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נוֹד

𐤍𐤅𐤃

Nod

H5113 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נוד to wander, move about, be unsettled

Definition

Proper noun designating a place, 'Nod,' known from Genesis 4:16 as the land to which Cain was exiled. The name is likely connected etymologically to a root meaning to wander or to move about, so the implication is of a territory associated with wandering, exile, or unsettled existence. The noun appears only as a place name in the Hebrew Bible.

Semantic Range

Nod (a proper name for a land associated with wandering), place of exile, land of Cain's banishment

Root / Etymology

From the root נוד (n-w-d), meaning 'to wander, move back and forth, be unsettled.' The place name נוֹד (Nôwd) is likely derived nominally from this root, indicating a land of wandering or exile. There is no independent, geographically attested location with this name outside the biblical narrative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The land of Nod is described only in Genesis 4:16 as the region where Cain settled after being banished. In biblical Hebrew, the term functions uniquely as this solitary toponym, rather than as a common noun. The name appears to play on the verb נוד, making it thematically resonate with Cain's role as a 'wanderer' (Genesis 4:12). Later traditions identified 'Nod' variously and sometimes associated it with 'east of Eden,' but the biblical narrative does not specify a particular landscape or people. Standard English translations transliterate the name as 'Nod.' The word does not refer to an ethnic group or population and outside this context does not function as a regular term for wandering or for exiles. In modern Hebrew, the verbal root נוד retains the meaning 'to wander' or 'to move about.' There is no evidence to support an identification of 'Nod' with any known nation or district attested in extra-biblical sources.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as נוֹדlemma נוֹדּ extra dagesh, corrected to נוֹד; vagrancy; Nod, the land of Cain; Nod.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נוד (n-w-d) — to wander, move about, be unsettled

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4493 מָנוֹד head-shaking
H4997 נֹאד like a skin-bag
H5067 נֵד like a piled heap
H5110 נוּד to move to and fro
H5111 נוּד she will flee

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5113-01 נ֖וֹד nod HNp Nod Land of Wandering 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5113-01 Genesis 4:16 נ֖וֹד nod HNp Nod Land of Wandering
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