H5181 H5181
To go down, descend; press down or bend; sink in; bring down; be shattered — a poetic Aramaic-colored verb of downward motion and force
A poetic verb with strong Aramaic roots, used almost exclusively in elevated literary passages. It describes downward movement in vivid physical and metaphorical terms: arrows sinking into flesh (Ps 38:2), God's hand descending in chastisement, a reproof that penetrates the heart (Prov 17:10), and the wicked going down to Sheol in a moment (Job 21:13). The Piel intensifies this into bending or pressing down, as when God trains the warrior's hands so that a bow of bronze is bent low (2 Sam 22:35; Ps 18:34). Spanish 'se clavaron' for the Niphal and German translations struggling to render it show how this word resists easy equivalents across languages.
Senses
1. descend, go down — The basic Qal sense of descending or going down, whether physically or figuratively. In Jer 21:13, it describes an attack descending upon a target; in Job 21:13, the wicked descend to Sheol swiftly. In Prov 17:10, a rebuke 'goes deeper' into a discerning person than a hundred blows into a fool — the multilingual glosses (Spanish 'penetra,' English 'goes-deeper') highlight this figurative penetration. The Aramaic cognate neheth confirms the basic directional meaning. 4×
AR["وَنَزَلَتْ", "يَنْحَدِرُونَ", "يَنْزِلُ", "يَنْفُذُ"]·ben["ও-নেমে-আসে", "তারা-নামে", "নামবে", "প্রবেশ-করে"]·DE["[יחת]", "[יחתו]", "und-hat-kommen-hinab", "unter"]·EN["and-has-come-down", "goes-deeper", "they-go-down", "will-come-down"]·FR["[יחת]", "et-descendre", "יחתו", "תחת"]·heb["ו-תנחת", "יחת", "יחתו", "תחת"]·HI["उतरती-है", "उतरेगा", "और-दबाता-है", "वे-उतरते-हैं"]·ID["Lebih-berkesan", "mereka-turun", "yang-akan-turun"]·IT["[יחת]", "e-scese", "essi-andare-giù", "goes-deeper"]·jav["badhe-mudhun", "lan-tumurun", "langkung-ngena", "piyambakipun-tumurun"]·KO["그리고-내리누르셨도다", "내려가나니", "내려오리요", "스미느니라"]·PT["Penetra", "descem", "descerá", "e-desceu"]·RU["глубже-входит", "и-опустилась", "сойдёт", "сходят"]·ES["Penetra", "descenderá", "descienden.", "y-descendió"]·SW["atashuka", "inapenya", "na-umeshuka", "wanashuka"]·TR["inecek", "inerler", "işler", "ve-indi"]·urd["اترے-گا", "اثر-کرتی-ہے", "اور-اُترا-ہے", "اُترتے ہیں"]
2. press down, bend low — The Piel intensive form meaning to press down, bend low, or cause to settle under weight or force. In 2 Sam 22:35 and Ps 18:34, God trains the warrior's arms so they can bend a bow of bronze — an image of supernatural strength pressing unyielding metal downward. In Ps 65:10, God settles the earth's furrows with rain. Spanish 'asentando' (settling) and 'y-baja' (and lowers) capture these complementary nuances of pressing and settling. 3×
AR["اِحْدُرْ", "فَتَحْنِي", "وَتَحْنِي"]·ben["এবং-নত-করে", "এবং-নত-হয়", "নামিয়ে-দিয়েছ"]·DE["settling", "so-der-kann-bend", "und-bends"]·EN["and-bends", "settling", "so-that-can-bend"]·FR["descendre", "et-bends", "et-descendre"]·heb["ו-ניחת", "ו-ניחתה", "נחת"]·HI["और-झुकाएगा", "और-झुकाया-है", "तू-बैठाता-है"]·ID["Engkau-ratakan", "dan-membengkokkan", "dan-menekan-turun"]·IT["e-bends", "e-scese", "scese"]·jav["lan-ndhungklukaken", "leresaken", "saha-dipun-tekuk"]·KO["그리고-굽히다", "그리고-굽히도다", "내리소서"]·PT["aplainando", "e-desceu", "e-foi-curvado"]·RU["и-пригибают", "и-сгибают", "углубляешь"]·ES["asentando", "y-baja", "y-es-doblado"]·SW["na-unaweza-kupinda", "na-upinde", "usawazishe"]·TR["düzle", "ve-indiren", "ve-indirildi"]·urd["اور-جھکا-دیتی-ہے", "اور-جھکایا", "نیچا-کر"]
3. sink in, be driven in — The Niphal passive sense of sinking in or being driven into something, as projectiles fixed into a target. In Ps 38:2, God's arrows 'have sunk into' the psalmist — a harrowing image of divine discipline experienced bodily. Spanish 'se clavaron' (were nailed in) vividly conveys the force of this passive penetration, while English 'have-sunk' preserves the downward trajectory. 1×
AR["نَزَلَتْ"]·ben["বিদ্ধ-হয়েছে"]·DE["haben-sunk"]·EN["have-sunk"]·FR["descendre"]·heb["נחתו"]·HI["धँसे-हैं"]·IT["scese"]·jav["sampun-tumurun"]·KO["꽂혔도다"]·PT["penetraram"]·RU["вонзились"]·ES["se-clavaron"]·SW["imechomwa"]·TR["saplandı"]·urd["اُترے-ہیں"]
4. bring down, cause to descend — The Hiphil causative sense of bringing down or causing to descend from above. In Joel 3:11 (4:11 in Hebrew), the prophet calls on God to bring down His warriors — a petition for divine intervention descending from heaven to earth. This is the rarest attested form, with only one clear occurrence. 1×
AR["أَنْزِلْ"]·ben["নামিয়ে-দাও"]·DE["[הנחת]"]·EN["bring-down"]·FR["descendre"]·heb["הַנחַת"]·HI["उतार"]·ID["turunkanlah,"]·IT["[הנחת]"]·jav["keparengna-mandhap"]·KO["내려보내소서"]·PT["faze-descer"]·RU["низведи"]·ES["haz-descender"]·SW["teremsha"]·TR["indir"]·urd["اُتار"]
5. be shattered, be broken — A distinct Niphal sense meaning to be shattered or broken, found in Hannah's song (1 Sam 2:10) where the adversaries of the LORD 'will be shattered.' Spanish 'serán-quebrantados' (will be crushed) aligns with this destructive sense. Some scholars connect this to a separate root (hathath, to shatter), but the textual tradition and ancient versions associate it with the downward-force semantic field of naheth. 1×
AR["يَنْسَحِقُونَ"]·ben["ভীত-হবে"]·DE["wird-sein-shattered"]·EN["will-be-shattered"]·FR["fera-être-shattered"]·heb["ייחתו"]·HI["टूटेंगे"]·ID["akan-dipecahkan"]·IT["vorrà-essere-shattered"]·jav["badhe-remuk"]·KO["부서지다"]·PT["serão-despedaçados"]·RU["сокрушатся"]·ES["serán-quebrantados"]·SW["wataogopa"]·TR["kırılacak"]·urd["ٹوٹ-جائیں-گے"]
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×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [נָחֵת] vb. (Aramaic and poet.) go down, descend (Aramaic נְחֵת, ܢܚܶܬ; Palm. נחת Lzb 323);— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יֵחַת Je 21:13; 3 fs. תֵּ֫חַת Pr 17:10, וַתִּנְחַת ψ 38:3; 3 mpl. יֵחַ֑תּוּ Jb 21:13 (forms יֵחַת, יֵחַתּוּ v. also חתת);— 1. go down, descend, to attack Je 21:13; into She’ôl Jb 21:13. 2. fig. descend in chastisement ψ 38:3 (hand of י׳; ‖Niph. v. infr.); sq. בְּ descend into i. e. make…