נָחֵת
𐤍𐤇𐤕
nâchêth
H5185 adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Verb meaning 'to go down, descend,' often referring literally to physical movement from a higher to a lower location such as descending a mountain, leaving a city in high terrain, or coming down from above. Can also describe descending metaphorically, such as status or position.
Semantic Range
to go down (physically), to descend (from higher to lower place), to step down (figurative), to decrease (status or position, metaphorical)
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root נחת, meaning 'to descend, go down.' The form נָחֵת is an active participle, possibly a dialectal or poetic/archaic variant of the more standard Hebrew root ירד (yarad, 'to go down'). נחת is attested in later stages of Hebrew and is parallel to Aramaic נחת (neḥat, 'to descend'). The word's Hebrew root is less common in biblical usage but was preserved in Aramaic and post-biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נָחֵת appears only in poetic or archaic contexts in biblical Hebrew, such as in Psalm 38:7, and is much less common than the standard Hebrew ירד ('to go down'). Its language is closer to the dialect of Aramaic, in which the root נחת is very common. In later periods (Second Temple, Rabbinic Hebrew), נחת became a more standard verb for 'to descend.' In Israelite literature, its poetic use may carry connotations beyond simple physical movement, sometimes emphasizing the direction of a journey (e.g., from the hill country toward the plain). English translations often render it simply as 'descend,' but may fail to convey its archaic or poetic flavor. The term should not be confused with the more frequent ירד, which also covers a wider range of metaphorical uses. In contrast to נָחֵת, other descendants or cognates of the root (e.g., Aramaic, Syriac) regularly mean 'to descend,' reflecting a common Northwest Semitic heritage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָחַת; descending; come down.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נחת (n-ḥ-t) — to descend, to go down
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5181 | נָחַת | Bring down! |
| H5182 | נְחַת | bring down |
| H5183 | נַחַת | in settled rest |
| H5184 | נַחַת | Settled-One |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5185-01 |
נְחִתִּֽים | nechitim | HAampa |
are coming down | descending ones | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5185-01 |
2 Kings 6:9 | נְחִתִּֽים | nechitim | HAampa |
are coming down | descending ones |