H5074 H5074
To flee, wander, stray, be driven away; of birds fluttering; causatively, to chase away; reflexively, to shake the head.
Nadad captures the restless, dispossessed movement of creatures and people who have lost their place — whether by flight from danger, aimless wandering as fugitives, or forcible expulsion. The word appears in some of Scripture's most vivid displacement imagery: birds stripped from nests (Prov 27:8), nations scattered before conquerors (Isa 21:15), and sleepless kings tossing through the night (Esth 6:1). Multilingual evidence reveals how translators parse the range — Spanish distinguishes huir ('flee purposefully') from vagar ('wander aimlessly'), while French toggles between fuir and errer to mark the same boundary. The Hofal passive ('be chased away') and Hifil causative ('chase him away') round out a complete verbal system for the theology of exile and displacement.
Senses
1. flee, take flight — The core Qal active sense: to flee, take flight from danger or an adversary, moving rapidly in a definite direction away from threat. This accounts for half the occurrences and covers everything from Madmenah's inhabitants fleeing (Isa 10:31) to kings retreating before battle (Ps 68:12). Spanish huir and German fliehen both select purposeful-escape vocabulary, distinguishing this from the aimless wandering of sense 2. The Pual passive ('they are fled') appears in Hos 7:13 where Israel has 'fled from' God — flight as covenant betrayal rather than merely physical escape. 14×
AR["نَفَرَتْ", "هَرَبوا", "هَرَبَ", "هَرَبَتِ", "هَرَبَتْ", "هَرَبُوا", "هَرَبُوا-", "وَ-هَرَبَ", "وَهَرَبَ", "يَفِرُّ", "يَهْرُبونَ"]·ben["আর-দূরে-থাকত", "উড়ে-গেল", "এবং-উড়ে-যায়", "পালায়", "পালাল", "পালাল-", "পালিয়ে-গেছে", "পালিয়ে-যাবে", "পালিয়ে-যায়", "পালিয়েছে"]·DE["[ונודד]", "[ידוד]", "[נדדה]", "[נדדו]", "fliehen", "haben-floh", "sie-fliehen", "und-floh"]·EN["and-fled", "and-they-flee", "fled", "flee", "had-fled", "has-fled", "have-fled", "have-fled-", "they-flee", "they-have-fled", "they-have-wandered", "will-flee"]·FR["[נדדה]", "errer", "et-errer", "et-fuit", "fuir"]·heb["ו-נודד", "ו-תדד", "יידוד", "יידודון", "נדדה", "נדדו"]·HI["और-भाग-जाते-हैं", "और-भागती-थी", "नहीं-आई", "भटक-गए", "भाग-गए-थे", "भाग-गए-हैं", "भागी", "भागे", "भागे-", "भागे-हैं", "भागेंगे"]·ID["Melarikan-diri", "akan-menyingkir", "dan-ia-melarikan-diri,", "dan-melarilah", "lari", "melarikan-diri", "melarikan-diri-", "mereka-lari", "mereka-melarikan-diri", "mereka-mengembara", "telah-terbang"]·IT["[ונודד]", "[ידוד]", "[נדדה]", "[נדדו]", "e-fuggì", "fuggire", "fuggirono"]·jav["Sampun-mlayu", "badhé-mlayu", "lan-késah", "lan-mabur", "mlayu", "piyambakipun-sami-mlajar", "sami-mlajeng", "sami-mlayu", "sampun-mlayu", "sampun-mlayu-", "tiyang-tiyang-mlayu"]·KO["그리고-도망쳤다", "그리고-도망하도다", "달아났다", "도망쳤다", "도망쳤도다", "도망치도다", "도망하리라", "도망하였다", "도망하였으니", "도망하였으니-", "떠났느니라", "피하였나이다"]·PT["Fugiu", "e-foge", "e-fugiu", "fogem", "fugiram", "fugiram-", "fugirá", "fugiu"]·RU["бегут", "бежала", "бежали", "бежали-", "и-бежал", "и-улетели", "отшатнётся", "убежал", "убежали", "улетели"]·ES["Huyó", "habían-huido", "huirá", "huyen", "huyeron", "huyeron-", "huyó", "y-huye", "y-huía"]·SW["Imekimbia", "atakukimbia", "ilimkimbia", "na-ikakimbia", "na-wanaruka", "wamekimbia", "wametoroka", "wanakimbia"]·TR["Kacti", "kactilar", "kactilar-", "kaçacak", "kaçtı", "kaçtılar", "kaçıyorlar", "uçmuşlardı", "ve-kaçtı", "ve-uçtu"]·urd["اور-بھاگ-گئے", "اور-بھاگی", "اُڑ-گئے-تھے", "بھاگ-گئے", "بھاگتے-ہیں", "بھاگی", "بھاگیں", "بھاگے", "بھاگے-گا"]
2. wander, roam aimlessly — To wander, roam without fixed direction or home, often as a fugitive or exile. The Qal participle noded functions almost as a noun ('wanderer, fugitive'), as in Jer 49:5 where Ammon's refugees scatter with no one to gather them. Proverbs 27:8 offers the memorable simile of a bird wandering from its nest — Spanish al-errante and French errer both capture the purposeless quality. The distinction from sense 1 is directionality: fleeing has a 'from,' wandering has no 'toward.' Job 15:23 uses it of the wicked who wander for bread, adding economic desperation to geographic displacement. 9×
AR["الشَّارِدَ", "الهَارِبَ", "تائِهينَ", "تائِهٌ", "تائِهٍ", "تَائِهٌ", "شَارِدٍ", "لِلشَّارِدِ", "هارِبًا"]·ben["পলাতক", "বিচরণ", "বিচরণকারী", "ভবঘুরেদের-মতো-", "ভবঘুরের-জন্য", "ভ্রমণকারী", "ভ্রমণকারীদের", "যে-ঘুরে-বেড়ায়"]·DE["[נדד]", "[נדדים]", "[נודד]", "[נודדת]", "far-weg", "fliehen", "zu-fliehen"]·EN["far-off", "fugitive", "the-wanderer", "wanderer", "wanderers", "wandering"]·FR["errer", "fuir", "נדד", "נודד", "נודדת"]·heb["ל-ה-נודד", "נדוד", "נודד", "נודדים", "נודדת"]·HI["के-लिए-भटकने-वाले", "भटकता", "भटकती", "भटकने-वाला", "भटकने-वाले-को", "भटकने-वाले-से", "भटकनेवाले"]·ID["bagi-yang-terserak", "mengembara", "pengembara", "pengungsi", "yang-mengembara"]·IT["[נדדים]", "fuggire", "fuggirono", "wandering"]·jav["ing-bangsa", "ingkang-kabucal", "ingkang-mabur", "kang-kesasar", "kangge-ingkang-ngumbara", "ngulandara", "sinten", "tiyang-ingkang-mlayu"]·KO["도망자를", "도망자를-위한", "떠나", "떠도는", "떠도는-자를", "방황하는", "방황하는-자들이"]·PT["Vagando", "ao-errante", "errante", "errantes", "fugindo", "o-errante", "o-fugitivo", "que-vagueia"]·RU["беглеца", "блуждающая", "в-бегстве", "для-скитающихся", "скитальца", "скитальцами", "скитающаяся", "скитающийся"]·ES["Vaga", "al-errante", "al-fugitivo", "errando", "errante", "errantes", "fugitivo", "que-vaga"]·SW["anatangatanga", "anayetangatanga", "atangatangaye", "mbali", "mkimbizi", "wakimbizi", "wazururaji"]·TR["-e-kaçana", "dolaşan", "gezginler", "kacagi", "kacan", "kaçıp"]·urd["آوارہ", "بھٹکتے", "بھٹکنے-والا", "بھٹکنے-والے", "بھٹکنے-والے-کا", "بھٹکنے-والے-کو", "بھٹکنے-والے-کے-لیے"]
3. be driven away, cast out — The Hofal passive: to be driven away, chased out, cast off as the passive recipient of expulsion. Only two occurrences (2 Sam 23:6; Job 20:8), both vividly physical — the wicked are 'driven away' like thorns, and the prosperous man 'is chased away' like a vision of the night. Spanish ahuyentado ('put to flight') and the French passive construction both mark the shift from voluntary flight to involuntary ejection. This is nadad done to you, not by you. 2×
AR["الْمَطْرُوحِ", "وَ-يُطَارَدُ"]·ben["এবং-তাড়ানো-হবে", "ছুঁড়ে-ফেলা"]·DE["[וידד]", "thrown-weg"]·EN["and-he-is-chased-away", "thrown-away"]·FR["et-וידד", "jeté-au-loin"]·heb["ו-יודד", "מונד"]·HI["और-भगाया-जाएगा", "फेंका-गया"]·ID["dan-ia-dihalau", "dibuang"]·IT["e-e-egli-è-chased-via", "gettato-via"]·jav["dipun-bucal", "lan-dipuntundhung"]·KO["그리고-쫓겨나리라", "버리진"]·PT["afastado", "e-será-afugentado"]·RU["и-исчезнет", "отброшенные"]·ES["apartado", "y-será-ahuyentado"]·SW["iliyotupwa", "na-atafukuzwa"]·TR["atılmış", "ve-kovulur"]·urd["اور-بھگا دیا جائے گا", "پھینکا-گیا"]
4. flutter, flap wings — A single occurrence describing the fluttering or flapping of wings (Isa 10:14), where Isaiah boasts that no wing so much as 'fluttered' when Assyria plundered the nations' nests. Spanish quien-moviera ('who would move') and English 'fluttering' capture the trembling, agitated motion of a bird's wing. The image draws on the same displacement-from-nest semantics as sense 2 but narrows to physical avian movement rather than human wandering. 1×
AR["مُحَرِّكٌ"]·ben["ডানা-নাড়া"]·DE["fliehen"]·EN["fluttering"]·FR["fuir"]·heb["נודד"]·HI["फड़फड़ाने-वाला"]·ID["yang-mengepakkan"]·IT["fuggire"]·jav["ngobahaken"]·KO["파닥이는"]·PT["batendo"]·RU["взмахивающего"]·ES["quien-moviera"]·SW["aliyetikisa"]·TR["cirpan"]·urd["ہلانے-والا"]
5. shake, wag the head — The Hitpael reflexive: to shake or wag the head, a gesture of scorn, derision, or mock-pity (Ps 64:8). Spanish menarun-la-cabeza and German wird-erschuttern-ihr-Haupt both render the physical head-shaking gesture. Though only one occurrence, the Hitpael stem marks a genuinely distinct verbal sense — reflexive bodily motion rather than translocation — and the contemptuous social register separates it from all other senses of this root. 1×
AR["يَهُزُّونَ رُؤوسَهُمْ"]·ben["তারা-মাথা-নাড়াবে"]·DE["wird-erschüttern-ihr-Haupt"]·EN["will-shake-their-head"]·FR["fuir"]·heb["יתנודדו"]·HI["भागेंगे"]·ID["akan-menggelengkan-kepala"]·IT["fuggirono"]·jav["badhé-goyah"]·KO["흔들리리이다"]·PT["fogem"]·RU["кивать-будут"]·ES["menarán-la-cabeza"]·SW["watayumba-yumba"]·TR["sarsılacak"]·urd["ہِل-جائیں"]
6. chase away, drive out — The Hifil causative: to chase away, drive out someone actively (Job 18:18). Here the subject does the expelling — the wicked man is 'chased from light into darkness.' Spanish lo-ahuyentan ('they chase him away') and French yndhw-lui both flag the causative agent. This is the mirror image of the Hofal (sense 3): what sense 3 experiences passively, sense 6 performs actively. Only one occurrence, but the stem system demands its own sense slot. 1×
AR["يَطْرُدُونَهُ"]·ben["তারা-তাড়াবে-তাকে"]·DE["[ינדהו]"]·EN["they-chase-him"]·FR["ינדהו-lui"]·heb["ינדוהו"]·HI["जगत-से"]·ID["mereka-mengusirnya"]·IT["essi-chase-lui-suo"]·jav["dipuntundhung"]·KO["쫓아내리라"]·PT["o-expulsarão"]·RU["изгонят-его"]·ES["lo-ahuyentan"]·SW["watamdukiza"]·TR["sürerler-onu"]·urd["نکالا جائے-اُسے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)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×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H7965 1. peace, absence of conflict (198×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [נָדַד] vb. retreat, flee, depart, stray, wander, flutter (NH id.; Arabic نَدَّ flee, run away; Aramaic ܢܰܕ hate, abominate, shrink from, Aph. put to flight, etc.; נְדַד flee);— Qal Pf. 3 fs. נָֽדְדָה Is 10:31 Est 6:1; 3 pl. נָֽדְדוּ Ho 7:13 + 4 times, נָדָ֑דוּ Is 21:15 Je 4:25; Impf. יִדּוֹד Na 3:7; 3 fs. וַתִּדַּד Gn 31:40; 3 mpl. יִדֹּדוּן ψ 68:13(×2); Inf. cstr. נְדֹד ψ 55:8; Pt. נֹדֵד…