Bible Word Study
Ναούμ
naoym · Nahum
Ναούμ
Nahum
Definition
Ναούμ (Nahum) is a proper noun referring to a specific individual in the New Testament. In its sole biblical occurrence, it identifies Nahum as an ancestor of Jesus Christ in the genealogy recorded in Luke 3:25. This Nahum is distinct from the Old Testament prophet of the same name from the book of Nahum. The name itself means 'comfort' or 'consolation,' but in the New Testament context, it functions solely as a personal identifier within a historical lineage.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Luke 3:25. It appears in the context of Luke's genealogy of Jesus, tracing his ancestry back to Adam. Here, Ναούμ functions strictly as a proper name for a specific link in that genealogical chain, with no additional narrative or descriptive usage.
Etymology
The Greek Ναούμ (Naoum) is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew name נַחוּם (Nachum), which means 'comforted' or 'consolation.' It is derived from the Hebrew verb נָחַם (nacham), meaning 'to comfort' or 'to be sorry.' The name was carried into Greek without semantic change, serving only as a personal identifier.
Semantic Range
While the name Nahum itself ('consolation') is theologically rich, its single New Testament usage as a proper noun in a list carries minimal direct theological weight. Its primary significance is historical, affirming the detailed, human lineage of Jesus Christ as recorded by Luke, which connects him to the broader story of Israel. In first-century Jewish culture, genealogies were of paramount importance for establishing lineage, heritage, and legal rights (e.g., priestly or royal descent). The inclusion of names like Nahum in Luke's genealogy grounds Jesus firmly within the history and promises made to the people of Israel, a crucial claim for the original audience. No direct synonyms as a proper name. For other names in genealogies: Ἀβραάμ (Abraam, G11) — the patriarch Abraham; Δαυίδ (Dauid, G1138) — King David.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]