Lexical Summary
necheth: Descent, rest, quietness
Original Word:נְחַת
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:nchath
Pronunciation:NEH-kheth
Phonetic Spelling:(nekh-ath')
KJV: carry, come down, depose, lay up, place
NASB:deposed, deposit, descended, descending, put, stored
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) corresponding toH5181 (נָחַת - bend)]
1. to descend
2. causatively, to bring away, deposit, depose
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
carry, come down, depose, lay up, place
(Aramaic) corresponding tonachath; to descend; causatively, to bring away, deposit, depose -- carry, come down, depose, lay up, place.
see HEBREWnachath
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
nachethDefinitionto descend
NASB Translationdeposed (1), deposit (1), descended (1), descending (1), put (1), stored (1).
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and ImageryThe verb carries the concrete picture of movement from a higher place to a lower one—either physically (“coming down”) or metaphorically (“bringing down,” “depositing,” “laying aside,” “deposing”). In Scripture this movement is never random; it is always directed by God’s sovereign purpose, whether He is sending help from above, securing sacred objects, or humbling the proud.
Occurrences in Redemptive History
1.Ezra 5:15; 6:1; 6:5 – post-exilic Jerusalem and the temple vessels
2.Daniel 4:13; 4:23 – the watcher’s descent in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
3.Daniel 5:20 – the downfall of Babylon’s first great king
These six references cluster around two eras separated by roughly fifty years yet united by a single theological thread: the Lord brings down what is exalted and safeguards what He has chosen.
Ezra: Safeguarding the Holy Vessels
Cyrus, and later Darius, commission the return of the temple treasures taken by Nebuchadnezzar. Twice the royal decree stresses that the articles are to be “deposited” in the rebuilt sanctuary (Ezra 5:15; 6:5), and a search is ordered “where the treasures were stored” (6:1). This deliberate placing down of sacred objects highlights:
• Covenant faithfulness – God “brought down” judgment on Judah, but now “brings down” the vessels to their rightful place, proving His promise to restore (Jeremiah 29:10).
• Holiness – the vessels are not merely carried back; they are carefully laid in the very location prescribed by God, underscoring that worship must be conducted on His terms, not man’s convenience.
• Providence – Persian kings unknowingly fulfillIsaiah 44:28; 45:1, demonstrating that even pagan rulers descend to serve God’s redemptive plan.
Daniel: The Watcher’s Descent and the King’s Humbling
“In the visions of my mind as I lay in bed, I looked, and there before me was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven” (Daniel 4:13). Heaven’s messenger descends to announce that the towering “tree” of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire will be cut down until the king acknowledges that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (4:17). The same verb recurs in 4:23 and again in 5:20: “he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.” Two key dimensions emerge:
1. Divine Intervention – Heaven is not distant; when human pride reaches its height, God’s servant descends, enforcing the decree that no flesh may boast before Him (cf.1 Corinthians 1:29).
2. Humiliation-Restoration Pattern – Nebuchadnezzar’s mind is “brought low” so that his eyes may be lifted up to heaven (4:34). The descent is a mercy designed to lead to repentance and subsequent exaltation by grace (James 4:6,10).
Interwoven Themes of Humility and Restoration
Whether it is temple vessels lowered into place or a monarch lowered from his throne, every usage underscores the same principle: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). What is physically placed down by decree is spiritually safeguarded by the Lord of history.
Ministry and Devotional Applications
• Stewardship – Just as the vessels were meticulously deposited, ministry resources today should be handled reverently and in accordance with God’s revealed will.
• Accountability of Leaders – Nebuchadnezzar’s account warns every leader that authority is a trust from God; pride invites a precipitous descent.
• Hope for the Humble – The same God who brings low also restores. Believers undergoing seasons of humiliation can look to the pattern of Ezra and Daniel for assurance that obedience positions them for renewal.
Anticipation of the Gospel
The verb’s dual action of descending and restoring anticipates the incarnational arc of the Lord Jesus Christ, who “came down from heaven” (John 6:38) and “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8) that He might “bring many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). Every scriptural descent ultimately points to His redemptive descent and the exaltation that followed.
Related Biblical Motifs
• Sanctified vessels –Exodus 40:9;2 Timothy 2:21
• Heavenly messengers –Genesis 28:12;Revelation 10:1
• The great reversal –1 Samuel 2:7–8;Isaiah 40:4;1 Peter 5:6
Thus the six appearances of נְחַת weave a rich tapestry of divine faithfulness, humbling, and restoration—threads that run through all of Scripture and find their fullest expression in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲחֵ֣ת אחת הָנְחַת֙ הנחת וְתַחֵ֖ת ותחת מְהַחֲתִ֥ין מהחתין נָחִ֣ת ׀ נָחִֽת׃ נחת נחת׃ ’ă·ḥêṯ ’ăḥêṯ aChet hā·nə·ḥaṯ haneChat hānəḥaṯ mə·ha·ḥă·ṯîn mehachaTin məhaḥăṯîn nā·ḥiṯ naChit nāḥiṯ vetaChet wə·ṯa·ḥêṯ wəṯaḥêṯ
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