---
title: נָפַשׁ — take breath · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נָפַשׁ (5314), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 3 times: take breath. BDB 1906: vb.denom. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נָפַשׁ

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«נָפַשׁ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **take breath** — 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:** 3 times · **Key:** 5314 · **BDB:** נָפַשׁ

### Glosses

he.refreshed.himself (2); he.will.refresh.himself (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

take breath [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5314/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb.denom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5314/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb.denom. (cf. Syriac ܢܰܦܶܫ refresh; ܐܶܬܢܦܶܫ, ܐܶܬܢܰܦܰܫ be refreshed; Ethiopic ነፍሰ );— Impf. 3 ms. יִנָּפֵשׁ Ex 23:12 (E) 2 S 16:14; וַיִּנָּפַ֑שׁ Ex 31:17 (P);—take breath, refresh oneself.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נָפַשׁ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5314/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[2 Samuel 16:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.16.14/)

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וַיָּבֹ֥א הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וְכָל־הָעָ֥ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ עֲיֵפִ֑ים וַיִּנָּפֵ֖שׁ שָֽׁם׃

*Word for word:* and he.came the king and all the people which \[was\].with him exhausted and he.refreshed.himself there

*JPS 1917:* And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there.

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[Exodus 23:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.23.12/)

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שֵׁ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָ וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת לְמַ֣עַן יָנ֗וּחַ שֽׁוֹרְךָ֙ וַחֲמֹרֶ֔ךָ וְיִנָּפֵ֥שׁ בֶּן־אֲמָתְךָ֖ וְהַגֵּֽר׃

*Word for word:* six days you.will.do work(s) your and on the day (the) seventh you.will.rest so.that it.may.rest ox your and donkey your and he.will.refresh.himself the.child your.female.slave your and the sojourner

*JPS 1917:* Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

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- ← previous: [נָפַץ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e0_5b8_5e4_5b7_5e5.md)
- next →: [נֶפֶשׁ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5315.md)
- ↑ back to [נ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1504-4.md)