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נֶחָמָה

𐤍𐤇𐤌𐤄

nechâmâh

H5165 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נחם to comfort, to repent, to change one's mind

Definition

Emotional relief or comfort, particularly following distress, grief, or calamity. Nechâmâh refers to the act or experience of being consoled, as well as the state of comfort that comes after sorrow or affliction. It can denote the process of emotional restoration and reassurance, whether provided by others, by divine agency, or as an inner experience. The term often conveys not only alleviation of sadness but also the hope or encouragement to move beyond loss or suffering.

Semantic Range

comfort, consolation, emotional relief after grief, encouragement, assurance after distress, restoration after suffering

Root / Etymology

From the root נ-ח-ם (נחם), which conveys the idea of expressing sorrow, feeling regret, or providing comfort. The verb נָחַם (nacham) primarily means 'to be sorry, to console, to comfort' and expresses both regret/repentance and the act of consoling someone. The noun form נֶחָמָה (nechâmâh) specifically denotes the outcome or experience of consolation or comfort.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The noun נֶחָמָה occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible, often in poetic or prophetic contexts. It refers to comfort received after trauma, such as exile (e.g., Isaiah 12:1), loss, or national disaster. The concept of nechâmâh is frequently invoked in exilic and post-exilic prophetic literature, where divine consolation is promised to the Israelite community. In earlier texts, the concept is often expressed via verbs or with different noun forms. Compared to other terms for comfort, נחמה is more personal or internal, while נחם (as a verb) can also refer to a change of mind or repentance. English translations usually render nechâmâh as 'comfort' or 'consolation,' but may overlook the depth of emotional renewal and communal restoration implicit in the term, especially in prophetic texts promising collective hope after catastrophe. In later periods, 'comfort' could acquire more theological overtones, but in biblical usage, it primarily concerns emotional and communal restoration in the wake of suffering.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נָחַם; consolation; comfort.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נחם (n-ḥ-m) — to comfort, to console, to feel sorrow, to change one’s mind

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
H5165-01 נֶחָמָתִ֣/י nechamati HNcfsc/Sp1cs is my comfort my consolation 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5165-01 Psalms 119:50 נֶחָמָתִ֣/י nechamati HNcfsc/Sp1cs is my comfort my consolation
H5165-01 Job 6:10 נֶ֘חָ֤מָתִ֗/י nechamati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my comfort my consolation
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