---
title: נוּם — be drowsy · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נוּם (5123), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: be drowsy. BDB 1906: vb. be drowsy, slumber. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נוּם

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«נוּם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be drowsy** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 6 times · **Key:** 5123 · **BDB:** נוּם

### Glosses

anyone.will.slumber (1); he.will.slumber (1); may.he.slumber (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be drowsy [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5123/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be drowsy, slumber [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5123/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be drowsy, slumber (NH נוּם, נִמְנֵם id.; Aramaic נוּם, ܢܳܡ; Arabic ((نوم) نَامَ) id.; Ethiopic ኖመ );— 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.) and she grew drowsy and slept; fig. of inactivity, indolence, Is 5:27 (‖ ישׁן), ψ 121:3, 4 (of י׳; ‖ id.); Na 3:18 (‖ שָׁכֵן); אֹהֲבֵי לָנ׳ Is 56:10 (‖ שָׁכַב); sq. acc. cogn. שֵׁנָה ψ 76:6 (of death, ‖ נִרְדַּם).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 6 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נוּם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5123/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 121:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.121.4/)

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הִנֵּ֣ה לֹֽא־יָ֭נוּם וְלֹ֣א יִישָׁ֑ן שׁ֝וֹמֵ֗ר יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

*Word for word:* there! not he.will.slumber and not he.will.sleep the.protector of.Israel

*JPS 1917:* Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.

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[Psalms 121:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.121.3/)

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אַל־יִתֵּ֣ן לַמּ֣וֹט רַגְלֶ֑ךָ אַל־יָ֝נ֗וּם שֹֽׁמְרֶֽךָ׃

*Word for word:* not may.he.permit to (the) slip foot your not may.he.slumber protector your

*JPS 1917:* He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber.

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