H5117 — נוּחַ (nuwach)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5117
Original: נוּחַ
Transliteration: nuwach
Pronunciation: noo'-akh
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: Primitive root
Occurrences: 67 unique verses (108 tokens) across 23 books
First Occurrence: Gen 8:4 — "And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to rest, i.e. settle down; used in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, intransitive, transitive and causative (to dwell, stay, let fall, place, let alone, withdraw, give comfort, etc.):—cease, be confederate, lay, let down, (be) quiet, remain, (cause to, be at, give, have, make to) rest, set down.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	%	Typical Meaning
Hiphil	104	73.2%	cause to rest, give rest, place, set down, leave
Qal	33	23.2%	rest, settle, be at rest, remain
Hophal	5	3.5%	be placed, be left, be settled

The Hiphil (causative) dominates at nearly three-quarters of all occurrences. In Qal, the subject rests; in Hiphil, the subject causes rest or places something. The Hophal passive is rare, appearing in Ezekiel's temple architecture (Eze 41:9, 11) and Lamentations 5:5.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
rest / rested / resteth	33	49.3%
give/gave/given rest	12	17.9%
set down / lay / let down	4	6.0%
quiet / quieted	3	4.5%
remain	2	3.0%
cease	1	1.5%
confederate	1	1.5%
Other (scattered)	11	16.4%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Esther	3	1.8
Habakkuk	1	1.8
Joshua	6	0.9
Isaiah	11	0.9
2 Samuel	4	0.6
Lamentations	1	0.6
2 Chronicles	4	0.5
Ezekiel	7	0.5
Ecclesiastes	1	0.5
Zechariah	1	0.5
Exodus	5	0.4
Deuteronomy	4	0.4
1 Chronicles	3	0.3
Job	3	0.3
Proverbs	3	0.3
Daniel	1	0.3
Numbers	3	0.2
Nehemiah	1	0.2
Genesis	1	0.1
1 Kings	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1
2 Kings	1	0.1
Psalms	1	0.0

Broadly distributed across OT. Isaiah has the highest raw count (11). Historical books (Joshua–2 Chronicles) cluster around the conquest/kingdom rest theme. Absent from the Pentateuch's cultic legislation (Leviticus) and most minor prophets.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Physical Settling / Coming to Rest¶

Gen 8:4 — "And the ark rested in the seventh month... upon the mountains of Ararat."
Exo 10:14 — "the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt"
Num 10:36 — "And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel."
2 Ki 2:15 — "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha."

2. God Giving Rest from Enemies (Hiphil — Deuteronomic Promise)¶

Deu 3:20 — "Until the LORD have given rest unto your brethren"
Jos 21:44 — "And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers"
2 Sa 7:1 — "the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies"
1 Ki 5:4 — "the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side"

3. Personal / Existential Rest and Quietness¶

Job 3:13 — "For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest"
Job 3:17 — "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest."
Job 3:26 — "I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came."
Dan 12:13 — "thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."

4. The Spirit Resting Upon / Settling On a Person¶

Num 11:25 — "took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and... the spirit rested upon them"
Isa 11:2 — "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him"
Isa 63:14 — "the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest"

5. God's Wrath / Fury Resting (Settling to Completion)¶

Eze 5:13 — "I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted"
Eze 16:42 — "So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee"
Eze 21:17 — "I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest"

6. Sabbath Rest / Ceasing from Work¶

Exo 20:11 — "in six days the LORD made heaven and earth... and rested the seventh day"
Exo 23:12 — "on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest"
Deu 5:14 — "the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God... that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou"

7. Wisdom / Qualities Dwelling in a Place¶

Pro 14:33 — "Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding"
Ecc 7:9 — "anger resteth in the bosom of fools"
Isa 25:10 — "in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	29x (43%)	"the LORD gave rest" / "the LORD shall rest upon"
אֶרֶץ (erets)	H776	16x (24%)	"the land had rest" — conquest/kingdom formula
אֱלֹהִים (elohim)	H430	13x (19%)	"God hath given rest"
יוֹם (yom)	H3117	13x (19%)	"the seventh day... rested"
נָתַן (nathan)	H5414	12x (18%)	"given rest" — Hiphil nuach parallels nathan
סָבִיב (sabib)	H5439	11x (16%)	"rest round about" — from enemies on all sides
אֹיֵב (oyeb)	H341	9x (13%)	"rest from all his enemies"
רוּחַ (ruach)	H7307	9x (13%)	"the spirit rested upon"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5118 נוּחַ (nuwach) — masculine noun: rest, resting place (same form, nominal use)
H4494 מָנוֹחַ (manoach) — rest, quiet, settled place (from same root)
H4496 מְנוּחָה (menuchah) — resting place, rest, repose (22v; the settled-state noun)
H5146 נֹחַ (Noach) — Noah (proper name; Gen 5:29 folk-etymology connects to nuach)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
שָׁבַת (shabath)	H7673	"rest," "rested"	shabath = cease from activity (work-cessation); nuach = settle into a state of rest
שָׁקַט (shaqat)	H8252	"rest," "quiet"	shaqat = be undisturbed, tranquil; nuach = come to rest, settle (often from movement)
דָּמַם (damam)	H1826	"rest," "be still"	damam = be silent/still; nuach = rest in the sense of finding a resting place
שָׁכַן (shakan)	H7931	"rested," "dwell"	shakan = settle/dwell permanently (tabernacle sense); nuach = the act of coming to rest
רָבַץ (rabats)	H7257	"rest"	rabats = crouch, lie down (animal posture); nuach = rest from labor or conflict

Semantic Domain¶

Non-Engage (SDBH): Cessation of activity, disengagement
Relief: Comfort, respite from oppression or labor
Safe: Security, being settled without threat

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
ἀναπαύω (anapauo) G373	24	22.95	Primary equivalent — to repose, refresh
καταπαύω (katapauo) G2664	18	20.00	Secondary — to settle down, cause to cease
κυκλόθεν (kyklothen) G2943	9	12.78	"round about" — translates the sabib collocation
ἀνάπαυσις (anapausis) G372	6	10.89	Nominal form — intermission, rest
εἰρηνεύω (eireneuo) G1514	3	9.45	"be at peace" — translates nuach in peace contexts

The LXX splits nuach between two Greek verb families: anapauo (refreshment/repose) and katapauo (settling down/cessation). The Hebrews 3–4 argument about "rest" draws on the katapauo side via Psalm 95:11.