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נֹחַם

𐤍𐤇𐤌

nôcham

H5164 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נחם to regret, to be sorry, to comfort

Definition

An act or state of changing one’s mind, regret, or relenting, often involving sorrow, anguish over a previous action, or a turning away from a course of behavior. In various contexts, can denote the experience of deep remorse, compassion, or a conscious decision to refrain from a prior intention.

Semantic Range

regret, sorrow, compassion, remorse, relenting, change of mind, repentance

Root / Etymology

From the root נָחַם (nacham), which has a core sense of 'to regret, to be sorry, to comfort.' The noun נֹחַם (nôcham) is a rare nominal form, conveying the sense or state of regret, repentance, or emotional reversal, directly deriving from the verbal idea of changing one's mind or feeling compunction.

Historical & Contextual Notes

נֹחַם (nôcham) is exceedingly rare in the Hebrew Bible, occurring only in Hosea 13:14, where it expresses the idea of 'compassion' or 'regret' associated with relenting from judgment. The term encapsulates more than mere 'repentance' as understood in later religious systems; it describes a deeply emotional turning, often on the part of the deity, away from a course of action previously determined. In the prophetic literature, the noun underscores the relational and emotive dimension of divine intent and reversal. It is distinct from the more common noun תְּשׁוּבָה (teshuvah, 'return, repentance') or חָטָאת (ḥata’t, 'sin, offense'), which have more technical ritual or moral connotations in later Hebrew. English translations often render it as 'repentance' or 'compassion,' but this can obscure its broader scope of emotional and volitional change. In the post-exilic and later Jewish tradition, words cognate to נֹחַם are read increasingly in terms of penitence, but in biblical usage, especially in Hosea, the emphasis is on emotional transformation or regret, not formal doctrine or prescribed ritual response.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נָחַם; ruefulness, i.e. desistance; repentance.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נחם (n-ḥ-m) — regret, be sorry, comfort, relent

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4505 מְנַחֵם Comforter
H5100 נְהָמָה like roaring of
H5149 נְחוּם Comforted One
H5150 נִחוּם my consolations
H5151 נַחוּם Comforted-one

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5164-01 נֹ֖חַם nocham HNcmsa compassion/repentance regretful relenting 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5164-01 Hosea 13:14 נֹ֖חַם nocham HNcmsa compassion/repentance regretful relenting
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