Lexical Summary
nud: To wander, to flee, to lament, to show grief, to shake, to move to and fro
Original Word:נוּד
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:nuwd
Pronunciation:nood
Phonetic Spelling:(nood)
KJV: bemoan, flee, get, mourn, make to move, take pity, remove, shake, skip for joy, be sorry, vagabond, way, wandering
NASB:mourn, flee, shake, wander, wanderer, console, consoled
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to nod, i.e. waver
2. (figuratively) to wander, flee, disappear
3. (from shaking the head in sympathy) to console, deplore
4. (from tossing the head in scorn) to taunt
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bemoan, flee, get, mourn, make to move, take pity, remove, shake,
A primitive root; to nod, i.e. Waver; figuratively, to wander, flee, disappear; also (from shaking the head in sympathy), to console, deplore, or (from tossing the head in scorn) taunt -- bemoan, flee, get, mourn, make to move, take pity, remove, shake, skip for joy, be sorry, vagabond, way, wandering.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto move to and fro, wander, flutter, show grief
NASB Translationconsole (1), consoled (1), drive away (1), flee (2), flitting (1), grieve (1), grieving (1), mourn (4), shake (2), shaken (1), sympathize (1), sympathy (1), totters (1), wander (2), wandered (1), wanderer (2), waver (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, shew grief (Late Hebrew
id. (rare); Aramaic
,
shake, move to and fro, be disturbed, agitated; Biblical Aramaic
flee (see below); Arabic (
)
waver, totter); —
Perfect3masculine singular so read forIsaiah 17:11 Ges Hi Ew Di Kit CheHpt RV; 3 pluralJeremiah 50:3;Imperfect3masculine singular1 Kings 14:15 3t.; 2 masculine singularJeremiah 4:1 jussiveJeremiah 16:5; 3masculine pluralJob 42:11; 2masculine pluralJeremiah 22:10;Imperative feminine singularPsalm 11:1 Qr (Kt ); masculine pluralJeremiah 48:17 2t. Jeremiah;InfinitiveJob 2:11 2t.;ParticipleGenesis 4:12,14; —
move to and fro, wander aimlessly, as fugitive,Genesis 4:12,14 (J),Jeremiah 4:1 (Gie, as apodosis, so RV; but Ew Hi Gf Che Ke, as protasis,if thou wanderest not [morally], and swearest, etc., — Ew Hi reading with ; Co strike outJeremiah 4:1;Jeremiah 4:2);take flight (perhaps metaplastic form of q. v.),Jeremiah 49:30 (on daghesh see Ges§ 20g), of harvestIsaiah 17:21 i.e. be destroyed, in figure (see above);Jeremiah 50:3 ("" ),Jeremiah 50:8 (followed by ; "" ).
flutter, of birdProverbs 26:2 ("" ); figurative of soulPsalm 11:1.
waver, wave, shake, of reed1 Kings 14:15 (simile of smitten Israel).
shew grief (i. e. by shaking or nodding head), usually followed by person:
lament for the dead (Josiah)Jeremiah 22:10 ("" ), for JerusalemJeremiah 15:5 ("" ),Jeremiah 16:5 ("" ),Isaiah 51:19; for NinevehNahum 3:7; MoabJeremiah 48:17.
condole, shew sympathy withJob 2:11;Job 42:11; absolutePsalm 69:21.
Imperfect3masculine singularJeremiah 18:16; 3feminine singular suffixPsalm 36:12;Imperative masculine singular suffixPsalm 59:12 (so read for LagProph. Chald, xlviii. Dr2Samuel 15:20 compare Checritical note Hup-Now Bae Du);Infinitive2 Kings 21:8; —
cause to wander aimlessly, as fugitives, with accusative of personPsalm 36:12;Psalm 59:12 (see above), followed by2 Kings 21:8.
make a wagging, wag with the head,Jeremiah 18:16.
Participle2 Samuel 23:6 and the worthless,like briers made to flutter (tossed away) are they (text dubious; Klo Bu HPS read ).
Perfect3feminine singular consecutiveIsaiah 24:20;Imperfect2masculine singularJeremiah 48:27;ParticipleJeremiah 31:18; —
move oneself to and fro, sway, totter,Isaiah 24:20 (of earth).
shake oneself, in excitementJeremiah 48:27 (perhaps of scorn =wag the head, as Hiph`ilJeremiah 18:16 compare Gf RV).
bemoan oneself (compare ),Jeremiah 31:18 (the lament follows in oratio recta [direct speech]).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewןוּד (nûd) depicts both physical displacement and inner agitation. Its double sense—“to wander” and “to show compassionate grief”—moves across Scripture from Cain’s sentence to prophetic visions of exile and finally to intimate scenes of consolation. The verb therefore traces humanity’s alienation from God and the divine provision of comfort.
Semantic Range and Nuances
1. Physical wandering, flight, or scattering.
2. Emotional trembling, lament, or the head-shaking gesture of sympathy.
3. A moral undertone that binds judgment and compassion to covenant faithfulness.
Representative Occurrences
•Genesis 4:12, 14 – “You shall be a restless wanderer on the earth.” Cain’s punishment inaugurates the theme of estrangement.
•1 Kings 14:15 – Israel will be “uprooted … and scattered beyond the Euphrates,” a national replay of Cain’s fate.
•2 Kings 21:8 – Obedience would spare Israel from wandering; disobedience would renew it.
•Job 2:11; 42:11 – Friends come “to sympathize with him and comfort him,” showing that nûd can be a ministry of presence.
•Psalm 69:20 – “I looked for sympathy, but there was none,” foreshadowing the Messiah’s isolation.
•Proverbs 26:2 – A causeless curse “does not come to rest,” illustrating that moral order governs apparent randomness.
•Isaiah 24:20 – The tottering earth magnifies the cosmic reach of sin.
•Jeremiah 31:18 – Restorative discipline promises an end to wandering.
•Nahum 3:7 – Nations shake their heads over Nineveh’s fall, acknowledging divine retribution.
Theological Themes
Judgment and Exile
Continuous motion without rest is the canonical sign of rebellion. From Eden to Babylon, nûd marks the forfeiture of covenant stability.
Compassionate Identification
The same verb undergirds the righteous response to suffering—moving toward the afflicted, entering their turmoil, and offering comfort that mirrors the character of God.
Divine Control of Movement
Whether restraining displacement (Psalm 11:1) or ordering it (Jeremiah 50:8), God governs every migration, proving His sovereign rule over both land and people.
Hope of Restoration
Prophetic promises convert wandering into pilgrimage. Exile is penultimate; homecoming is ultimate, secured in the new covenant (Jeremiah 31).
Historical and Redemptive Significance
nûd charts a redemptive arc: alienation because of sin, sympathy extended in suffering, and eventual rest by grace. Each mention pushes the narrative toward fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who endured scornful head-shaking (Matthew 27:39) to gather the scattered and grant everlasting rest (Hebrews 4:9).
Ministry Applications
• Practice embodied compassion by “sympathizing” before speaking, as Job’s friends initially did.
• Serve the displaced with the assurance that God sees every wanderer.
• Warn that sin’s curse may seem delayed but will find its mark.
• Encourage believers that their pilgrimage ends in the unshakable kingdom.
Summary
nûd weaves together wandering and weeping, curse and comfort. It reminds the faithful that though sin drives humanity away, God’s steadfast love pursues, consoles, and finally brings His people home.
Forms and Transliterations
וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖ה וְיָנִ֥יד וַיָּנֻ֤דוּ וָנָ֖ד וָנָד֙ והתנודדה וינדו ויניד ונד יָנ֣וּד ינוד לְהָנִיד֙ לָ֭נוּד לָנ֣וּד לָנֽוּד־ להניד לנוד לנוד־ מִתְנוֹדֵ֔ד מתנודד נ֝֗וּדִי נָ֥דוּ נֻ֚דוּ נֻ֤דוּ נֻּ֨דוּ נדו נודי תְּנִדֵֽנִי׃ תִּתְנוֹדָֽד׃ תָּנֹ֖ד תָּנֻ֖דוּ תָנֽוּד׃ תנד תנדו תנדני׃ תנוד׃ תתנודד׃ lā·nūḏ lā·nūḏ- lanud lānūḏ lānūḏ- lə·hā·nîḏ lehaNid ləhānîḏ miṯ·nō·w·ḏêḏ mitnoDed miṯnōwḏêḏ nā·ḏū Nadu nāḏū nū·ḏî nu·ḏū Nudi nūḏî Nudu nuḏū tā·nōḏ tā·nu·ḏū ṯā·nūḏ taNod tānōḏ taNud ṯānūḏ taNudu tānuḏū tə·ni·ḏê·nî teniDeni təniḏênî tiṯ·nō·w·ḏāḏ titnoDad tiṯnōwḏāḏ vaiyaNudu vaNad vehitnodDah veyaNid wā·nāḏ wānāḏ way·yā·nu·ḏū wayyānuḏū wə·hiṯ·nō·wḏ·ḏāh wə·yā·nîḏ wəhiṯnōwḏḏāh wəyānîḏ yā·nūḏ yaNud yānūḏ
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