H5034b H5034b
To wither, fade, and drop off (of vegetation); to wear out or become exhausted; to crumble or disintegrate
The verb נָבֵל paints the picture of life draining away — leaves dropping, flowers fading, strength spent. In its most frequent use, it describes the wilting and falling of vegetation: Isaiah's vision of all nations fading 'like a leaf from the vine' (Isa 34:4), or the promise that the righteous person's leaf 'shall not wither' (Ps 1:3). Jethro's counsel to Moses at Sinai reveals a human application: 'You will surely wear out' (Exod 18:18) — the same drooping that overtakes a plant overtakes an overtaxed leader. The Arabic cognate nabala ('to die') and the Aramaic noun for 'corpse' confirm that the word's deepest resonance is with the irreversible loss of vitality.
Senses
1. wither, fade (of vegetation) — The core botanical sense of withering, fading, and dropping, accounting for 16 of 20 occurrences. Plants, flowers, leaves, and grass lose their vitality and fall away. The multilingual glosses converge on wilting language — Spanish 'marchita,' German 'welken,' English 'faded away.' In Psalm 1:3 the righteous man's leaf 'shall not wither' (יִבּוֹל), while in Isaiah 40:7-8 the grass withers and the flower fades under the breath of the LORD. The 2 Samuel 22:46 and Psalm 18:45 occurrences extend the imagery metaphorically to enemies who 'wither away' from their strongholds. 16×
AR["تَذْبُلُ", "ذَابِلَةٍ", "ذَابِلَةُ", "ذَابِلَةِ", "ذَبُلَ", "ذَبُلَتْ", "كَـ-سُقُوطِ", "وَ-كَـ-سَاقِطَةٍ", "يَذْبُلونَ", "يَذْبُلُ", "يَذْبُلُونَ", "يَسْقُطُ"]·ben["ও-শুকিয়ে-যাওয়ার-মতো", "ঝরে", "ঝরে-পড়বে", "ঝরে-পড়ার-মতো", "ঝরে-যাওয়া", "মলিন-হয়", "ম্লান", "শুকিয়ে-গেছে", "শুকিয়ে-যাবে", "শুকিয়েছে"]·DE["Leichnam", "[יבול]", "und-welken", "welken", "welkt", "wither"]·EN["and-like-a-withered-fig", "faded-away", "fades", "fading", "flower", "has-withered", "like-the-withering", "shall-wither", "they-fade", "wither", "withers"]·FR["cadavre", "et-flétrir", "flétrir", "se-faner", "wither"]·heb["ו-כ-נובלת", "יבול", "ייבול", "ייבולו", "ייבולון", "כ-נבול", "נבל", "נבלה", "נובל", "נובלת"]·HI["और-जैसे-सूखना", "कुम्हलाएगा", "जिसके-मुरझाए", "जैसे-झड़ना", "झड़ेगी", "मुरझाए-हुए-हैं", "मुरझाएँगे", "मुरझाएंगे", "मुरझाता", "मुरझाता-है", "मुरझाती-है", "मुरझाते"]·ID["akan-layu", "dan-seperti-yang-layu", "layu", "seperti-layunya", "yang-layu"]·IT["[יבול]", "appassi'", "appassire", "e-appassire", "wither"]·jav["alum", "badhe-bosok", "gogrog", "ingkang-gogrok", "ingkang-layu", "layu", "saking", "wadya-balanipun"]·KO["같이-시듬", "그리고-같이-시든-것", "마르리이다", "시드는", "시드니", "시든다", "시들-것이다", "시들나이다", "시들리라", "시들어지는", "시들었다", "시들었으니"]·PT["como-murchar", "desfalecerão", "e-como-murchar", "murcha", "murchará", "murcharão", "murchou", "secarão"]·RU["вянут", "и-как-увядший-плод", "как-увядает", "увядает", "увядают", "увядающему", "увядающий", "увял", "увянет", "увянут"]·ES["caerá", "como-cae", "marchita", "marchitándose", "se-marchita", "se-marchitará", "se-marchitarán", "se-marchitó", "y-como-cae"]·SW["hunyauka", "inanyauka", "kama-kunyauka", "lake", "linalokauka", "litanyauka", "na-kama-kunyauka", "nyauka", "unaonyauka", "watadhoofika", "watalegea", "watanyauka", "yamekauka"]·TR["kuruyacaklar", "solacak", "solacaklar", "solan", "solar", "solarlar", "soldu", "solmus-gibi", "soluyor", "ve-solmus-gibi"]·urd["اور-مرجھائے-پھل-کی-طرح", "جھڑنے-کی-طرح", "جھڑے-گا", "مرجھائی", "مرجھائیں-گے", "مرجھاتا", "مرجھاتا-ہے", "مرجھاتے", "مرجھاتے-ہوئے", "مرجھایا"]
2. wear out, become exhausted — The human-exhaustion sense of wearing out or becoming spent through overexertion, attested in 3 occurrences. In Exodus 18:18 Jethro warns Moses twice — using both infinitive absolute and imperfect — 'you will surely wear out' (נָבֹל תִּבֹּל). The Spanish 'te marchitaras' and French 'tu portant dehors' attempt to preserve the botanical metaphor applied to a person. Isaiah 64:6 extends it communally: 'we all fade like a leaf,' where Israel's spiritual exhaustion mirrors the drooping of autumn foliage. 3×
AR["تَذْبُلُ", "ذُبُولًا", "وَ-ذَبُلْنَا"]·ben["-এবং-আমরা-শুকিয়ে-যাই", "ক্লান্ত-হবে", "ক্লান্ত-হয়ে"]·DE["du-wird-wear-heraus", "und-welken", "wearing-heraus"]·EN["and-we-have-faded", "wearing-out", "you-will-wear-out"]·FR["et-flétrir", "portant-dehors", "tu---wear-dehors"]·heb["ו-נבל", "נבול", "תיבול"]·HI["और-मुरझाए-हैं-हम", "थकते-हुए", "थकेगा"]·ID["Pasti", "dan-kami-layu", "kamu-akan-layu"]·IT["e-appassire", "tu-will-wear-fuori", "wearing-fuori"]·jav["Lan-kita-alum", "Sayah", "panjenengan-badhe-sayah"]·KO["그리고-시들었다", "네가-시들리라", "시들고"]·PT["Murchar", "e-murchamos", "murcharás,"]·RU["Увяданием", "и-увяли-мы", "увянешь"]·ES["marchitar", "te-marchitarás", "y-nos-marchitamos"]·SW["kuchoka-kabisa", "na-tumekauka", "utachoka"]·TR["solacaksın", "solmakla", "ve-solduk"]·urd["اور-ہم-مُرجھا-گئے", "تھک-جائے-گا", "تھکتے-ہوئے"]
3. crumble, disintegrate — A rare extension beyond organic decay to physical disintegration — structural crumbling rather than botanical wilting. In Job 14:18 a mountain falls and crumbles away, and a rock is moved from its place. The Spanish 'se desmorona' ('it crumbles') distinctly marks this as geological decay rather than vegetable fading, showing that the word's semantic reach extends to any irreversible collapse of form. 1×
AR["يَنْهَارُ"]·ben["ভেঙ্গে-পড়ে"]·DE["[יבול]"]·EN["crumbles"]·FR["flétrir"]·heb["ייבול"]·HI["और-टूट-जाता-है"]·ID["hancur"]·IT["crumbles"]·jav["remuk"]·KO["허물어지고"]·PT["se-desmorona"]·RU["рассыпается"]·ES["se-desmorona"]·SW["unaharibika"]·TR["dağılır"]·urd["بکھرتا-ہے"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נָבֵל vb. sink or drop down, languish, wither and fall, fade (NH id.; Assyrian nabâlu, destroy, DlHWB 443 f. Arabic نَبَلَ v, viii. die; Aramaic נְבֵילָא corpse);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. נ׳ Is 40:7, 8 Je 8:13; 3 fs. נָֽבְלָה Is 24:4(×2); Impf. 3 ms. יִבּוֹל ψ 1:3 + 4 times (on form cf. Ges§ 47 h Ol§ § 911 e, 912.2), 2 ms. תִּכֹּל Ex 18:18; 3 mpl. יִבֹּלוּ 2 S 22:46 = ψ 18:46, יִבּוֹל֑וּן ψ 37:2; 1 pl.…