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נִיחוֹחַ

𐤍𐤉𐤇𐤅𐤇

nîychôwach

H5208 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נוח to rest, settle, give comfort

Definition

A pleasing or soothing aroma, particularly one produced by burning incense or animal sacrifice, conveying the idea of an odor that gives satisfaction or is found agreeable. Refers to a scent that is acceptable, pleasant, or gratifying, most often used in ritual and cultic contexts to designate offerings considered acceptable to the deity.

Semantic Range

pleasing aroma, soothing fragrance in cultic context, odor of acceptability to deity, sweet savor (in ritual use only)

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root נוח, meaning 'to rest, settle, be at ease'. נִיחוֹחַ derives from this root in the sense of something that brings restfulness or satisfaction, specifically as applied to pleasing smells.

Historical & Contextual Notes

נִיחוֹחַ is a term strongly associated with the language of sacrificial ritual in the Priestly literature and is commonly found in formulaic expressions describing burnt offerings (e.g., עֹלָה קָרְבָּן לַיהוה רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ, 'a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to YHWH'). Its use is almost entirely restricted to these ritual contexts and is not used in everyday language to describe pleasant smells. Over time, the phrase became a technical term denoting ritual acceptability rather than simply an odor pleasing to humans. Later translation traditions, including the Septuagint, rendered the term as 'pleasing' or 'sweet-smelling', but the original context is primarily about ritual acceptance, not mere sensory pleasure. In Aramaic (as in Daniel 2:46), נִיחוֹחַ retains the same cultic sense. The word should not be confused with other Hebrew terms for fragrance or perfume, such as בֹּשֶׂם (bosem), which describe pleasant smells in non-cultic contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) or נִיחֹחַ; (shorter) (Aramaic), corresponding to נִיחוֹחַ; pleasure; sweet odour (savour).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נוח (n-w-ḥ) — to rest, settle, give comfort

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2010 הֲנָחָה granting of rest
H2679 חֲצִי הַמְּנֻחוֹת the Resting-Places
H3239 יָנוֹחַ from Resting-Place
H4494 מָנוֹחַ resting-place
H4495 מָנוֹחַ Resting-Place

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5208-02 וְ/נִ֣יחֹחִ֔ין venichochin AC/Ncmpa and sweet odours and soothing aromas 1
H5208-01 נִיחוֹחִ֖ין nichochin ANcmpa sacrifices of sweet savor soothing aromas 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5208-02 Daniel 2:46 וְ/נִ֣יחֹחִ֔ין venichochin AC/Ncmpa and sweet odours and soothing aromas
H5208-01 Ezra 6:10 נִיחוֹחִ֖ין nichochin ANcmpa sacrifices of sweet savor soothing aromas
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