נֶשֶׁף
𐤍𐤔𐤐
nesheph
H5399 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A transitional period of the day characterized by the diminishing or increasing of natural light; typically refers to twilight or the time around dawn or dusk. Its usage spans both the onset of darkness at evening and the fading darkness before sunrise. Within biblical contexts, נֶשֶׁף conveys the atmospheric and symbolic qualities of these liminal times, such as uncertainty, anticipation, or danger, rather than a precise chronological hour.
Semantic Range
gentle breeze, transition time of day, twilight (evening or morning), dusk, dawn, onset of darkness, fading of darkness before sunrise
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root נָשַׁף, which means 'to blow' or 'to breathe.' The noun נֶשֶׁף is thus connected to the idea of a wind or breeze, particularly one characteristic of changing times of day, and metaphorically extends to the moments of transition between night and day due to the observable shift in air and light.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, נֶשֶׁף often refers to the period just before sunrise (dawn) or just after sunset (dusk/twilight). It does not strictly denote either the morning or evening transition, but rather serves as a poetic or evocative term for a brief, intermediary phase marked by ambient changes in light and atmosphere. Its specificity is sometimes determined by parallelism or contrast with other temporal terms (e.g., evening, morning, night) in the context. The standard English translation 'twilight' or 'dawn' conveys part of its meaning, but may not fully capture the term's poetic connotations or its connection to the sense of a gentle breeze. In some passages, נֶשֶׁף is associated with danger or uncertainty, such as in descriptions of ambushes or the activity of predators. There is potential for semantic overlap with other Hebrew words like שַׁחַר (shaḥar, 'dawn') and עֶרֶב (ʿerev, 'evening'), though נֶשֶׁף is less precise chronologically and more atmospheric or literary. Later translations (including the KJV) vary widely, sometimes favoring 'twilight' or 'night,' but often do not convey the semantic breadth or nuanced atmospheric sense.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָשַׁף; properly, a breeze, i.e. (by implication) dusk (when the evening breeze prevails); dark, dawning of the day (morning), night, twilight.
Bantu Hebrew
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נשף (n-š-p̄) — to blow, to breathe, to exhale
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5399-07 |
בַ/נֶּ֔שֶׁף | vaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
at twilight | in the twilight breeze | at twilight | 4 |
H5399-05 |
נֶ֣שֶׁף | neshef | HNcmsc |
for the twilight | breeze-twilight of | for the twilight | 2 |
H5399-04 |
נָ֑שֶׁף | nashef | HNcmsa |
dawn | twilight breeze | dawn | 2 |
H5399-03 |
מֵ/הַ/נֶּ֥שֶׁף | mehaneshef | HR/Td/Ncmsa |
from the twilight | from the twilight-breeze | from the twilight | 1 |
H5399-06 |
נִ֫שְׁפּ֥/וֹ | nishepo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
its twilight | his twilight breeze | its twilight | 1 |
H5399-02 |
כַּ/נֶּ֔שֶׁף | kaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
like twilight | like twilight-breeze | like twilight | 1 |
H5399-01 |
בְּ/נֶֽשֶׁף | beneshef | HR/Ncmsa |
in the twilight | in twilight-breath | in the twilight | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
12 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5399-03 |
1 Samuel 30:17 | מֵ/הַ/נֶּ֥שֶׁף | mehaneshef | HR/Td/Ncmsa |
from the twilight | from the twilight-breeze | from the twilight |
H5399-07 |
2 Kings 7:5 | בַ/נֶּ֔שֶׁף | vaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
at twilight | in the twilight breeze | at twilight |
H5399-07 |
2 Kings 7:7 | בַ/נֶּשֶׁף֒ | vaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the twilight | in the twilight breeze | in the twilight |
H5399-07 |
Isaiah 5:11 | בַ/נֶּ֔שֶׁף | vaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
until evening | in the twilight breeze | at twilight |
H5399-05 |
Isaiah 21:4 | נֶ֣שֶׁף | neshef | HNcmsc |
twilight | breeze-twilight of | twilight |
H5399-02 |
Isaiah 59:10 | כַּ/נֶּ֔שֶׁף | kaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
like twilight | like twilight-breeze | like twilight |
H5399-04 |
Jeremiah 13:16 | נָ֑שֶׁף | nashef | HNcmsa |
twilight | twilight breeze | twilight breeze |
H5399-07 |
Psalms 119:147 | בַ֭/נֶּשֶׁף | vaneshef | HRd/Ncmsa |
dawn | in the twilight breeze | at dawn |
H5399-01 |
Proverbs 7:9 | בְּ/נֶֽשֶׁף | beneshef | HR/Ncmsa |
in the twilight | in twilight-breath | in the twilight |
H5399-06 |
Job 3:9 | נִ֫שְׁפּ֥/וֹ | nishepo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
its twilight | his twilight breeze | its twilight |