Hebrew word · H5098

נָהַם

nohem

to groan

A low, rumbling roar or growl. It is used of lions (Prov 19:12; 20:2; 28:15; Isa 5:29), of the sea (Isa 5:30), and of people groaning in pain (Prov 5:11; Ezek 24:23; Ps 38:9, 'groaning of my heart'). Its basic sense is a deep sound from the chest or throat, not a sharp cry.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to growl, groan

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to growl (of lion)

1a2) to groan (of sufferer)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 5:30

Range of meaning

A low, rumbling roar or growl. It is used of lions (Prov 19:12; 20:2; 28:15; Isa 5:29), of the sea (Isa 5:30), and of people groaning in pain (Prov 5:11; Ezek 24:23; Ps 38:9, 'groaning of my heart'). Its basic sense is a deep sound from the chest or throat, not a sharp cry.

Against the English

English 'roar' fits the sea, and 'growl' fits a lion over its prey. Strong's gloss 'groan' fits the human uses but undersells the menace here. YLT's 'howleth' is too shrill.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Proverbs the king's anger is 'like the growling of a young lion' (19:12; 20:2). Isaiah 17:12 uses a near-synonym (hamah) for nations that 'roar like the roaring of the seas', the same picture of invading armies as surf.

From the study of Isaiah 5:29

Range of meaning

To growl, rumble or groan. A low, deep sound, used of a lion over its prey (Prov 19:12 noun; 28:15), of a person groaning in distress (Prov 5:11; Ezek 24:23), and of the sea roaring (Isa 5:30; noun in Ps 65:8 is a related word, but naham itself is used for the sea here).

Against the English

KJV renders it with 'roar' again ('yea, they shall roar'), which blurs the difference from shaʾag. YLT's 'howleth' suggests a wolf more than a lion. BSB, ESV, NASB and NIV use 'growl', which is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 19:12 and 20:2 compare a king's anger to a lion's growl (naham). Isaiah 5:30 uses the same verb and its noun (nahamah) for the sea.

From the study of Proverbs 28:15

Range of meaning

A deep, rumbling sound. Used of a lion's growl (Proverbs 19:12; 20:2; Isaiah 5:29), of the sea's roar (Isaiah 5:30), and of human groaning in distress (Proverbs 5:11; Ezekiel 24:23). The common thread is a low, heavy sound from deep in the chest.

Against the English

Most English versions say 'roaring'. YLT has 'growling'. Hebrew has a separate word for the lion's full-throated roar (šāʾag, H7580). Nāham is the growl, the sound of a lion that has found its prey. 'Roaring' is acceptable, but 'growling' is closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 5:29 sets the two words side by side: the invaders 'roar (šāʾag) like young lions; they growl (nāham) and seize their prey'. Proverbs 19:12 and 20:2 use nāham for the king's wrath: 'the dread of a king is like the growling of a lion'. Those verses use the image for the legitimate danger of royal anger. This verse uses it for a ruler who is wicked.

Where it appears

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 5:11 וְנָהַמְתָּ֥ and you will groan

    At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent,

  2. Proverbs 28:15 נֹ֭הֵם roaring

    Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

    Here: An ongoing action ('growling'): the deep rumble a lion makes as it closes on or stands over its prey (compare Isaiah 5:29, 'they growl and seize their prey'). It is the sound that comes just before the kill, not a distant roar.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 5:29 וְיִנְהֹם֙ so it may growl

    Their roaring is like that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away, and no one can rescue it.

    Here: The low rumbling growl a lion makes over a kill. The same verb comes back in v. 30 for the roar of the sea, linking the lion picture to the picture of chaos waters.

  2. Isaiah 5:30 וְיִנְהֹ֥ם and it may growl

    In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.

    Here: A deep, rumbling growl: the sound of a lion over its kill, and also of a heaving sea. It is the same verb used of the lion in 5:29, so the invader's lion-growl runs straight on into this verse and turns into the roar of surf. The subject is singular: the 'nation from far away' of 5:26.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 24:23 וּנְהַמְתֶּ֖ם and you will groan

    Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.