נָשַׁת
𐤍𐤔𐤕
nâshath
H5405 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
A verbal root meaning primarily 'to be deprived of strength or resources,' with contextual senses including to fail, to be exhausted, or to be dried up (especially of water, sap, or vitality). Used intransitively to describe the state of being emptied or depleted, whether materially, psychologically, or physically.
Semantic Range
to fail, to be exhausted, to be deprived of strength, to be dried up, to diminish, to lose vitality
Root / Etymology
Root: נשת (nun-shin-tav). The root itself is rare and not widely attested outside of biblical Hebrew. Derived as a verb conveying the idea of being deprived or diminished, reflecting a transition from fullness or capability to emptiness, exhaustion, or incapacity. The development of meaning appears to emphasize the intransitive experience of failing or running dry, rather than a direct causation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
נָשַׁת is an uncommon term in the Hebrew Bible and appears in poetic or figurative contexts (e.g., Psalm 71:9), where it describes a loss of strength or vitality, often associated with old age or the waning of life and power. In these usages, the nuance is not strictly physical drying (e.g., of water), but figurative exhaustion or failure. There is considerable overlap with roots such as יבשׁ (y-b-sh, 'to be dry') and כלה (k-l-h, 'to be finished/consumed'), but נָשַׁת conveys depletion more generally, whether that be of physical capacity or the receding of fortune. Later translation traditions (including the Septuagint and Vulgate) render the idea as 'to weaken', 'to be spent', or 'to fail,' but nuances in English Bibles may over-literalize as 'to be dried up', missing idiomatic implications of being used up or exhausted. Its scarcity and contextually driven semantics make it a poetic rather than a common prose term, with later post-biblical Hebrew not preserving the root productively.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, to eliminate, i.e. (intransitively) to dry up; fail.
Bantu Hebrew
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נשת (n-sh-t) — to be deprived, to be emptied, to fail, to be exhausted
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5405-01 |
נָשָׁ֑תָּה | nashatah | HVqp3fs |
is parched | she has run dry | 1 |
H5405-03 |
וְ/יָבֵֽשׁ | veyavesh | HC/Vqq3ms |
and dried up | and he was depleted | 1 |
H5405-02 |
נָשְׁתָ֥ה | nashetah | HVqp3fs |
failed | she was depleted | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5405-03 |
Isaiah 19:5 | וְ/יָבֵֽשׁ | veyavesh | HC/Vqq3ms |
and dried up | and he was depleted |
H5405-01 |
Isaiah 41:17 | נָשָׁ֑תָּה | nashatah | HVqp3fs |
is parched | she has run dry |
H5405-02 |
Jeremiah 51:30 | נָשְׁתָ֥ה | nashetah | HVqp3fs |
failed | she was depleted |