H8639 H8639
A deep, supernatural sleep sent by God, producing trance-like insensibility; distinct from ordinary slumber.
Unlike ordinary sleep, tardemah describes a profound, divinely induced unconsciousness. God cast it upon Adam before creating Eve (Gen 2:21), upon Abram during the covenant of the pieces (Gen 15:12), and upon Saul's camp so David could approach undetected (1 Sam 26:12). In Job 4:13 and 33:15 it is the state in which God communicates through visions. Isaiah 29:10 uses it metaphorically as a 'spirit of deep sleep' poured out to describe spiritual insensibility. The Septuagint renders it variously as ekstasis ('trance') and thambos ('astonishment'), capturing its otherworldly quality.
Senses
1. deep sleep — A deep, divinely imposed sleep producing trance-like unconsciousness, distinct from ordinary rest. In its seven occurrences it consistently involves supernatural agency: God 'causes it to fall upon' a person (Gen 2:21; 15:12; 1 Sam 26:12), or it descends during nocturnal visions (Job 4:13; 33:15). Proverbs 19:15 extends the image to describe the stupor of laziness, while Isaiah 29:10 uses it as a metaphor for spiritual numbness. Spanish 'sopor profundo' and German 'tiefen Schlaf' both stress the depth of this sleep, but the Hebrew carries an additional nuance of divine causation that these translations only partly convey. 7×
AR["سُباتًا-عَميقًا", "سُباتٍ", "سُباتَ", "سُبَاتًا", "سُبَاتٍ", "وَ-سُبَاتٌ"]·ben["এবং-গভীর-নিদ্রা", "গভীর-ঘুম", "গভীর-নিদ্রা", "গভীর-নিদ্রায়", "গভীর-নিদ্রার"]·DE["[תרדמה]", "einen-tiefen-Schlaf", "tief-schlafe-von", "und-ein-tiefer-Schlaf"]·EN["and-a-deep-sleep", "deep-sleep", "deep-sleep-of", "of-deep-sleep"]·FR["[תרדמה]", "et-un-profond-dormir", "profond-dormir", "profond-dors-de", "תרדמה"]·heb["ו-תרדמה", "תרדמה", "תרדמת"]·HI["और-गह्रि-निन्द", "गहरी-नींद", "गहरी-नींद-की"]·ID["dan-tidur-nyenyak", "tidur nyenyak", "tidur-lelap", "tidur-nyenyak"]·IT["[תרדמה]", "e-un-profondo-dormire", "profondo-dormi-di", "profondo-dormire", "profondo-sleep"]·jav["lan-sare-kepati", "sare-kepati", "sare-lebet", "saè-kepati", "tilem-lebet"]·KO["그리고-깊은-잠이", "깊은-잠", "깊은-잠에", "깊은-잠의", "깊은-잠이", "깊은잠이-"]·PT["e-sono-profundo", "sono-profundo", "torpor-de"]·RU["глубокий-сон", "глубокого-сна", "и-глубокий-сон"]·ES["profundo-sueño", "sopor-profundo", "sueño-profundo", "sueño-profundo-de", "y-sueño-profundo"]·SW["na-usingizi-mzito", "ulipowashukia", "usingizi-mzito", "usingizi-mzito-wa", "ya-usingizi-mzito"]·TR["derin-uyku", "derin-uykunun", "derin-uykusu", "derin-uykuya", "ve-derin-uyku"]·urd["اور-گہری-نیند", "گہری نیند", "گہری-نیند", "گہری-نیند-میں", "گہری-نیند-کی"]
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
† תַּרְדֵּמָה n.f. deep sleep;—abs. ת׳ Gn 2:21 +; cstr. תַּרְדֵּמַת 1 S 26:12;—deep sleep, usually c. נָפַל + עַל pers., and usually by supernat. agency: וַיַּפֵּל י׳ א׳ ת׳ עַל Gn 2:21 (J; 𝔊 ἔκστασις), ת׳ נָֽפְלָה עַל 15:12 (J; 𝔊 id.), Jb 4:13 = 33:15 (𝔊 [δεινὸς] φόβος), so תַּרְדֵּמַת י׳ 1 S 26:12 (𝔊 θάμβος), result of slothfulness (על and pers. om.) Pr 19:15; fig. for insensibility of spirit, נָסַךְ עֲלֵיכֶם י׳ רוּחַ ת׳ Is 29:10.