fitting | 4 |
H5000-02 |
נָאוָ֥ה | navah | HAafsa |
becoming | beautiful and fitting | 4 |
H5000-01 |
הַ/נָּוָה֙ | hanavah | HTd/Aafsa |
the lovely one | the fitting one | 1 |
H5000-04 |
וְֽ/נָאוָ֔ה | venavah | HC/Aafsa |
but lovely | beautiful, fitting | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5000-01 |
Jeremiah 6:2 | הַ/נָּוָה֙ | hanavah | HTd/Aafsa |
the lovely one | the fitting one |
H5000-02 |
Psalms 33:1 | נָאוָ֥ה | navah | HAafsa |
is fitting | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-02 |
Psalms 147:1 | נָאוָ֥ה | navah | HAafsa |
fitting | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-02 |
Proverbs 17:7 | נָאוָ֣ה | navah | HAafsa |
becoming | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-03 |
Proverbs 19:10 | נָאוֶ֣ה | naveh | HAamsa |
fitting | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-03 |
Proverbs 26:1 | נָאוֶ֖ה | naveh | HAamsa |
fitting | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-04 |
Song of Songs 1:5 | וְֽ/נָאוָ֔ה | venavah | HC/Aafsa |
but lovely | beautiful, fitting |
H5000-03 |
Song of Songs 2:14 | נָאוֶֽה | naveh | HAamsa |
is lovely | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-03 |
Song of Songs 4:3 | נָאוֶ֑ה | naveh | HAamsa |
are lovely | beautiful and fitting |
H5000-02 |
Song of Songs 6:4 | נָאוָ֖ה | navah | HAafsa |
lovely | beautiful and fitting |