← H5276 H5278 →

נַעַם

𐤍𐤏𐤌

Naam

H5277 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נעם to be pleasant, to be delightful, to be sweet

Definition

Naam is a proper noun used as a personal name in the Hebrew Bible, meaning 'pleasantness' or 'delight'. The word, when used as a name, conveys the sense of being pleasant or delightful but does not function as a common noun signifying 'pleasure' in the regular sense. Its primary attested use is as the name of one of the sons of Caleb in genealogical lists.

Semantic Range

proper name (personal), pleasantness (as a name meaning), delightful (as a connotation in the name); not used as a common noun

Root / Etymology

From the root נעם (nun-ayin-mem), which means 'to be pleasant, delightful, sweet'. The form נַעַם (Naʻam) functions as a nominal abstraction from the root, but in biblical usage is attested only as a proper name.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, נַעַם (Naʻam) appears exclusively as a personal name (1 Chronicles 4:15), specifically as an Israelite individual in a genealogical context. The use of root-derived names with meanings such as 'pleasant' or 'delightful' was common in ancient Israelite onomastics, often carrying aspirational or commemorative connotations. Unlike some lexica or translation traditions that may generalize the meaning as 'pleasure', the biblical text restricts it to proper usage. There is no evidence in the biblical period of this form being used to denote an abstract concept of pleasure. The English rendering 'Naam' follows the vocalization tradition and KJV spelling, but does not capture the nuance of meaning inherent to the Hebrew root.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נָעֵם; pleasure; Naam, an Israelite; Naam.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

נעם (n-ʿ-m) — pleasantness, delightfulness, sweetness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4516 מַנְעַם in their delights
H5273 נָעִים in pleasant ones
H5276 נָעֵם you were pleasant
H5278 נֹעַם in pleasantness of
H5279 נַעֲמָה Pleasantness

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5277-01 וָ/נָ֑עַם vanaam HC/Np and Naam and Pleasantness 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5277-01 1 Chronicles 4:15 וָ/נָ֑עַם vanaam HC/Np and Naam and Pleasantness
← H5276 Hebrew Lexicon H5278 →