H5123 H5123
To slumber, be drowsy, doze — light sleep or inattentive drowsiness, distinct from deep sleep (yashen).
A verb meaning to be drowsy, slumber, or doze off, representing a lighter stage of sleep than yashen ('to sleep deeply'). Its most famous occurrence is the emphatic double denial of Psalm 121:3-4: the guardian of Israel 'will neither slumber nor sleep,' pairing num and yashen as a merism for total wakefulness. Negatively, it describes culpable inattention — Assyria's shepherds slumber while their flock scatters (Nah 3:18), and Israel's watchmen love to drowse (Isa 56:10). Isaiah 5:27 praises the tireless Assyrian army: 'none among them slumbers or sleeps.' Spanish preserves the nuance well with 'dormitar' (to doze) versus 'dormir' (to sleep).
Senses
1. be drowsy, slumber, sleep — To be drowsy or slumber, denoting light, often culpable inattention rather than restful deep sleep. The theological peak is Psalm 121:3-4, where God's refusal to slumber guarantees Israel's security. Prophetic uses condemn leaders who drowse at their posts: Nineveh's shepherds slumber (Nah 3:18) and Israel's watchmen love drowsing (Isa 56:10). Isaiah 5:27 inverts the image — the invading army never slumbers, making them terrifyingly efficient. Spanish 'dormitar' precisely captures the lighter-than-sleep nuance, distinguishing it from 'dormir' just as Hebrew num differs from yashen. 6×
AR["-النَّوْمِ", "نَامَ", "نَامُوا", "يَنعَس", "يَنعَسُ"]·ben["ঘুমাতে", "ঘুমিয়েছে", "তন্দ্রা-করবে", "তন্দ্রায়-যান", "তন্দ্রায়-যাবেন", "তারা-ঘুমিয়েছে"]·DE["[ינום]", "[לנום]", "[נמו]", "er-slumbers", "er-wird-slumber", "sie-sank-hinein"]·EN["He-slumbers", "He-will-slumber", "he-slumbers", "slumber", "they-sank-into", "to-slumber"]·FR["[ינום]", "[לנום]", "sommeiller"]·heb["ינום", "ל-נום", "נמו"]·HI["ऊँघता-है", "ऊँघेगा", "नामू", "वह-ऊंघता", "सो-गए", "सोनेके"]·ID["Tertidur", "mengantuk", "mereka-tertidur", "tertidur"]·IT["[ינום]", "[לנום]", "[נמו]", "sonno"]·jav["Panjenenganipun-sare", "Turu", "badhe-sare", "piyambakipun-ngantuk", "supados-sare", "tiyang-tiyang-saré"]·KO["잠들도다", "잠들었나이다", "조는-것을", "졸고", "졸지-않으시도다", "졸지-않으시리라"]·PT["adormecem", "dormir", "dormiram", "dormita", "dormitará"]·RU["дремать", "дремлет", "задремали", "уснули"]·ES["Duermen", "dormitar", "dormitará", "durmieron"]·SW["Wamelala-usingizi", "hasinzii", "hawatasinzia", "kulala", "kusinzia", "walilala"]·TR["Uyudu", "uyudular", "uyuklasın", "uyuklayacak", "uyumak"]·urd["اونگھتا", "اونگھنا", "اونگھے", "سو-گئے", "وہ-اونگھتے"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נוּם vb. be drowsy, slumber (NH נוּם, נִמְנֵם id.; Aramaic נוּם, ܢܳܡ; Arabic ((نوم) نَامَ) id.; Ethiopic ኖመ );— Qal Pf. 3 pl. נָמ֫וּ Na 3:18 ψ 76:6 (Ges§ 72 l); Impf. יָנוּם ψ 121:3 + 2 times; 3 fs. וַתָּ֫נָם 2 S 4:6 (so read for ℌ וַיַּכֻּהו, with other radical changes, 𝔊 Th We Dr Kit Bu HPS); Inf. cstr. לָנוּם Is 56:10.—be drowsy, slumber, lit. וַתָּנָם וַתִּישָׁ֑ן 2 S 4:6 (emend., v. supr.)…