H3462 H3462
To sleep, fall asleep; to grow old or become chronic (Niphal); to cause someone to sleep, put to sleep (Piel causative).
The Hebrew verb yashen describes one of humanity's most universal experiences — the act of falling asleep and the state of being asleep. In its Qal stem, it covers the full range from God causing Adam's deep sleep (Gen 2:21) to the watchman's assurance that 'he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep' (Ps 121:4). Spanish dormir, French dormir, and German schlafen render the basic sense with perfect transparency across all target languages. The root takes a metaphorical turn in the Niphal, where 'sleeping' extends to mean 'growing old' or 'becoming chronic' — stored grain that has 'grown old' must be cleared out (Lev 26:10), a skin disease that is 'chronic' rather than fresh (Lev 13:11), and the warning against growing spiritually stale in the land (Deut 4:25). A single Piel causative describes Delilah making Samson 'sleep upon her knees' (Judg 16:19) before calling the barber — one of Scripture's most fateful naps. Arabic wasin ('sleepy') and Aramaic shinta ('sleep') confirm the root's pan-Semitic pedigree.
Senses
1. sleep, fall asleep — To sleep or fall asleep — the basic Qal intransitive covering all forms of natural sleep, including the participial and adjectival use meaning 'sleeping' or 'asleep.' With 17 occurrences, this dominant sense spans from God's foundational act of putting Adam into sleep (Gen 2:21) to Pharaoh sleeping and dreaming (Gen 41:5), Elijah sleeping under the broom tree (1 Kgs 19:5), and Job's lament that in death he would have 'slept and been at rest' (Job 3:13). Spanish dormir/durmio, French dormir, and German schlafen converge universally. Psalm 121:4 provides the theological negative: 'He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep' — yashen paired with num to express total vigilance. 17×
AR["أَنَامَ", "النَّائِمِينَ", "تَنامُ", "كُنْتُ-نائِمًا", "نائِمونَ", "وَ-أَنَامُ", "وَ-نامَ", "وَ-نَامَ", "وَ-نِمْتُ", "وَيَنَامُوا", "وَيَنَامُونَ", "يَنام", "يَنَامُ", "يَنَامُونَ"]·ben["-ঘুমন্তদের।", "আমি-ঘুমাই", "আমি-ঘুমিয়েছিলাম", "আর-ঘুমাল", "আর-ঘুমালেন-তিনি", "আর-তারা-ঘুমাক", "আর-তারা-ঘুমাবে", "এবং-আমি-ঘুমিয়েছিলাম", "এবং-ঘুমাব", "এবং-সে-ঘুমাল", "ঘুমাও", "ঘুমাতে", "ঘুমান", "ঘুমাবে", "ঘুমায়", "ঘুমিয়েছিল"]·DE["[וישנו]", "[יישן]", "[ישנו]", "[ישנים]", "[ישנתי]", "[לישון]", "er-schläft", "ich-schlafen", "schlafend", "tun-du-schlafen", "und-er-schlief-ein", "und-ich-slept", "und-schlafen", "und-schlief", "und-schlief-ein"]·EN["He-sleeps", "I-sleep", "I-would-have-slept", "and-I-slept", "and-he-slept", "and-sleep", "and-slept", "and-they-will-sleep", "do-You-sleep", "he-sleeps", "sleepers", "sleeping", "they-sleep", "to-sleep"]·FR["[וישנו]", "[יישן]", "des-dormants.", "dormant", "dormir", "et-dormir", "et-dormit", "et-il-dormit", "à-dormant"]·heb["אישן", "ו-אישן", "ו-אישנה", "ו-ישן", "ו-ישנו", "יישן", "ישנו", "ישנים", "ישנתי", "ל-ישון", "תישן"]·HI["और-वे-सो-जाएँगे", "और-सो-गया", "और-सो-जाएँ", "और-सोऊँगा", "और-सोया", "पर", "मैं-सो-जाऊँ", "वह-सोता", "सोए-हुए-थे", "सोता-था-मैं", "सोता-है", "सोता-है-तू", "सोते-हुओं-के", "सोते-हैं", "सोने"]·ID["Dan-tidurlah-ia", "aku-akan-tidur", "aku-tidur", "dan-dia-tidur", "dan-ia-tertidur", "dan-mereka-akan-tidur", "dan-mereka-tidur", "dan-tertidur", "dan-tidur", "mereka-tidur", "terlelap", "tidur", "yang-tidur"]·IT["Io-would-have-slept", "[וישנו]", "dormendo", "dormi'", "dormire", "e-dormi'", "e-dormire", "e-dormì", "e-egli-dormì", "essi-sleep", "per-a-sleep", "sleepers"]·jav["Lan-siyos", "Panjenengan-sare", "badhe-tilem", "kang-saré", "kangge-tilem", "kawula-saè", "kula-sare", "lan-piyambakipun-badhé-saré", "lan-piyambakipun-sare", "lan-piyambakipun-saré", "piyambakipun-sare", "saha-sare", "sare"]·KO["그-들-이-자지", "그리고-그들이-자리라", "그리고-잠들-것이니", "그리고-잠들리라-그들이", "그리고-잠들었다", "그리고-잠들었도다", "그리고-잤다", "그리고-잤들었다", "자고", "자고있었다", "자기를", "잠자는-자들-의", "잠자리라-내가", "잠자지", "주무시나이까", "주무시도다"]·PT["dorme", "dormem", "dormes", "dormindo", "dormir", "dormiria", "dormirá", "durma", "e-dormam", "e-dormi", "e-dormirei", "e-dormirão", "e-dormiu", "os-que-dormem"]·RU["и-засну", "и-заснул", "и-засыпаю", "и-спать", "и-уснул-он", "и-уснули", "и-уснут", "спал-бы-я", "спать.", "спит", "спишь", "спящие", "спящих.", "уснул-я", "уснут,"]·ES["Y-durmió", "dormir", "dormirá", "dormiría", "duerma", "duermen", "duermes", "durmiendo", "los-que-duermen", "y-dormirán", "y-dormiré", "y-dormí", "y-duerman", "y-durmió"]·SW["halali", "hawatalala", "kulala", "lala", "na-akalala", "na-kulala", "na-kulala-usingizi", "na-walale", "na-watalala", "nikalala-usingizi-wa", "ningalilala-usingizi", "unalala", "wamelala", "ya-walalao"]·TR["Ve-uyudu", "uyumak-icin", "uyurdum", "uyurlar", "uyurum", "uyuyacak", "uyuyanlarin", "uyuyorlardı", "uyuyorsun", "ve-uyudu", "ve-uyudum", "ve-uyurum", "ve-uyusunlar", "ve-uyuyacaklar"]·urd["اور-سو-جاؤں-گا", "اور-سو-گیا", "اور-سوئیں-گے", "اور-سویا", "اور-وہ-سوئیں", "اور-وہ-سوئیں-گے", "سوئے-تھے", "سوتا-میں", "سوتا-ہے", "سوتوں-کے", "سوتے-ہیں", "سونے", "میں-سو-جاؤں", "وہ-سوتے"]
2. grow old, become chronic — To grow old, become long-standing, or be chronic — a Niphal sense where 'sleeping' metaphorically extends to aging or staleness, describing things that have sat too long or conditions that have persisted. Found in 3 occurrences: a chronic skin disease as opposed to a fresh outbreak (Lev 13:11), stored produce that must be cleared when new harvest comes ('you shall eat old store long kept,' Lev 26:10), and the warning that after dwelling long in the land the people will 'grow old' and become corrupt (Deut 4:25). Spanish envejecido/anejo and the shift from sleep vocabulary to aging vocabulary confirm that translators recognize a metaphorical leap: what 'sleeps' too long grows stale. 3×
AR["مُزْمِنٌ", "مُعَتَّقًا", "وَتَطُولُ"]·ben["এবং-তোমরা-পুরানো-হবে", "পুরনো", "পুরাতন,"]·DE["chronic", "stored-lang", "und-du-wachsen-alt"]·EN["and-you-grow-old", "chronic", "stored-long"]·FR["chronic", "et-tu-grow-ancien", "stored-long"]·heb["ו-נושנתם", "נושן", "נושנת"]·HI["-देश-में", "पुराना", "बहुत-पुराना"]·ID["dan-kamu-lama", "lama", "yang-disimpan"]·IT["chronic", "e-tu-crescere-vecchio", "stored-lungo"]·jav["ingkang-disimpen-suwe;", "lan-panjenengan-sadaya-dangu", "lawas"]·KO["그리고-오래-거하리라", "오래된"]·PT["antiga", "e-envelhecerdes", "envelhecido"]·RU["выдержанное", "застарелая", "и-состаритесь"]·ES["añejo", "envejecida", "y-envejezcais"]·SW["na-mkawa-wazee", "wa-zamani", "ya-zamani-sana"]·TR["eski", "eskiyi", "ve-yaşlandığınızda"]·urd["اور-پرانے-ہو-جاؤ", "بہت-پرانا", "پرانا"]
3. cause to sleep — To cause someone to fall asleep, to put to sleep — a Piel causative describing one person inducing sleep in another. Only 1 occurrence: Delilah 'made him sleep upon her knees' before summoning a man to shave Samson's hair (Judg 16:19). Spanish lo hizo dormir, French le fit dormir, and German machte ihn schlafen all employ explicit causative constructions, distinguishing this from the intransitive Qal. The single occurrence is among the most consequential sleeps in all Scripture — the moment when Israel's champion loses his strength through one woman's lullaby of betrayal. 1×
AR["وَ-أَنَامَتْهُ"]·ben["এবং-ঘুম-পাড়াল"]·DE["und-machte-ihn-schlafen"]·EN["and-made-him-sleep"]·FR["et-fit-lui-dormir"]·heb["ו-הרדימתהו"]·HI["और-सुलाया-उसे"]·ID["Dan-menidurkan"]·IT["e-fece-lui-dormire"]·jav["Lan-piyambakipun-nilem-piyambakipun"]·KO["그리고-잠재웠다-그를"]·PT["E-fê-lo-dormir"]·RU["И-усыпила-его"]·ES["Y-lo-hizo-dormir"]·SW["Na-akamlalisha"]·TR["Ve-uyuttu-onu"]·urd["اور-سلایا-اُسے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H???? 1. (4670×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [יָשֵׁן] vb. sleep (NH id.; Aramaic n. ܫܶܢܬܳܐ sleep; Arabic وَسِنَ be sleepy, وَسَنٌ, سِنَةٌ sleep; Assyrian šittu, sleep, DlHWB 246, šunatu, šuttu, dream, Id ib, Flood iv. 22 AsrbAnnals, v R. 2, 97)— Qal Pf. יָשַׁנְתִּי Jb 3:13; וְיָֽשְׁנוּ consec. Je 51:39 + 2 times; Impf. יִישָׁ֑ן Is 5:27 ψ 121:4; וַיִּישַׁן 1 K 19:5, etc.; Inf. cstr. לִישׁוֹן Ec 5:11;—sleep, go to sleep, and be asleep, Gn…