נַהֲלֹל
pasture
Definition
The Hebrew noun נַהֲלֹל (nahălôl) refers to a 'pasture' or 'grazing land' for livestock. It specifically denotes an area where animals, such as sheep or goats, are led to feed. In its single biblical occurrence in Isaiah 7:19, it is used metaphorically to describe desolate, thorny places where wild animals will dwell, contrasting with cultivated land. The word carries a sense of open, sometimes rugged, terrain used for sustenance.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 7:19. Here, it is used in a prophetic context, describing how God will bring invaders who will settle in all the desolate valleys, 'in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures (נַהֲלֹל).' The usage paints a picture of widespread desolation and occupation of even the most marginal grazing lands.
Etymology
נַהֲלֹל (nahălôl) is derived from the root נָהַל (nāhal, H5095), which means 'to lead,' 'to guide,' or 'to pasture.' This root is also the source for the common word for 'wadi' or 'stream' (נַחַל, naḥal), as streams were natural guides through the landscape and places where flocks were led to water and pasture. Thus, נַהֲלֹל specifically denotes a place to which flocks are led for grazing.
Semantic Range
While a simple term for 'pasture,' its use in Isaiah 7:19 contributes to a key theological theme of divine judgment. The prophecy against Judah portrays a complete inversion of security, where even the remote pastures—places of provision and shepherding—become occupied by hostile forces. This underscores the totality of God's disciplinary action when his people rebel, affecting every part of the land, from cities to the most rural grazing grounds.
In ancient Israel's agrarian society, pastures were vital for the survival of flocks, which were a primary source of wealth, food, and sacrifice. A 'pasture' (נַהֲלֹל) was not necessarily a lush, fenced field but often open, communal grazing land on hillsides or valleys. Its mention in a prophecy of desolation would vividly communicate to an agricultural audience the loss of a fundamental economic and social resource.
נָוֶה (nāweh, H5116) — a more general term for a habitation, dwelling, or pasture, often with connotations of a pleasant abode. מִרְעֶה (mirʿeh, H4829) — a common word for pasture or grazing place, focusing on the act of feeding. כַּר (kar, H3733) — a meadow or lambing fold, a more specific, often cultivated, pasture area.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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