Lexical Summary
nichum: Comfort, Consolation
Original Word:נִחוּם
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:nichuwm
Pronunciation:nee-KHOOM
Phonetic Spelling:(nee-khoom')
KJV: comfort(-able), repenting
NASB:comfort, comforting, compassions
Word Origin:[fromH5162 (נָחַם - comfort)]
1. (properly) consoled
2. abstractly, solace
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
comfortable, repenting
Or nichum {nee-khoom'}; fromnacham; properly, consoled; abstractly, solace -- comfort(-able), repenting.
see HEBREWnacham
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
nachamDefinitioncomfort, compassion
NASB Translationcomfort (1), comforting (1), compassions (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[]
comfort, pluralIsaiah 57:18;Zechariah 1:13.
compassion, suffixHosea 11:8 (We reads ).
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Range of UsageThe noun נִחוּם denotes a movement of heart that relieves sorrow or restrains wrath. It blends the ideas of tender “comfort” (Isaiah 57:18;Zechariah 1:13) and inwardly stirred “compassion” (Hosea 11:8). Emerging from the broader verbal root “to be moved with pity,” the word highlights not merely a feeling but the decisive act of easing another’s distress.
Occurrences and Context
Isaiah 57:18 sets נִחוּם in the promise of restoration after the people’s idolatry: “I will guide him and restore comfort to him and to those who mourn”. The verse anchors comfort in divine healing and guidance.
Hosea 11:8 places the term within the anguish of covenant love: “My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred.” Here נִחוּם explains why God does not abandon Ephraim. His justice never eclipses His covenant mercy.
Zechariah 1:13 records the initial oracle of the post-exilic prophet: “So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.” נִחוּם signals the shift from exile’s discipline to promised renewal.
Theological Emphasis
1. Divine Initiative. In every text God is the subject or source of נִחוּם. Comfort is not self-generated by the afflicted but gifted by the sovereign LORD who both wounded and heals (cf.Deuteronomy 32:39).
2. Covenant Loyalty. נִחוּם flows from the same steadfast love (חֶסֶד) that undergirds the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. God’s “stirred” compassion inHosea 11 defends His resolve to preserve a remnant.
3. Tension of Justice and Mercy. The word frequently appears where judgment seems inevitable yet grace prevails. It is the emotional counterpart to the legal concept of pardon.
4. Eschatological Hope. Zechariah’s “comforting words” launch a sequence of visions that culminate in the promise, “I will return to Jerusalem with mercy” (Zechariah 1:16). נִחוּם therefore threads comfort through prophetic hope for the Messianic age.
Christological Connections
Luke applies Isaiah’s wider theme of comfort to the infant Messiah: Simeon awaited “the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). Jesus Himself embodies נִחוּם, offering rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28-30) and promising the Spirit as “another Advocate” (John 14:16). In the cross, judgment and compassion meet (Psalm 85:10), fulfilling Hosea’s tension by satisfying justice while extending mercy. Post-resurrection, the risen Christ speaks “peace” to fearful disciples, echoing Zechariah’s “kind and comforting words.”
Practical Implications for Ministry
• Pastoral Care. God’s pattern of initiating comfort instructs shepherds to pursue the hurting, not merely wait for them.
• Preaching. Proclamation of both sin’s seriousness and God’s compassionate answer preserves the biblical balance evident inHosea 11.
• Corporate Worship. Liturgy that remembers exile and celebrates return mirrors the movement from lament to comfort exhibited in Isaiah and Zechariah.
• Missions and Evangelism. Divine נִחוּם extends to the nations through the gospel; proclaimers become channels of the same compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
Related Terms and Concepts
Nacham (verb) – to console, relent.
Rachamim – mercy or tender love, often paired with נִחוּם in prophetic poetry.
Paraklētos (Greek) – advocate, comforter; used for the Holy Spirit (John 14-16), linking New Testament ministry to the Older Testament theme.
נִחוּם thus stands as a concise testimony that the God who judges is also the God who comforts, guaranteeing that His redemptive plan moves inexorably from sorrow to solace for all who trust in Him.
Forms and Transliterations
נִֽחֻמִ֛ים נִחֻמִֽים׃ נִחוּמָֽי׃ נחומי׃ נחמים נחמים׃ ni·ḥū·māy ni·ḥu·mîm nichuMai nichuMim niḥūmāy niḥumîm
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
