What does נוּעַ (nûʿa) mean in the Bible?
נוּעַ (nûʿa): Physical instability extending to moral/spiritual unsettledness; movement without secure foundation or direction.
Hebrew · H5128
נוּעַ
To waver , in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (as subjoined)
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נוּעַ H5128
Pronunciation nûʿa
What does נוּעַ (nûʿa) mean in the Bible?
נוּעַ (nûʿa): Physical instability extending to moral/spiritual unsettledness; movement without secure foundation or direction.
Full entry for נוּעַ (H5128) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5128?
The BSB source-word alignment has 40 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and shake (3), sway (3), . . . (2), a fugitive (2), shaken (2).
Where does נוּעַ (nûʿa) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (8), Psalms (7), Amos (4), Judges (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It and shake 3× Job 16:4, Psalms 22:7, Lamentations 2:15
sway 3× Judges 9:9, Judges 9:11, Judges 9:13
. . . 2× Psalms 109:10, Isaiah 24:20
a fugitive 2× Genesis 4:12, Genesis 4:14
shaken 2× Isaiah 7:2, Nahum 3:12
shakes 2× 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22
[grain] is sifted 1× Amos 9:9
and He made them wander 1× Numbers 32:13
and I will shake 1× Amos 9:9
and set me trembling 1× Daniel 10:10
and shakes 1× Zephaniah 2:15
and staggered 1× Psalms 107:27
and sways 1× Job 28:4
are unstable 1× Proverbs 5:6
disturb 1× 2 Kings 23:18
People staggered 1× Amos 4:8
People will stagger 1× Amos 8:12
Scatter them 1× Psalms 59:11
scavenge 1× Psalms 59:15
shook 1× Isaiah 6:4
should I make you 1× 2 Samuel 15:20
stagger 1× Isaiah 29:9
staggers 1× Isaiah 24:20
they shake 1× Psalms 109:25
they trembled 1× Exodus 20:18
They wandered 1× Lamentations 4:14
to wander 1× Jeremiah 14:10
trembled 1× Isaiah 7:2
wander 1× Psalms 109:10
wandered 1× Lamentations 4:15
were moving 1× 1 Samuel 1:13
will tremble 1× Isaiah 19:1
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 4:12 נָ֥ע to a fugitive Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Genesis 4:14 נָ֤ע to a fugitive Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Exodus 20:18 וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ to they trembled Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Numbers 32:13 וַיְנִעֵם֙ to and He made them wander Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural Judges 9:9 לָנ֖וּעַ to sway Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Judges 9:11 לָנ֖וּעַ to sway Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Judges 9:13 לָנ֖וּעַ to sway Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 1 Samuel 1:13 נָּע֔וֹת to were moving Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural 2 Samuel 15:20 אֲנוֹעֲךָ to should I make you Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular 2 Kings 19:21 הֵנִ֔יעָה to shakes Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 4:12
Aligned rows 40
Books represented 17
Genesis 2 Exodus 1 Numbers 1 Judges 3 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 1 2 Kings 2 Job 2 Psalms 7 Proverbs 1 Isaiah 8 Jeremiah 1 Lamentations 3 Daniel 1 Amos 4 Nahum 1 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
לָנ֖וּעַ 3x lā·nū·a‘ Judges 9:9, Judges 9:11, Judges 9:13
הֵנִ֔יעָה 2x hê·nî·‘āh 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22
אֲנוֹעֲךָ 1x ʾă·nō·ʿă·ḵå̄ 2 Samuel 15:20
הֲנִיעֵ֣מוֹ 1x hă·nî·‘ê·mōw Psalms 59:11
וְאָנִ֥יעָה 1x wə·’ā·nî·‘āh Job 16:4
וַהֲנִע֥וֹתִי 1x wa·hă·ni·‘ō·w·ṯî Amos 9:9
וְ֭יָנוּעוּ 1x wə·yā·nū·‘ū Psalms 107:27
וַיָּ֤נַע 1x way·yā·na‘ Isaiah 7:2
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 5x Job 28:4, Proverbs 5:6, Isaiah 29:9, Lamentations 4:14
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 4x Judges 9:9, Judges 9:11, Judges 9:13, Jeremiah 14:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 3x Isaiah 19:1, Amos 4:8, Amos 8:12
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 2x Exodus 20:18, Isaiah 6:4
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person feminine singular 2x 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular 2x Genesis 4:12, Genesis 4:14
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 1x Job 16:4
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular 1x Amos 9:9
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Physical instability extending to moral/spiritual unsettledness; movement without secure foundation or direction.
Strong's H5128
Lexical occurrences 42 verses Word forms 3 forms 18 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 4:9-16 Source Gloss
to waver , in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (as subjoined)
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 18
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 11×
Perfect Isa 29:9 · Job 28:4 · Lam 4:14 · Lam 4:15 · Prov 5:6 5×
Participle active 1Sam 1:13 · Gen 4:12 · Gen 4:14 3×
Imperfect Isa 24:20 · Ps 109:10 2×
Infinitive absolute Isa 24:20 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 5×
Perfect 2Kgs 19:21 · Isa 37:22 2×
Imperfect Ps 22:8 · Zeph 2:15 2×
Jussive 2Kgs 23:18 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 2×
Imperfect Amos 9:9 · Nah 3:12 2×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Cain as a wanderer, forced to wander the earth as punishment for murder
Egypt's spirit wavering or staggering in confusion and fear before God's judgment
The earth shaking and reeling from divine judgment and cosmic disturbance
People wandering away from God, backsliding in their unfaithfulness
A murderer fleeing and wandering as a fugitive throughout his life
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 42 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
נוּעַ is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain